History and Description

In the late 1620s, the wasteland of Uzkoe was acquired by Maxim Streshnev, a relative of Tsarina Evdokia Lukyanovna. He built a manor here. In 1692, his descendant, Boyar Tikhon Streshnev, purchased Uzkoe and commissioned the construction of a five-domed church, completed by 1697. The church had a unique four-leaf plan with five equally tall domes-towers, one of which (above the entrance) served as a bell tower. In the 1970s, after restoration, the domes received bulbous tops, replacing the elongated domes of the late 18th century. This church, dedicated to the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, is unique in Russian architecture. Local literature mistakenly claims that its design was created by Osip Starcev; however, there is no documentary evidence for this, and the true author remains unknown.

In this church, on July 31, 1900, the coffin with the body of religious philosopher Vladimir Solovyov was located before his burial.

After the 1917 revolution, the Trubetskoy family emigrated, and in 1930 the church was closed. Its building was used as a storage for valuable books removed from scientific and cultural circulation, including archives and books of repressed writers, as well as trophy libraries from Germany.

In 1990, the building was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church, and in 1992, after the removal of the books, the church was consecrated. However, during the restoration of the building, distortions of its historical appearance were allowed, in particular, the white-stone porch of the 18th century was destroyed and replaced in 1998 with a wider one. Remnants of the old porch were used to decorate flower beds and fences.

In April 2015, the Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow fined the church community 100,000 rubles for violating the regime of protection of cultural heritage sites due to unauthorized construction on its territory.

The five-domed church has a cross-shaped plan. Four domes, oriented to the cardinal points, rise above the semicircles of the whitewashed brick walls, while the central gilded dome gives elegance to the silhouette. The western drum is used as a bell tower, its dome serving as a sound resonator. According to legend, from this bell tower, Napoleon observed the retreat of his army in 1812.

Despite the destruction, the decoration of the church impresses with its elegance. The high space under the central dome and in the side chapels, consecrated in honor of the Finding of the Head of John the Baptist and Saint Nicholas, provides a unique sound.