History of Appearance

In the spring of 1885, Prince Alexander Alexeevich Shcherbatov donated a large urban estate of his late mother, Princess Sofia Stepanovna Shcherbatova, located on Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya, to the children's hospital of the Empress Maria's institutions. From 1887 to 1897, the estate underwent significant reconstruction: according to the design of architect A.S. Kaminsky, the building was seriously remodeled to accommodate a hospital ward.

In 1890, after expanding the territory by acquiring the neighboring plot from Konshina, space was created for the construction of an outpatient clinic and a church. That same year, Kaminsky developed the corresponding projects. The architect also created a design for the interior decoration and frescoes of the church.

The church was dedicated to the Holy Martyrs Sophia and Tatiana at the request of A.A. Shcherbatov: "If a church is established at the children's hospital, it should be in the name of Saint Tatiana, as there was one at the children's hospital, now closed on Bronaya, but also in the name of Saint Sophia."

On August 7, 1892, General Engineer Benjamin Ivanovich Aksharumov, who oversaw all the work, presented the project and estimate for the construction of the church with a mortuary and section to the Moscow authorities.

In 1907, a contemporary described the temple as a majestic structure in the courtyard, built in the Neo-Byzantine style according to Kaminsky's design. The church accommodated 100 worshippers, had a carved wooden iconostasis, and walls painted with stencils. The floor was laid with Mettlach tiles, and heating was provided by a furnace. On festive days, children could attend the service if the doctors allowed them to go outside.

After the revolution, the church of the Holy Martyrs Sophia and Tatiana went through difficult times. On July 20, 1923, a mandate was issued for its liquidation. The iconostasis and some icons were transferred to the Museum Department of GlavNauka as works of art from the late 19th century. By the mid-1970s, the church, used for the needs of the medical institution, was deteriorating, and it was decided to demolish it, but the demolition was halted. From 1979, the building housed the pathology department of the hospital. In 2009, the building was recognized as a monument of architecture and transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Reconstruction and Restoration

In the spring of 2011, restorers who began work on the site discovered significant losses in the volumetric composition of the church. The tiers of the bell tower above the cornice of the second floor, the dome, the cupolas, crosses, and chimney pipes were lost. The height marks of the lost parts were restored based on old photographs and A.S. Kaminsky's project.

The decorative embellishments of the facades also had significant losses. The interiors were almost completely lost.

Restorers carried out a complete set of works to restore the facades and interiors of the late 19th century, as well as adapted the building for church services.

The church regained the composition envisioned by the architect: the bell tower, cupolas, and crosses were fully recreated, and the roof over the refectory with unique pipes was restored. The facade was returned to its architectural decor, the preserved details were restored and supplemented, and the lost elements of the pediments and kokoshniks were recreated.

Research was conducted in the interiors to find painted frescoes that had been covered. Fragments of frescoes were preserved in the arches between the refectory, the square, and the altar and were cleaned and conserved. The plaster covering of the vaults was restored, the later floor covering was removed, revealing the original tiles according to A.S. Kaminsky's designs. All preserved fragments of tiles were kept, and the lost areas were filled and painted to match. The iconostasis was made based on an archival photograph.

In 2014, the project became a laureate of the Moscow Government competition "Moscow Restoration" in the nomination "For successful implementation of an investment project for the restoration of a cultural heritage site."