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Very original and asymmetric is the Moscow
Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in Putinki, built in 1649-1652 by unknown
builders. In ancient times there was a travel terminal near the church, which
could be reached from the main roads by going thru small curved streets -
"Putinki." ( A descriptive epithet usually accompanied the name of a
church whenever where were two or more with the same name in the same town).
The Church is composed of several structures: The main church, a large chapel
dedicated to the Burning Bush, "Pridel Neopalimoy Kupini," the belfry
"Kolokolnia," the porch "Kriltso," and the refectory
"Trapeznaya." With the exception of the last, which is just a
one-story building with a simple roof, all the structures have octagonal tent
roofs and are decorated with one or several rows of ornamental kokoshniki,
pediments, cornices, platbands etc. There are three tent-shaped towers on the
main church and single ones on the chapel, the belfry and the porch. They are
all blind and crowned with onion cupolas and very beautiful tracery crosses.
The multiform complexity of this church could be only compared to that of the
Cathedral of Saint Basil the Blessed which, undoubtedly, inspired the builders.
Devastating fires often swept Moscow, destroying parts of the city and many
churches. In 1648 the fire hit the area of Putinki hard. Many homes and the
wooden churches were burned to the ground. The new stone church was dedicated
to the Virgin, in the hope that she would protect people from new fires, and
the name for the chapel was taken from the episode in the Old Testament about
the burning bush which, though all in flames,"Was not consumed." The
Church was finished the same year Nikon became the Patriarch of all Russia. He
soon came out against tent-shaped churches, declared them uncanonical and
permitted pyramidal roofs for belfries only. Please go to Moscow churches for
photos of this church.
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