Information about the building

During the time of Ivan Kalita, the area near the Kremlin actively developed into a settlement known as the Great Posad. It was then that the main layout of the streets was established, including Nikolskaya, Ilinka, and Varvarka, which have survived to this day. If you exit the "Kitai-gorod" metro station towards Zaryadye, you will find yourself at the former Varvarsky gates of the Kitai-gorod wall, where part of the preserved foundation is visible in the passage. Moving towards the Kremlin, on the left, you can see a five-domed church with golden crosses, the Church of George the Victorious. This place is referred to as "what is on Pskov Hill." At different times, it has been mentioned as "at the Varvarsky cross near the prisons," "what is on Varvarka Street," and "what is on the five streets of Tregubov." The name "near the prisons" is associated with the Tsar's prison yard on the eastern side of the street in the 17th century.

The name "on Pskov Hill" appeared in the early 16th century (1510) after the abolition of Pskov's autonomy and the resettlement of its residents to Moscow. Pskov architects appeared in the capital even earlier; in 1489, they built the Annunciation Cathedral in the Kremlin.

The modern building of the church was erected in 1657 and is an example of Moscow architecture from the mid-17th century, the "golden period of Russian originality" and the style of "Russian ornamentation." The church is a "four-square" on a high basement, which is explained by the steep slope towards the Moscow River. From the side of Varvarka, the facade is low, while on the opposite side, it is high due to the basement. Basements were used for church and household needs.

The church is column-free, with a vaulted ceiling. The four-square is crowned with two tiers of Moscow-shaped kokoshniks, although originally there were three. The lower zakomaras are bricked up, and instead of the trough vault with zakomar coverage, there is now a simplified four-pitched roof. The church has five domes, with the central drum slightly larger. All drums are decorated with arcature-columnar belts and topped with onion-shaped domes. Stone frames with assembled columns and a pointed finish have been recreated on the apse and southern facade.

The rebuilt refectory and bell tower are done in a pseudo-Gothic style of the early 19th century, which somewhat obscures the volumes of Moscow architecture. However, some elements of the style coincide with "Russian ornamentation." The completion of the window frames in the forms of "flaming" Gothic harmonizes with the pointed kokoshniks.

The four-tiered bell tower is square in plan, with a rusticated first tier. The last tier is designed as a reduced arched octagon with pointed arches and pyramids, topped with a ribbed drum with a small dome and a simplified cross. The bell is absent from the bell tower.

The modern coloring of the church in white and red corresponds to the traditional colors of Moscow architecture, built from red brick and white limestone.

The crosses above the domes, made in the tradition of the 17th century, are particularly beautiful, being openwork, diamond-shaped, with trefoils at the ends and a radiance in the center in the form of 12 rays. Such crosses are rarely recreated even with good restoration.

The church survived the fire of 1812. In 1818, a bell tower was built with the funds of merchant P.F. Solovyov. By 1827, the refectory and the George chapel were completed. In 1838, the main church was connected to the bell tower by a glazed stone gallery. After the 1917 revolution, the church was used as a warehouse. In 1979, the building was transferred to the VOOpiK for exhibitions. In 1991, the church was returned to the believers.

Restoration

Due to the use of the building for purposes other than intended, serious restoration of the interiors and facade was required. Inside, the walls and window openings were reinforced, frescoes were redone, an iconostasis was made, and icons and kiots were selected. Stone details of the frames and kokoshniks were restored. The church received a new color scheme, with all buildings painted in red and white. The restoration was carried out by the Mosproject Workshop, LLC "RSK Architectural Heritage," which completed the work in 2013.

The church is a monument of federal significance.