Sightseeing of Sofia embankment in Moscow

Muscovites and guests of the Russian capital are very fond of strolling along the Sophia embankment. After all, you can not only see many architectural attractions, but also admire the beautiful panoramas of the Moscow River.

Sofiyskaya embankment (Moscow): history and modernity

The embankment is in the heart of the city. It opens a chic view of the Moscow Kremlin with its turrets. Its name was given in honor of the temple of Sofia, located here. We suggest you take an absentee walk along the Sofiyskaya embankment with a visit to its most famous sights.

Curiously, during the Soviet era (between 1964 and 1992), the street was named after Maurice Thorez, the head of the French Communist Party. In the early 90's it got its modern name - Sofia embankment. Metro is the most convenient way to get here. The nearest stations are Kropotkinskaya and Borovitskaya, on which you need to get off.

The embankment was dressed in stone in the first half of the XIX century. The famous engineer Andrey Ivanovich Delvig worked on this project. In the 1930s, Soviet architects decided to demolish the embankment, but fortunately, these plans were not implemented.

On the odd side of the Sophia embankment there is the Moskva River, on even - various buildings and monuments of architecture are located. Some of them will be discussed later.

Temple of Sofia - a monument of religious architecture

The Temple of Sophia the Wisdom of God in the Middle Gardeners - this is the name of the church. It was she who gave the name to the whole embankment.

The first church on the Sophia Embankment was built at the end of the XV century. It was wooden. An orchard was planted around it, which is why the whole area became known as the Gardeners. In 1682 a wooden church was replaced with a stone church. Later it was rebuilt several times. In particular, at the end of the last century the refectory was reconstructed.

The exterior of the church is typical of Russian temple architecture. The heads of the temple of Sophia are traditionally decorated with kokoshniki, and windows - keeled platbands.

Belfry of the Temple of Sofia

The bell tower of the Church of Sofia is the main architectural dominant of the Sofia embankment. Visually, it is in perfect harmony with the red brick towers of the Kremlin, located on the opposite side of the river.

The belfry was built much later than the temple - in 1862 (note the entertaining game of figures-dates). The architect Nikolai Kozlovsky designed the building. The three-tier bell tower is made in Byzantine style and goes directly to the embankment (unlike the church that "hid" in the yards).

In the 1930s, the Temple of Sophia, of course, was closed. In the middle of the twentieth century, he looked very deplorable: plaster from the walls peeled off, tenants settled in the buildings, and crosses replaced television antennas. In the 1970s the belfry was occupied by the Soyuzpodvodgazstroy trust. Only in 1992 the object was returned to the Orthodox Church, and in 2012 the bell tower of the church was thoroughly reconstructed.

Profit house Pertsov

With Sofia embankment it is difficult not to notice the amazing building, which is located on the opposite shore, at the beginning of the Soymonovsky Passage. This apartment house Pertsov - a real masterpiece, built in the style of Art Nouveau. The building attracts attention with its unusual shapes and colorful majolica. Do not be lazy to cross the bridge over the river to view it in detail.

The house was built in the early twentieth century for Peter Pertsov, an engineer of the Russian Empire's communications. The contrast of the external and internal facade of the building is striking. From the yard it looks very simple and unpretentious, but outside - just awesome! The interiors of many rooms are decorated in oriental style: here you can see carved staircases, beautiful majolica stoves and bright stained-glass windows.

Petr Nikolaevich Pertzov lived in his chic mansion until 1922. For the active protection of the Orthodox Church, the Bolsheviks put him in prison, and then - evicted from the house.

Kirillov Manor

In the embankment area there is another unique monument of architecture - Averky Kirillov Manor. This unusual house was built in the second half of the XVII century.

The decor of the building is very beautiful and complex. Each of the two tiers is crowned with a highly artistic cornice. The walls of the house are magnificently decorated with pilasters and pseudo-columns, and the windows - with magnificent platbands. On the south wall you can still see the old paintings.

In 1941, the Kirillov Estate housed the Institute of Cultural Studies, which is still there.

Kharitonenko Manor

Another gorgeous estate was preserved on the Sofiiskaya Embankment (house No. 14/12). This building belonged to the "sugar king" - Ukrainian industrialist Pyotr Kharitonenko. It is worth noting that he not only owned factories, but also was a major patron of the Russian Empire. Most of his time, Kharitonenko spent in this manor, on the banks of the Moscow River.

Perhaps there is no more on this embankment of a building that will be able to match the splendor and grandeur with the estate of the "sugar king" Kharitonenko. The complex of buildings was erected in the late 19th century in the classical style. But the interiors of the estate were decorated in a rare for Russia style of Gothic Art Nouveau.