St Clement's Church, Moscow

St. Clement's Church (Храм Священномученика Климента, Папы Римского) is one of the two Orthodox churches in Moscow dedicated to a Roman Pope, St. Clement I. The massive five-domed two-storey church used to dominate the skyline of Zamoskvorechye. It was built between 1762 and 1769 on the site of a church erected in 1720.^[1]

The church is considered a major example of Elizabethan Baroque, but the architect is unknown. It has been often attributed to Pietro Antonio Trezzini, the architect of St Sampson's Cathedral in St. Petersburg.^[1] The belfry and refectory were designed by Dmitry Ukhtomsky and built in 1756—1758.^[2]^[3]

The church is renowned for its glittering Baroque interior and iconostasis, as well as a set of gilded 18th-century railings. The parish was disbanded in 1934 and the original free-standing gate was demolished.^[1] The Lenin State Library stored its books in the building throughout the Soviet period. It was not until 2008 that the building reverted to the Russian Orthodox Church.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c St Clement's Church in the Moscow Encyclopaedia
^ Murzin-Gundorov 2012, p. 147-155.
^ Mikhailov 1954, p. 83-84.

Sources

Murzin-Gundorov, V. V. (2012). Дмитрий Ухтомский [Dmitry Ukhtomsky] (in Russian). Moscow: Rudentsov Publishing House. p. 147-155. ISBN 978-5-902887-11-9.
Mikhailov, A. I. (1954). Архитектор Д. В. Ухтомский и его школа [Architect Dmitry Ukhtomsky and His School] (in Russian). Moscow: Gosstroiizdat. p. 83-84.