Foundation Date and History

The complex of the Synodal Printing House on Nikolskaya Street is one of the most unusual buildings in Moscow and the birthplace of book printing in Russia. Ivan the Terrible and Metropolitan Makary established the Tsar's Printing House here, where books were likely printed as early as the 1550s. The first indisputable author of a dated book was Ivan Fedorov, a deacon of the Kremlin church of Nikolai Gostunsky, who worked alongside Pyotr Mstislavets. They entered history as the first Russian printers. The first dated book, the "Apostle," was published on March 1, 1564, 120 years after Gutenberg.

Reconstruction and Restoration

In 1611, the printing house burned down, but by 1620 it was restored and actively operated in the 17th and 18th centuries, publishing liturgical books and textbooks. In 1703, by decree of Peter I, the first newspaper was published here, marking the beginning of Russian periodical printing. In 1722, the printing house was transferred to the Holy Synod, and until 1917 it was one of the largest and best-equipped in Russia. It had a unique collection of fonts, including Coptic and Syriac.

In 1642, during the reign of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, Trefil Sharutin and Christopher Galloway built new stone chambers with a tower and gates on Nikolskaya, adorned with a lion and a unicorn. In 1773, a crack appeared in the tower, and in 1810 the courtyard was dismantled due to dilapidation.

The project for the new building of the Synodal Printing House was entrusted to architect I.L. Mironovsky, who constructed it in the fashionable Gothic style, considered ancient Russian. Due to the war with Napoleon, the construction was completed only in 1814. The lion and unicorn, symbolizing power, were moved from the old gates. The facade of the building features two plaques indicating that the first building of the printing house was constructed under the first tsar from the Romanov house, and the second under Alexander I. The facade is adorned with Gothic windows and turrets, columns with ornamentation. The pediment was decorated with a double-headed eagle, later replaced by the emblem of the USSR. The facade also features two sundials.

The oldest building in the complex, the Correct Chamber, or Teremok, is located in the courtyard. Archaeologist A.G. Veksler established that the underground floor of this chamber dates back to the late 15th century, making it the oldest civil structure in Moscow. In 1872-75, architect Artleben restored the Teremok, adding a porch and reconstructing the upper part in the 17th-century Russian style. The interiors were painted by Palekh masters. In 1875, Alexander II visited the chamber. In the early 20th century, there was a museum of printing in Russia here.

After the revolution, it housed Goznak, then archives and the Central Archive Administration. In the 1930s, the Historical-Archive Institute was created, and since 1991, it has been RGGU.