Muscovites and guests of the Russian capital are very fond of strolling along Sofiyskaya embankment. After all, here you can not only see many architectural sights, but also admire the beautiful panoramas of the Moscow River.
Sofiyskaya embankment (Moscow): history and modernity
The embankment is located in the heart of the city. It offers a gorgeous view of the Moscow Kremlin with its turrets. It got its name in honor of the Sophia Cathedral, located here. We invite you to take a walk along Sofiyskaya embankment with a visit to its most famous sights.
It is curious that in Soviet times (between 1964 and 1992) the street was named after Maurice Thorez, the head of the French Communist Party. In the early 90s, it received its modern name - Sofiyskaya embankment. The metro is the most convenient way to get here. The nearest stations are Kropotkinskaya and Borovitskaya, where you need to get off.
The embankment was clad in stone in the first half of the 19th century. The well-known engineer Andrey Ivanovich Delvig worked on this project. In the 1930s the Sovietthe architects planned to demolish the embankment, but, fortunately, these plans were not implemented.
The Moskva River flows along the odd side of Sofiyskaya embankment, and various buildings and architectural monuments are located on the even side. Some of them will be discussed below.
The Temple of Sophia - a monument of religious architecture
Temple of Sophia the Wisdom of God in Sredny Sadovniki - this is the full name of this church. It was she who gave the name to the entire embankment.
The first church on Sofiyskaya embankment was erected at the end of the 15th century. It was wooden. An orchard was laid out around it, which is why the whole area began to be called Gardeners. In 1682 the wooden temple was replaced with a stone one. Later it was rebuilt several times. In particular, at the end of the century before last, the refectory was overhauled.
The exterior of the church is typical of Russian temple architecture. The domes of the Sophia Cathedral are traditionally decorated with kokoshniks, and the windows are keeled architraves.
The Bell Tower of Sophia Cathedral
The bell tower of the Sofia Church is the main architectural dominant of the Sofia embankment. Visually, it is in perfect harmony with the red-brick towers of the Kremlin, located on the opposite side of the river.
The bell tower was built much later than the temple - in 1862 (pay attention to the entertaining play of numbers-dates). The building was designed by the architect Nikolai Kozlovsky. The three-tiered bell tower is made in the Byzantine style and goes directly to the embankment (unlike the church, which "hid" inyards).
In the 1930s, the Sophia Cathedral, of course, was closed. In the middle of the 20th century, it looked very deplorable: the plaster peeled off the walls, residents settled in the buildings, and the crosses were replaced by television antennas. In the 1970s, the Soyuzpodvodgazstroy trust occupied the bell tower. Only in 1992, the object was returned to the Orthodox Church, and in 2012 the bell tower of the church was overhauled.
Pertsov Profitable House
It's hard not to notice the amazing building from the Sofiyskaya embankment, which is located on the opposite bank, at the beginning of Soymonovsky passage. This is Pertsov's profitable house - a real masterpiece, built in the Art Nouveau style. The building attracts attention with its unusual shapes and colorful majolica. Feel free to cross the bridge over the river to see it in all its details.
The house was built at the beginning of the 20th century for Pyotr Pertsov, a railway engineer of the Russian Empire. The contrast between the exterior and interior of the building is striking. From the yard it looks very simple and unpretentious, but from the outside it is simply amazing! Interiors of many rooms are decorated in oriental style: here you can see carved staircases, beautiful majolica stoves and bright stained-glass windows.
Pyotr Nikolaevich Pertsov lived in his luxurious mansion until 1922. For active protection of the Orthodox Church, the Bolsheviks imprisoned him, and then evicted him from home.
Kirillov's Estate
In the area of the embankment there is another unique architectural monument - the estate of Averky Kirillov. This unusual house was built insecond half of the 17th century.
The decor of the building is very beautiful and intricate. Each of the two tiers is crowned with a highly artistic cornice. The walls of the house are lavishly decorated with pilasters and pseudo-columns, and the windows are lavishly framed. You can still see ancient paintings on the southern wall.
In 1941, the Institute of Cultural Studies was located in the Kirillov estate, which is located there to this day.
Kharitonenko's estate
Another chic estate has been preserved on Sofiyskaya embankment (house No. 14/12). This building belonged to the "sugar king" - the Ukrainian industrialist Petro Kharitonenko. It is worth noting that he not only owned factories, but was also a major patron of the Russian Empire. Kharitonenko spent most of his time in this estate, on the banks of the Moskva River.
Perhaps there is no other building on this embankment that can be compared in splendor and grandeur with the estate of the "sugar king" Kharitonenko. The complex of buildings was erected at the end of the 19th century in the classical style. But the interiors of the estate were decorated in a rare for Russia Gothic Art Nouveau style.
