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Moscow Boulevard Ring: Petrovskyie Gates By Olga Oralova, Moscow State University Let's continue our walking tour of the Boulevard Ring at the Pushkin`s square.  The Pushkin monument, by sculptor A. M. Opekushin, was unveiled at the beginning of the Tverskoy boulevard in 1880. It was moved in 1950 to the opposite side of Tverskaya Street, to the site which was previously occupied by the Strastnoy Convent (The Virgin of Passions), until its demolition in 1935.The monument is especially loved and revered by Muscovites. Poets recite their verses here, friends meet, lovers have dates.  At the very beginning of Malaya Dmitrovka street stands the magnificent Church of the Birth of the Mother of God in Putinky. The original tent-roofed church was built here in 1649-1652. It has been renovated thanks to Lenkom theatre actors' donations. This elegant church was the last building in Moscow to employ the spire architectural style.Noblemen started to settle on this street in the 18th century, with merchants joining them in the second half of the 19th century. The Merchants' Club was at No 6, designed by Ivanov-Shiets and built in 1907-1909. In 1918 anarchists broke into the building with black flags and posters and turned the Merchants' Club into their headquarters. Since 1933 it has housed the theatre of TRAM (now named Lenkom Theatre, one of the most popular Moscow theatres).  Now we are going back to Strastnoy boulevard, where the concert hall "Pushkinsky" is situated. At No. 9, on the left side of the boulevard, playwright A.Sukhovo-Kobylin lived. Opposite the playwright's home, at the beginning of the 20th century, there was a women's music school. Famous Russian composer S. Rakhmaninov worked there and now a monument to him is in the middle of the boulevard.Private palaces were also undergoing changes. In the last quarter of the 17th century the wooden houses of the boyars and upper rounds of the nobility were being replaced with larger and more formal stone houses bearing a clear-cut division of the facade into two or three floors. They usually had a large courtyard and a covered passageway to a private church.  Petrovskiye Gates are at the end of the Strastnoy Boulevard at its junction with Petrovka. There is a magnificent palace in the classical style. It was built in the 18th century for Gagarin by Matvey Kazakov. It is known as the old English club. Lev Tolstoy described parties and festivities which took place in it in his novel "War and Peace." During the French occupation, it was one of Napoleon's army headquarters. French writer Stendahl, one of the officers, wrote: "In Paris there is no club which can compare with it." In 1828, after the Restoration, the house was bought by the state, and the local authorities opened the New Catherine Hospital there. In 1846 it became the Clinical Hospital of Moscow University, and young Chekhov attended it for his practical medical training. Another example of Moscow classicism is a magnificent mansion on Petrovka street also constructed by M.Kazakov, for the rich merchant Gubin. Now it is the Museum of Modern Arts. This autumn you can see very interesting monumental sculptures in the yard of the museum, most of them belong to Zurab Tsereteli.Among the most interesting sites on Petrovka are the gates at the entrance to the Vysoko-Petrovsky monastery. They were built in strict axial composition and were the first to boast three entrances.  The monastery was founded during the reign of Ivan I. It was rebuilt in the late 17th century with sponsorship from the Naryshkin family: relatives of Peter the Great. The monastery consist of six churches. Let's mention three of them. One is the Church of the Metropolitan Peter after which the monastry is named. This single domed church was built in 1514-1517 to a design by Aleviz Novy. Another is the church of the Icon of the Virgin of Bogolybovo which commemorates three of Peter the First's uncles killed in the 1682 Streltsy rebellion. The third is the Refectory Church of St. Sergius which has five cupolas and a scallop shell decoration. (During the Soviet time this was the rehearsal hall for the "Berezka" dance group.) The monastery complex also includes a baroque bell tower and the monks' cells.Named after the Vysokopetrovsky Monastery, Petrovsky Boulevard stretched from Petrovsky Gates to Trubnaya Square on the site of the Bely Gorod wall, which was dismantled in 1770. Like Tverskoy boulevard, Petrovsky was at first planted with birches and then with limes. Among these trees a statue to the much-loved actor and bard Vladimir Vysotsky was erected. He lived not far from Petrovsky Gates in Bolshoy Karetny lane. His numerous admirers now gather there every year on his birthday and on the anniversary of his death.  Criminal TV series fans will be delighted to discover that Moscow's "Scotland Yard" is situated at Petrovka, 38, in a house facing the famous Hermitage garden. If you have a spare evening, don't miss the chance to visit one of the three theatres situated in the garden: the New Opera, the drama theatre "Sfera"("Sphere"), or the Musical Theatre. "Paris life" disco welcomes you every night as well.  The name of Trubnaya (Pipe) Square came from the pipe of the Bely Gorod tower, through which the Neglinnaya river used to flow. When Bely Gorod was dismantled, the river was locked in an underground pipe in 1818. Four boulevards converged on Trubnaya square - Petrovsky, Tsvetnoy, Rozhdestvensky and Neglinny. On week-ends a bird market was added to the square, where poultry, plants and flowers were sold. Museum merchant Pegov and Frenchman Olivier opened the Hermitage restaurant at the end of Petrovsky boulevard. Now it is the Theatre school of modern drama. Those who seek a delicious meal may visit "Yolki-Palki" restaurant, which is one of several outlets for this fun Russian chain. It specializes in simple and traditional foods like shashlik and golubtsy (minced meat wrapped in cabbage leaves), served in a homey atmosphere meant to evoke a country cottage. The beer is cheap and the staff are young and enthusiastic. At the heart of the dining room is a huge wagon that is laden with fresh salads, which alone can be a meal. Wear your most comfortable walking shoes and enjoy a tour of this section of our great city, then treat yourselves to a fine meal. |
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