During the Soviet era, there was Herzen Street in Moscow. And there were no questions from the population about its name. Everyone knew who Herzen was, and the fact that one of the central highways was named after him was perceived as something completely natural.
The return of the historical name
But then 1993 came and the street was renamed (along with hundreds of others). She returned the pre-revolutionary name - Bolshaya Nikitskaya. And immediately questions began to pour in: they say, why Nikitskaya, why Bolshaya? The first mention associated with the toponym dates back to 1534, when the Nikitskaya Church was erected near the Yamsky yard, which was the first administrative body of Moscow.
Who named the street
Later, in 1582, Nikita Zakharyin (one of his sons became Patriarch Filaret, he himself is considered the founder of the Romanov family) built the Nikitsky Monastery on the site of the church, dedicated to the Orthodox saint, Nikita the Gotsky. After she became a convent, in this form she met 1917. As time went on, another chapel was erected in the cathedral in honor of Nikita the Wonderworker (1833), and in 1877 - a chapel in honor of Nikita the Great Martyr. The first written mention of Nikitskaya Street itself dates back to 1619. It stretched along the Volotskaya (later Novgorodskaya) road. It turns out that the street is named after St. Nikita, and it is “big” because Malaya Nikitskaya runs parallel to it, which starts from the gate area of the same name. And its length is almost 2 times less than the length of its neighbor.
A bright landmark of the capital
All subsequent years, Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street was upset, now it is a landmark of the capital. There are even special excursions like "Get to know Moscow", by ordering which you can get to know Belokamennaya, its squares, streets and alleys. It should be noted that each house located on the street in question is of historical value.
It is also mentioned in fiction - in Leo Tolstoy's epic novel War and Peace. One of the mansions (now its number 55) is described as the house of the Rostovs. Bolshaya Nikitskaya is considered, and by right, an aristocratic street of the capital. In the mansions of the Russian nobility - and there are quite a lot of them here - there are embassies, representative offices and consulates of several countries. Most of the buildings are monuments of the history of the state and belong to the Povarskaya - Bolshaya Nikitskaya reserve. The monastery itself is no longer there, only part of the wall remains from it.
Feudal class
In feudal Russia there was a tax tax. The people who paid it were called draft. Since it was levied from the place and trade, this class included, mainly, common people engaged in crafts, small trade and crafts. Draft people were divided into black settlements and black hundreds. At the time of the appearance of the street, its right side belonged to just such a black hundred called Novgorodskaya. On these lands, the townspeople erected churches that became the oldest in Moscow. There were also churches here: the Ascension of the Lord "Small" and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Street length
Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street begins on Manezhnaya Square, the numbering of houses comes from here. At the end it goes to Kudrinskaya Square. The total length is 1.8 kilometers. Approximately in the center, at the intersection of Bolshaya Nikitskaya and Boulevard Rings, there are Nikitsky Gates and the square of the same name, which in the 17th century divided the highway into two opposite sections - Volotskaya and Tsaritsinskaya streets.
The tragic fate of Russian churches
As noted, each building here can be talked about indefinitely. The first story, of course, should be dedicated to the object that gave the street its name. But it does not exist, it was demolished in 1933. Then many religious buildings were demolished, and the most beautiful ensemble, consisting of three churches and a chapel - an invaluable historical evidence of the time - ceased to exist. And on the site of the convent, a new one was erected and,probably a very necessary building in Moscow, whose address is Bolshaya Nikitskaya, 7.
What is on the site of the demolished monastery
This is the first traction electric substation built in 1935 according to the project of D. F. Fridman, which ensures the operation of several central lines of the Moscow metro - Filevskaya, Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya, Zamoskvoretskaya and Sokolnicheskaya. The building, consisting of 4 floors, complied with all the then standards of strength. It was built solidly, for centuries. Heavy-duty materials and complex designs were used. The building has large windows that provide natural light inside. It looks very massive, which is facilitated by a large number of columns occupying almost the entire facade. Sculptures and bas-reliefs serve as decoration. All this splendor is made in the style of unordered classicism, which, according to experts, is characterized by laconicism and dryness in decorating the facade. The object is located on the left side of the street.
Central stage for classical music performance
In the same piece of Moscow there is another pearl, whose address is Bolshaya Nikitskaya, 13. The Tchaikovsky Conservatory, or rather its Great Hall (1737 seats), is the largest venue in the world where classical music is performed. He is known, first of all, for the international competitions to them. P. I. Tchaikovsky. The building was built from 1895 to 1901, erected according to the project of V. P. Zagorsky, an academician, one of the authors of the monument to Alexander II the Liberator in the Kremlin. The grand opening took place on April 7, 1901, the orchestra was conducted by V. I. Safonov, director of the conservatory from 1889 to 1905. And by his order, the artist N. K. Bodarevsky made 14 portraits of great Russian and foreign composers, which decorated the walls of the Great Hall.
Strange politics
For some reason (maybe because these composers were Germans) in 1953 the portraits of Gluck, Mendelssohn, Haydn and Handel were replaced by images of Dargomyzhsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Chopin and Mussorgsky. These great artists certainly deserve such an honor, but two of the four paintings taken earlier were irretrievably lost.
In 1899, a magnificent organ was installed in the hall, the author of which was Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, the largest French organ master and converter of this instrument. There are few celebrities in the world who would not perform on this famous stage, above which a bas-relief to N. G. Rubinstein rises.
In 1940, the XII USSR Chess Championship was held here. An unusually beautiful monument to P. I. Tchaikovsky by the great Vera Mukhina was erected in front of the entrance to the conservatory building in 1954.
Everything is back to normal
The entire conservatory complex in 2010 underwent a large-scale restoration, the purpose of which is the complete restoration of the original interiors of both the hall itself and the academic buildings. During the war, "Saint Cecilia" - a stained glass window of very large size - was destroyed. Now he is completelyrestored. The Moscow Conservatory, despite the presence of e-mail, letters come from all over the world. It is clear that an index is required for correspondence. Bolshaya Nikitskaya has many official institutions that receive a lot of letters. The postal address, for example, of the Conservatory is as follows: 125009, Moscow, st. Bolshaya Nikitskaya, 13.
Main attraction
Of all the sights of the street, there is one that is impossible not to mention. This is the Great Ascension Temple. Its construction began in the distant 1798, but the unfinished building burned down completely in 1812. Construction was completed in 1816, and in 1931 the great A. S. Pushkin married Natalya Goncharova in the refectory of this temple. Building number 36 is located on the right side of Bolshaya Nikitskaya street. Moscow would have lost a lot in appearance if this church had not been preserved.
Great theater names
It is absolutely impossible to ignore the mansion where the Mayakovsky Theater is located - one of the most popular in the capital. In 1885-1886, a private theater was built on the site freed from the demolition of the Zarubinikh-Efremov estate, which was intended for performances by foreign guest performers. When A. P. Chekhov fell seriously and terminally ill, in 1899, for him alone, the play "The Seagull" was shown on the stage of this theater. And after the revolution, there was a mobile theater here, the artistic director of which was Meyerhold. It is also necessary to mention the buildings located here. Zoological Museum and "Helikon-Opera".
St. Bolshaya Nikitskaya is gradually turning into an embassy. So, the Egyptian consulate and the embassies of Spain, Brazil and Myanmar are already located here.
