“Akhtyrka” is a former estate and park complex located on the banks of the Vorya River in Moscow Oblast near the city of Sergiev Posad, about 60 km north-east of Moscow. From 1734 to 1879, it belonged to the princes of the Trubetskoy family.

In 1922, the wooden palace burned down, other structures gradually collapsed. But the Church of the Icon of Our Lady of Akhtyrka (1821-1825) survived. In 1937, it was closed. In 1991, the church was returned to the community of believers, services were resumed. Today, it is a monument of architecture of federal significance. Akhtyrka Church on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

picturesque stone church

Tags: churches · Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast · Sergiev Posad city

Khotkovo is a town with a population of about 21 thousand people located in Moscow Oblast, about 70 km northeast of the center of Moscow and 14 km southwest of Sergiev Posad.

The town originally appeared as a settlement near the Pokrovsky Khotkov Monastery, first mentioned in 1308. Today, the picturesque ensemble of the Pokrovsky Khotkov Convent is represented by buildings of the 18th-19th centuries. Khotkovo on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

beautiful architectural ensemble

Tags: Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast · Sergiev Posad city

The Epiphany Cathedral in Yelokhovo is an Orthodox church located in Basmanny District of Moscow (Spartakovskaya Street, 15). It was built by the architect Evgraf Tyurin in 1835-1845. In the area of the cathedral, there was previously the village of Yelokhovo, which became part of Moscow in the 18th century.

The cathedral was constructed in the late Empire style with a dome rotunda in the center, with some features imitating the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The height of the cathedral is 56 meters, area – 1,164 square meters, capacity – 3,000 people. Today, it is one of the most beautiful Orthodox churches in Moscow. The Epiphany Cathedral in Yelokhovo on Google Maps. Photos by: Vladimir Dar.

magnificent church

Tags: Moscow city

Rozhdestvenskaya is a stanitsa (a Cossack village) with a population of about 2,800 people located in Stavropol Krai in Southern Russia, about 35 km northwest of Stavropol. This settlement, founded in 1797, was named after the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The main architectural attraction of Rozhdestvenskaya is the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1873) – one of the few preserved monuments of wooden architecture in the region, a cultural heritage site of regional importance. Rozhdestvenskaya on Google Maps. Photos by: Fedor Lashkov.

beautiful wooden church

Tags: churches · Stavropol krai

The Moscow Kremlin is a fortress located in the center of Moscow. The oldest part of the city, it is the main socio-political and historical-artistic complex of the capital of Russia.

The fortress has a triangle shape with an area of 27.5 hectares. The southern wall faces the Moscow River, the northwestern – Alexander Gardens, the eastern – Red Square. In 1990, the Moscow Kremlin was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Photos by: Alexander Lipilin.

walk around the Moscow Kremlin

Tags: churches · Moscow city · museum

Zelenchuk churches (Northern, Middle, and Southern) are the three oldest Orthodox churches of the Caucasus located in the valley of the Bolshoy Zelenchuk River near the village of Nizhniy Arkhyz in the central part of the Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia.

Northern Zelenchuk Church, the largest of them, was constructed in the late 10th – early 11th centuries. This beautiful building, harmoniously integrated into the surrounding landscape, is built of sandstone. The basis of the construction is a cross with a dome in the center. Northern Zelenchuk Church on Google Maps. Photos by: Fedor Lashkov.

very picturesque old church

Tags: churches · Karachay-Cherkessia Republic

The wooden house in Astashovo has an amazing story that dates back to 1897. There was everything here: prosperity, decline, abandonment, and incredible rebirth. It is located in the abandoned village of Astashovo (also known as Ostashevo) in the Chukhloma District of Kostroma Oblast.

It is the main house of the Astashovo Estate once owned by a peasant Martyan Sazonov. After the abolition of serfdom, Martyan moved to work in St. Petersburg, where he specialized as a cabinetmaker. By 1897, he became rich and decided to return to his home village, then the construction of the house began. Astashovo Wooden Palace on Google Maps. Photos by: Roman Smirnov.

beautiful wooden house

Tags: Kostroma oblast · museum

Nerekhta is a small provincial town with a population of about 21 thousand people located in Kostroma Oblast, about 47 km southwest of Kostroma and 71 km southeast of Yaroslavl.

First mentioned in 1214, this old town is included in the famous tourist route known as the Golden Ring of Russia. However, due to the fact that the M-8 federal highway passes away from it, tourists rarely come here (especially organized tourist groups). Nerekhta on Google Maps. Photos by: Eduard Skvortsov.

walk around Nerekhta

Tags: Kostroma oblast

The Orthodox Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul in Basmannaya Sloboda (1705-1728) is one of the few examples of Petrine Baroque in Moscow, inspired by Western European forms and having little in common with Old Russian architectural tradition (Novaya Basmannaya Street, 11).

It is noteworthy that this stone church was built according to the drawing of Peter I. In total, Peter I made eight drawings of churches. Seven of them were built in St. Petersburg, and only one in Moscow.

unique church

Tags: churches · Moscow city

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary (1901-1911) is a neo-Gothic church located in Moscow (Malaya Gruzinskaya Street, 27/13).

It is the largest Catholic cathedral in Russia and one of the three currently functioning Catholic churches in Moscow, along with the Church of St. Louis of the French (Malaya Lubyanka, 12/7, str. 8) and the Church of St. Olga of the Roman (Lyublino District, Proyezd Kirova, 6).

picturesque Catholic church

Tags: churches · Moscow city