Gothic church in Bykovo address. Moscow Church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God

The main church in Moscow, consecrated in the name of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, stood before the revolution in Kitai-Gorod, near Lubyanka Square, at the very beginning of Nikolskaya Street. It was founded by a vow by Tsarina Natalia Naryshkina, where the chapel with the image of Vladimir stood since ancient times. This chapel, like the church, was founded on that road and near the very place where in 1395 the Muscovites with reverence and fear met the miraculous image of the Mother of God from Vladimir, hoping to find salvation from the terrible Timur, who was marching with an army to Moscow.

And in memory of that legendary, fateful meeting for Moscow, not only the Moscow Sretensky Monastery was founded, but also the Vladimir Chapel in Moscow Posad, and after it, the parish Vladimir Church on Nikolskaya. Its scaly dome, “like a hedgehog, bristling with thorns”, in the words of a modern Muscovite, was far visible from the surroundings and beautifully towered over the ancient buildings of Nikolskaya Street.

The Vladimir icon is the main Orthodox and historical shrine of Moscow, and with it, of the entire Russian state. According to legend, the image was painted by the Evangelist Luke himself on a board from the table at which the Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos had a meal with the righteous Joseph the Betrothed. The icon came to Rus' only at the beginning of the XIV century - then it was sent from Constantinople to Prince Mstislav, who placed it in Vyshgorod. The son of the founder of Moscow, Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, moved it to Vladimir and installed it in the newly built Assumption Cathedral. And already in 1395, when Muscovites were expecting the invasion of the “great lame man” with horror, the icon was first brought to Moscow, where by the grace of God it remained for centuries and more than once, by its miracles, saved the capital city from enemies and bestowed victories. It was to her that the Russians tearfully prayed in the autumn of 1480, when the Mongol-Tatar yoke, which had tormented Rus' for 240 years, fell - after the great standing on the Ugra River, Khan Akhmet left Moscow without a fight and forever. And in 1521, the Vladimir Icon saved Moscow from the invasion of the Crimean Khan Mengli Giray.

It is believed that the ancient chapel with the Vladimir image was built here, on the outskirts of the Kremlin, in the same year 1395, when the icon was met in Moscow, or later, but precisely in honor of this event, according to Moscow custom. One way or another, the chapel stood here long before the construction of the wall of Kitay-gorod. And when in 1534 the Italian architect Petrok Maly, the architect of the Kremlin Assumption Belfry, began to build a fortress wall, then in this area she closely adjoined the chapel: then a tower with a gate was built here, which received the official name "Nikolsky" on the local street and "Vladimirsky » - in the chapel. And then, approximately in the 16th century, a list from the Vladimir icon was also placed on the outer wall of the Nikolskaya tower in Kitay-gorod. This tower turned out to be on the site of the very epoch-making Sretenskaya road for Moscow ...

And Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina decided to build a church here, consecrated in the name of the Vladimir Icon. Indeed, by that time, not only in Moscow, but also in this historical place, there was still not a single parish church in honor of the miraculous icon, but only the Sretensky Monastery and the chapel. And festive religious processions from the Kremlin were made directly to the monastery. The queen made a vow to build a church here.

The reason for this was not only a significant place - the queen considered the Vladimir icon to be her patroness, since her name day fell on the day of the feast of the miraculous icon. And it was in the Vladimir way that the tsarina's parents (according to other sources, her tutor boyar Matveev) blessed her on her wedding day with Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich back in 1671. It was this family image that the widowed empress granted as a royal gift to the newly built church, although she did not have a chance to live to see the consecration of her votive church.

The construction of a beautiful church in the bright, patterned style of the Naryshkin baroque was started by the personal decree of Peter I, who loved his mother very much, in the summer of 1691 at the expense of the Streltsy order, and it was consecrated in October 1694. Then a procession from the Kremlin was set up to her on May 21 - in celebration of the miraculous salvation of Moscow from the raid of the Crimean Khan in 1521.

Here's what's interesting. Due to its location, the church was assigned to the Zaikonospassky Monastery on Nikolskaya Street, and it was his clergy who served in this ordinary Moscow church. However, the Church of Vladimir did not and could not have its own parish in the trading quarter of Moscow, but, as one pre-revolutionary local historian wrote, this “parishless” church had all of Moscow as a parish, and everyone who walked along Nikolskaya Street would certainly go to the temple to pray Protector of the human race and Savior of Moscow.

The priceless shrines of the Vladimir Church corresponded to the "palace" status of the temple, erected on the vow of the queen. She became his first donor, and after Naryshkina, both Elizaveta Petrovna and Maria Feodorovna gave to this Kitai-Gorod church - rich veils and airs embroidered by the hands of empresses. The image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, in the manner of the "Fryazhsky letter", was, according to legend, written by Simon Ushakov himself. In the second half of the 18th century, the architect Vasily Bazhenov built a huge iconostasis in the temple. The copy of the Vladimir icon at the beginning of the 19th century was adorned with a magnificent golden riza with precious diamonds, pearls, emeralds and yachts - this was a gift from the famous Count N.P. Sheremetev by will, since the previous salary of the miraculous temple icon was “lightweight”.

And opposite the Vladimir Church on the left side of St. Nicholas once stood the courtyard of his grandfather, an associate of Peter the Great, the first Russian Count Boris Petrovich Sheremetev. And his daughter, Natalya Borisovna, bitterly mourned here the deceased Emperor Peter II, who greatly favored her husband, Prince Dolgoruky. After the death of the minor ruler, she was exiled to Siberia, and her husband was executed. Now, about the old way of life, when, along with the Moscow settlement in the privileged Kitay-Gorod, there were yards of wealthy boyars, only the names of local Cherkassy lanes remind of them - the yard of Count Sheremetev at one time belonged to Prince Cherkassky. Later, all aristocratic residents were replaced by trading shops, educational educational institutions, and business centers of Moscow's Kitay-Gorod.

In the church there was another image of Our Lady of Vladimir, in a silver setting, the same one with which Patriarch Joachim blessed Tsarina Naryshkina at the wedding with Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.

And in 1805, a new chapel appeared near the church, in which they placed a copy of the icon in a beautiful silver riza, donated by a wealthy Muscovite. In that century, the famous “break” already existed - the new entrance gates of the Chinese city wall, broken through for the sake of convenience of passage to Nikolskaya Street. These break gates were often called "Vladimir".

Near Prolom there was the famous collapse of the Moscow second-hand book dealers (the second largest after Sukharevka), where passionate bibliophiles, “hit by the book”, were constantly rummaging in search of rarities. One of these inhabitants of Prolom was the historian and head of the cadets, Professor P.N.

Already in Soviet times, this tradition happily continued - as if in memory of that collapse, “at the Prolom” it was here that the popular second-hand bookshop “Book Find” was built.

But the fate of the Moscow church turned out to be sad - in the fall of 1932 it was closed and transferred to the police club. And in the summer of 1934, it was demolished along with the wall of Kitay-gorod, and exactly on the 400th anniversary of this Moscow fortress. Now on the site of the temple - the carriageway of the street.

I have long heard about one of the most beautiful and most unusual cathedrals in the Moscow region - Vladimirskaya Church in Bykovo, which looks like a fairy-tale castle. In addition, the noble estate of Bykovo with a park has been preserved nearby. All this was the reason to go and see this beauty on one of the summer weekends.

The Bykovo estate is located a few kilometers south of Moscow, so getting to it is quite easy even without a car.
As soon as we got off the minibus, we saw the spire of the Vladimirskaya church. Focusing on it, we walked along private houses to the temple. It was built in 1789 according to the project of the famous architect V.I. Bazhenov for the favorite of Empress Catherine the Great Izmailov. The church is made in a pseudo-Gothic style and looks quite unusual for our suburban area. It more resembles some kind of sinister castle, especially from the side of the impressive staircase.

The temple is divided into upper and lower. Below is a functioning church where services are held. Upstairs, the passage is closed due to the fact that the stairs are in disrepair and require restoration.

Facade of Vladimirskaya Church

In general, despite the fact that I saw photos of the entire church on the Internet along with the stairs, it turned out that it was quite difficult to take such a photo without a wide-angle lens. It was not possible to move away from the entrance to a sufficient distance, due to the fact that repair work is underway on the territory and building materials are laid out around.

Vladimirskaya Church of Bykovo Estate

In addition, on a small platform near the church, there is a bell tower, built already in the 19th century, but perfectly fitting into the architectural ensemble of the Vladimir Church.

Belfry of Vladimir's Church

There are enough tourists here on the day off, everyone is trying to capture this work of art as a keepsake, and even themselves against the background of it.

It can be seen that the people at the church take good care of the territory: flowers are planted around, repairs are slowly underway. I hope that soon we will be able to restore such an unusual temple and preserve it for future generations.

The area around the temple

Manor Bykovo

Having circled the church along the path along the playground and walked along the brick five-story building, we approached the entrance to the park. We passed through a turntable, the same as those installed at Soviet factories, and ended up in the park of the former Bykovo estate. Mountains of garbage immediately caught my eye. It is very difficult to take at least one photo so that some pile of papers, a bottle or a tin can do not fit into the frame. I never understood, is it really so difficult to clean up your garbage, but you must definitely leave it in the forest, or in such an amazing place as this estate. People, change your mind!
The park is also in disrepair and is extremely untidy, although some alleys and paths have been preserved.

Once upon a time, this manor struck with its splendor. This place was donated to the Governor of Moscow M.M. Izmailov by Catherine the Great herself. Since, on official business, he was familiar with the architects who were engaged in the construction of the royal estate of Tsaritsyno, V.I. Bazhenov and M.F. Kazakov, he also attracted them to build an estate on his estate in Bykovo.

The main house of the estate Bykovo

In the park of the Bykovo estate

The manor's house was built on an artificial hill, the earth for which the peasants carried in baskets. And they took this land in the park when they dug ponds there.

View from the hill where the estate is located

Later, under the new owners of the Vorontsov-Dashkovs, the main house was rebuilt and received the outlines of an English castle. From the creation of Bazhenov, only the foundation and the snow-white balustrade at the entrance to the house remained. This explains such a strange appearance of buildings, more familiar to European countries.

Manor Bykovo

Around the estate was a park with several ponds, a greenhouse, the Hermitage Palace and an alley of black roses bought for gold in France. As you understand, it is impossible to see all the former beauty now, which cannot but upset.

Pond near Bykovo estate

The Vorontsov-Dashkovs were not the last owners of the Bykovo estate. The fact is that according to legend, once, in the absence of his wife, the owner of the estate arranged a dinner party, to which he invited his mistress and promised to give her the estate in Bykovo. When his wife learned from the servants about such a promise, she ordered her husband to immediately sell the estate.

The main entrance to the estate Bykovo

The next owners of the estate were representatives of the Iliny family, who owned Bykovo until the revolution. Later, the estate was nationalized, it housed an orphanage, and then a tuberculosis sanatorium. During all this time, numerous valuables of the manor house were plundered, the greenhouse and the Hermitage palace were destroyed, and the park fell into disrepair.

In the park of the Bykovo estate

Fortunately, on one of the ponds, a gazebo-rotunda, the work of V.I. Bazhenov. Now it rises on an island and is heavily covered by rough vegetation. And once the owner of the estate met his beloved here, the ponds were well-groomed, and numerous alleys led to the house.

Manor Bykovo. Bazhenov's gazebo on the pond

We saw the noble estate from below, and I must say, it made an amazing impression. On the hill rises a red brick building with a balcony supported by columns depicting girls. Above the balcony is the coat of arms of the Vorontsov-Dashkovs. The balustrade of the palace has already been destroyed in places, which is a pity.

Columns of the estate Bykovo

I would very much like to hope for the restoration of such a beautiful estate, not only the facade, but also the interiors. In this case, I would be happy to visit Bykovo again, I would be happy to walk around the museums. Ah...dreams, dreams. But it would be quite possible to do something like Arkhangelsk. There is both the necessary space and the beautiful creations of famous architects that can still be saved.
In spite of everything, the estate in Bykovo impressed us with its former grandeur and unusual architectural solutions. And the Vladimirskaya Church is a unique temple for the Moscow region, which is definitely worth seeing with your own eyes.

How to get to Bykovo Manor and Vladimirskaya Church

Address: Moscow region, Ramensky district, s. Bykovo, st. Kolkhoznaya

By car: in the direction from Moscow, you need to go along the Ryazan highway. before turning to Bykovo (via Zhilino) about 8 kilometers, then turn left. Next, you need to go to the city of Bykovo and Zhukovsky, and not to the airport. You need to drive through Bykovo, on the border between Bykovo and Zhukovsky turn right at the traffic lights, then after 200 m turn right again. Go to the Vladimirskaya Church along Shosseinaya Street.

Bykovo Manor can be reached by train from the Kazansky railway station to the Udelnaya platform, and then by minibus 23 or 39 to the Khram stop. Buses No. 424 also run from the Vykhino metro station. A one-way train ticket costs 70 rubles, and a bus ticket costs 58 rubles.

I love all sorts of unusual objects that are somehow different from the generally accepted options, so when I saw images on the Internet Church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in Bykovo, marveled ... Well, it should be like this: the castle stands in the best traditions of Disney, but the church. At first it even seemed that this was some kind of remake to attract attention, but no!

Vladimirskaya Church was built in the pseudo-Gothic style back in 1789 in the estate of Mikhail Izmailov. The author of the project was the architect Vasily Bazhenov, who is also known as " founder of Russian pseudo-Gothic".

The history of the formation of this church is overgrown with legends. Allegedly, once, Catherine II, having arrived at the estate to Izmailov, made a remark to him, saying that the estate is boring and unpretentious, does not stand out in any way, it does not have any distinguishing features, that is, it is not remembered and does not sink into the soul. Oh how. In this regard, Mikhail Mikhailovich decided to urgently bring some special chic-brilliance and invited Vasily Bazhenov for this. What can you say? Good luck calling.

We did not get into the estate itself, because. there was a sign at the entrance saying "tuberculosis sanatorium" and we didn't look into it. But they got close to the church. The only pity is that it is sandwiched between houses and surrounded by two layers of a fence: there is no normal view on either side. And from the inside of the courtyard it is impossible to shoot without wide: the beautiful bell tower does not give a chance to step back, because of this, the church does not fit into the lens. I had to take pictures in pieces, but on the Internet you can find photos taken with a wide-angle lens and appreciate the beauty in full.

The Church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God is built of white stone (it is not marble) and looks very unusual thanks to it, i.e. this is not a classic stucco or brick church, of which there are a dime a dozen here in the Moscow region, it is closer to the Catholic churches of Europe.

The first thing that catches your eye at the entrance is the stairs. It leads to the second floor, because. The church has two floors. The so-called winter church in honor of the Nativity of Christ is located on the first one, and the upper one - the summer one - is consecrated in honor of the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God.

Now the staircase is being restored and it is impossible to climb it. I must say that the church is generally pretty battered, but it is being restored. In the middle of the 20th century, there was a sewing workshop and a warehouse in this building, and only in 1989 the church could again be what it was built for.

There are three bells here. One large (detached) and two paired at the edges of the facade. The facade is decorated in some places with images of human faces. I don’t know yet, whose, maybe someday it will turn out)

Anyone can enter inside the church, but photography is prohibited there. We went in and got to work. What I like about any religious institution is the sound. Some kind of prayer was read, it was echoed by the choir. Naturally, we did not understand anything, so we stood for a couple of minutes at the entrance, looked around, sniffed, examined the images on the ceiling and left.

Of noteworthy is the information board next to the church. In addition to all the classic announcements about when and what will happen, there was a stand with a statement by famous astronauts, probably designed to explain to the parishioners that space is just a confirmation of existence. But Gagarin's words can clearly be interpreted in any way)) And my attention was also attracted by an ad written in bold: " A wedding without Church life is a profanation. Baptism without Church life is a betrayal". Well, there is logic in this for believers, otherwise they made at least a fashion show out of the wedding, and only a few actually correspond to the chosen direction later.

Almost on the border of the Ramensky district, 15 kilometers from Moscow, there is one of the largest urban settlements in the South-East of the near Moscow region - Bykovo. Until recently (2004) Bykovo was considered a village, but in some sources it is already listed as a city. Bykovo is one of the most beautiful places in the region: here, multi-storey buildings coexist with private houses, busy streets with the silence and tranquility of nearby forests and fields, and the roar of airplanes does not drown out the rustle of leaves in the gardens.

Bykovo repeats the name of a large village located three kilometers to the south. For the first time it is mentioned in documents of the XV - XVII centuries. During the time of Ivan the Terrible, after the capture of Kazan, cattle began to be driven to the capital. In Bykovo he was fed, slaughtered, and the meat was sent to the capital - hence, apparently, the name. The village changed owners several times, it was private and state property. In 1762, it passed to the representative of an ancient noble family, Mikhail Mikhailovich Izmailov (1719-1800), chamberlain and major general. In 1768 M.M. Izmailov was appointed first present (chairman) of the Expedition of the Kremlin Building, where the architect Vasily Ivanovich Bazhenov (1737-1799) worked under him. At the end of the 80s. 18th century MM. Izmailov decided to turn the village of Bykovo into a luxurious noble estate, which he instructed his former subordinate V.I. Bazhenov, who fulfilled this plan with honor. Aside from the whims of the monarch, nothing hindered the genius of Bazhenov. He sought to create a unique architectural and park ensemble, including a palace, a temple, a park with pavilions and ponds. Unappreciated in Tsaritsyno, the architect brilliantly realized his bold ideas in Bykovo. Thus, a majestic two-story palace on an artificial hill appeared. The land for the embankment was taken here, in the park, which resulted in the formation of three picturesque ponds.

The pearl of Bykovo, and of the entire Moscow region, was the white-stone church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. The two-storey building is an architectural masterpiece of world significance. The first floor, where the throne was consecrated in honor of the Nativity of Christ, was built in 1783. In 1788, the second floor appeared with a chapel in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Vladimirskaya", which gave the general name of the church. This temple has a unique oval shape in plan and belongs to the rare architectural examples of the Neo-Gothic style. Two external, harmoniously curved flights of stairs lead to the second floor. Beautiful paired bell towers, located on the sides of the stairs, together with it form a picture that is rare in originality and integrity. As Mikhail Andreevich Ilyin, a well-known art historian and professor at Moscow University, wrote in his guide to the Moscow Region, “despite its relatively large size, the church in Bykovo looks remarkably light and graceful, like a garden pavilion.” This can be easily seen by looking at the picture of D.E. Gauguin "Bykovo. Palace of the Vorontsovs-Dashkovs, 1853, kept in the Ramenskoye Historical and Art Museum.

Since the beginning of the XIX century. representatives of the Vorontsov family become the owners of the Bykovo estate. The first of them was Ivan Illarionovich (1790 - 1854), the nephew of the famous Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova (nee Vorontsova), who received from Alexander I the right to be called Vorontsov-Dashkov.

Then, in 1855, Bykovo passed to Count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov (1837-1916). At that time, the Swiss architect Bernard de Simon was invited to the estate, who partially remodeled the palace after the fire and richly decorated its interiors in accordance with the tastes of his time. Then the coat of arms of the Vorontsov-Dashkovs appears on the attic of the palace with the motto in Latin: "Loyalty is always unshakable."

The last owner of Bykov was Nikolai Ivanovich Ilyin, a travel engineer. In the 1860s the construction of railways in Russia was only getting better. Anticipating the prospects opening up with the development of a new type of transport, a group of like-minded people (including N.I. Ilyin), headed by K.F. von Meck (1821-1876) created in 1863 the first private railway company, the Society of the Moscow-Ryazan Railway. Built in two years, the Moscow-Kolomna branch with the stations of Lyubertsy, Bykovo, Ramenye, Bronnitskaya, Faustovo, Voskresensk, Sands was extended to Ryazan by 1865.

In 1874 N.I. Ilyin purchased from I.I. Vorontsov-Dashkov, appointed at that time the governor of the Caucasus, his estate, and since then he has lived in it permanently. As a diligent owner, N.I. Ilyin improved not only his house, but also Bykovo.

In 1875, a zemstvo school was opened in the village, for which Ilyin built a two-story building. On the initiative and at the expense of N.I. Ilyin in 1884, next to the Church of the Nativity of Christ (now the Church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God), a bell tower was built, which organically fit into the ensemble with the temple in style. After some time, in the fence of the church, dependent on N.I. Ilyin, a stone gatehouse was built.

Being a parishioner and long-term headman of the Bykovskaya church, Nikolai Ivanovich in 1880 invited his younger brother Alexander Ivanovich to marry here with his bride Caroline Louise Schweikert, who converted to Orthodoxy under the name of Ekaterina Yulievna. In this marriage, in 1883, Ivan Alexandrovich Ilyin was born - the future philosopher, who devoted his whole life and work to Russia.

Of particular interest is the description of Bykov in the memoirs of Margarita Kirillovna Morozova (1873 - 1958), the founder of the Moscow Religious and Philosophical Society, the owner of the publishing house "Way". “Bykovo was then a wonderful estate. There was a wonderful house-palace (built by Bazhenov) like a castle, made of red brick trimmed with white stone. Around the house there were huge terraces, and in the house there were huge beautiful rooms. It stood high on a mountain, below there was a pond, on the other side of which stood an old white Hermitage pavilion with columns. All around was a large park that descended to the Moskva River. From the entrance to the estate there was an alley leading to a large house, on one side of it stretched greenhouses and greenhouses, and I remember that they were full of pineapples and peaches; on the other side of the alley were huge gardens of strawberries and various berries.

Nature itself with a light pine forest, clean water bodies, fresh air, mushrooms, fishing, disposed to a good rest. Muscovites quickly fell in love and appreciated these places, and began to willingly travel here in the summer. At the beginning of the XX century. part of Ilyina's land was sold for summer cottages. So the village of Ilyinsky appeared, named after the owner. These dachas began to be rented and later bought out by well-known artists, publishers, bankers, and entrepreneurs.

Fortunately, the name “Ilyinskaya Platform” has come down to our time, but the Sheremetyevskaya platform has disappeared from the map, Prozorovsky was renamed Kratovo by the name of the first Red Commissioner of the Kazan Railway; Ukhtomskaya station appeared in honor of the revolutionary worker.

After 1917, a churchyard in the fence of the temple of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, where N.I. Ilyin, under the slogan "we will destroy to the ground" razed to the ground. Grandson N.I. Ilyin, Mikhail Andreevich Ilyin, went through the Gulag and the penal battalion of the Great Patriotic War, his nephew, Ivan Alexandrovich Ilyin, was expelled from the Fatherland.

Time has put everything in its place. The ashes of the great Russian philosopher Ivan Alexandrovich Ilyin were reburied in the Donskoy Monastery, his personal archive was returned to the walls of his native Moscow University.

In the villages of Bykovo and Ilyinsky, life goes on as usual. And if you are ever lucky enough to relax in these places, remember the sons of ancient noble families who left a noticeable mark in the history of the Fatherland and in the annals of one of the most beautiful corners of the Moscow region - Bykovo.

The Church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God (Nativity of Christ) in the Bykovo estate was built in 1789. According to one, the most common version, the project belongs to V.I. Bazhenov, according to others - to M.F. Kazakov or A.N. Bokarev.

Bazhenov (possibly together with Kazakov) is credited with the creation of the entire ensemble of the estate of the senator and manager of Moscow and the Moscow province M.M. Izmailov, who was in 1762. a village near Moscow was granted.

The church in the village of Bykovo has been known since the beginning of the 17th century, when it was wooden, of the Klet type.

In 1704 here, a stone church was built in the name of the Nativity of Christ with palace funds. The new owner of the estate, Mikhail Mikhailovich Izmailov, decided to build a new church in Bykovo, and in 1789 he carried out this intention.

Entrance to the second floor of the Church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Four years ago it was possible to climb these beautiful steps to the top, see the church library, beautiful decoration, now this is impossible due to dilapidation and destruction of the stairs.

A panel has been preserved above the entrance to the lower church.

The white-stone church in the style of Russian Gothic (or pseudo-Gothic) has no worthy analogues in the temple architecture of the Moscow region, and, perhaps, in the temple architecture of Russia in general.

There are two churches in the building - the upper one in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the lower one in the basement - the Nativity of Christ.

The main volume of the temple is oval in plan, set on a high basement; from the west, a vast rectangular refectory with two bell towers at the corners is attached to it.

Different crosses???

There are two churches in one temple.

The main volume ends with a rotunda with a high spire at the top; it is surrounded by a number of the same spiers. On the sides in the oval of the main volume of the temple, high lancet windows are cut, between which there are decorative porticos with columns framing the side entrances. Under the roof there is a rich carved cornice. Tall windows with pointed tops also adorn the refectory, the side facades of which are topped with tympanums.

On top of the refectory there is a low rotunda with a very small spire with a cross. The refectory was expanded in the first half of the 19th century.

The temple looks very impressive from the west, from the side of the bell towers. To the platform in front of the entrance to the upper temple leads the main staircase with two shoots, under which the entrance to the lower temple is located. One tower was built as a bell tower, with a platform for ringing, the second - for the clock.
The round upper tiers of the towers are cut through with arched openings and end with domes with high spiers, the same as above the central dome.
The whole decor of the temple is unusually rich. The variety of details, sustained in a single Gothic style, gives the tall building aspiration upwards, expressed not only in pointed spiers.

In 1884 a separate bell tower was built next to the temple in imitation of the same style. Some sources call it the architect D.A. Gushchin, others - I.T. Tamansky.

Inside the temple, the vaults rest on four compartments of columns with Corinthian capitals, the decoration is made of artificial marble, with wooden carvings.
In fact, a very small and low interior room, daylight is almost invisible, only candles are burning. In front of the altar, on the ceiling, there is a beautiful painting "The Birth of Christ" - it is impossible to look away.
The interiors were badly damaged in Soviet times: in 1937. The church was closed and destroyed. Crosses were knocked down from the spiers, the bell tower was left without bells, many church utensils and books were destroyed. The building of the temple housed a garment factory. Later, it was replaced by the Film Directorate Warehouse.

In 1989 the temple was again handed over to believers, restoration work and services began.

In the depths of the old (more precisely, a neglected park), the Bykovo estate itself is located, what has been preserved from it.

Bazhenov gazebo on an artificially created island.

Of the huge number of buildings, only the main house survived, rebuilt in the 19th century and placed on the basement from the old house built according to the Bazhenov project and the gazebo mentioned above.

Palace in Bykovo estate.

Nevertheless, in the Moscow region there is no such beauty as this ensemble of a manor house and especially a Gothic church.
You can get here by train from the Kazansky railway station to the station. Specific, then minibus to the stop "Temple".