Location and Origin

Ilyinka, one of the three main streets of Kitai-Gorod and the central street of Bolshoy Posad. It has been known since the 16th century thanks to the Ilyinsky Monastery, which gave it its name. Previously, the street was called Dmitrievskaya due to the Church of Dmitry of Thessalonica, which stood on the site of the Exchange since 1472. In the 15th century, the street began at the Spassky Gates of the Kremlin and ended at the modern Bolshoy Cherkassky Lane. On the night of May 17, 1606, the alarm from the cathedral church of the monastery signaled the uprising, resulting in the death of False Dmitry I. After the fire of 1626, the monastery was abolished, and the Church of Elijah the Prophet became a parish church (now it is house No. 3).

The street has always had a commercial and business function. It housed trading courtyards and monastery courtyards. Until 1737, the most significant building was the complex of the Embassy Court. In the fire of 1812, the Ilyinka area was completely burned down. In the 19th century, large banks replaced the courtyards and shops.

After the revolution, the street was occupied by state institutions. In 1935, Ilyinka was renamed Kuibyshev Street in honor of the chairman of Gosplan, located at the Exchange Square. The former name was returned to the street in 1990.

Currently, the length of the street is 550 meters.

Notable Buildings

Ilyinka begins with trading rows designed by architect A. Pomerantsev in the neo-Russian style.

Middle Trading Rows

Upper Trading Rows

On the right side, the building of the Old Trading Court, built in 1830 according to the design of architect O. Bove, has been preserved.

Today, on Ilyinka, one can see buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the Art Nouveau style. These are former banks that became government institutions during the Soviet era. Among them stands out the building of the Exchange, designed by architect A. Kaminsky in the neoclassical style.

Along the street are buildings and complexes from the early 20th century: the Northern Insurance Society, designed by architect I. Rerberg, the Naidenov Bank, and the House of the Moscow Merchant Society 'Embassy Court,' which recalls the Embassy Court that existed here in the 17th century.

Ilyinka could become an excellent open-air museum of Moscow architecture.