Kolomenskoye

Kolomenskoye is one of my favorite places in Moscow. Perched above the Moscow River, it offers a sweeping view back towards the city that includes a delightful mixture of graying Soviet-era apartment buildings and Orthodox churches. The main draw for me, originally, was the Church of the Ascension, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Some would say that I’m obsessed with World Heritage sites (you can find out more about them here); I regard it as a healthy interest.

The Church of the Ascension was built in the early 1530s, most likely to celebrate the birth of the heir who would become Ivan Grozny (the Terrible). It is inscribed on the World Heritage list for its architectural significance, as it draws inspiration from the wooden churches on the Orthodox tradition (the most famous being Khizi Pogost on Lake Onega). When I first visited in the summer of 2002, the church was undergoing remont (the Russian word for repair; there is a façade in Red Square that is still being worked on since I was last here). This time, I had a clear shot of the Church. I’ve posted a couple of the better photos below. Unfortunately, according to the pleasant lady working at the ticket office, the Church is rarely open, so I was again stymied in my attempt to see the interior. That leaves something for me to aim for when I get back to Moscow. That, and visiting ol’Vladimir Ulyanov, if he hasn’t been buried by then.