Moscow Bell Ringer by Jon Ayres
Jon Ayres

Moscow Bell Ringer by

This is a image based art of a bell ringer in the bell tower of the Church of St Gregory, on Bolshaya Polyanka in Moscow. The church was built in 1668-79 (according to other sources – in 1662-69) in Derbitsy (on the long-fallow mossy plot) by the architects I. Kuznechik and K.I. Guba from Kostroma (according to other sources – by I. Volzhinsky and I. Rykachev) on the money of the tsar Alexei Mikhailovich on request of his confessor Andrei Savinov. The predecessor of the church (there once A. Savinov was a priest) had been known since 1445.

The church is built in the style of “Russian uzorochie”. It is distinguished by the rich ornamentation of facades with white-stone carves and wide frieze encircling the church top made of colorful tiles with the pattern “Peacock’s eye” created by Belorussian craftsman of the 17th century, S.I. Polubes. On the common basement the following buildings were built: the temple (quadrangular, without columns, crowned with three rows of corbel arches and 5 cupolas on the tholobates with corbel arches at their bottoms), the refectory and two-level steepled bell tower (octagon on the quadrangular cube foundation) (it was decorated with glazed tiles). The window trim are with keeled crowns and frames made of balusters. Inside the painting and molding dates back to the 19th century has survived. The ceremonial three-span gate of the bell tower with figured pediments have kept safe. In 1934 in the side walls of the closed porch the openings for pedestrians were made.

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About Jon Ayres

I’m an American who has been living in Moscow since 2003. I enjoy discovering and photographing the many new things unheard of in the west in Russia, Ukraine and Crimea. Moscow is my second home and I love it and the people as much as I do back home. Russia is a fantastic country that should not be missed by those who like to travel.

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Tags

moscow, russia, russian orthodox church, church of st gregory, bolshaya polyanka, image based watercolor

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