Description of the attraction
The Epiphany (Yelokhovsky) Cathedral is located in the Central Administrative District of Moscow, in the Basmanny District, on Spartakovskaya Street. The name "Elokhovsky" comes from the name of the village of Elokh and the stream flowing near Olkhovets. Legends say that it was here in 1469 that the Moscow holy fool, Vasily the Blessed, was born.
On the site of the wooden church in 1717–1722, a stone church was built. In 1790-92, the building was expanded. A refectory with two chapels was added to it: in honor of the Annunciation and St. Nicholas, as well as a bell tower. In 1837 the old church was dismantled. According to the project of the architect Tyurin, a new five-domed temple in the Empire style was built by 1845. A huge amount for that time was donated by the Moscow merchant of the 2nd guild, an honorary citizen Shchapov Vasily Ivanovich. In October 1853, Metropolitan Filaret of Moscow and Kolomna consecrated the temple.
Yelokhovsky Cathedral has never been closed. After the closure of the Cathedral in Dragomilov in 1938, the Yelokhovsky Cathedral became the Patriarchal Cathedral. It remained in this status until 1991, when the Kremlin's Assumption Cathedral acquired this status.
The future poet Alexander Pushkin was baptized in the Yelokhovsky Cathedral in 1799.
In 1944, Patriarch Sergius was buried in the Nikolsky side-altar. The granite tombstone was made in 1949 by A. V. Shchusev. In 2008, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Alexy II, was buried in the Annunciation aisle of the Yelokhovsky Cathedral.
The largest-scale restoration work in the temple was carried out in the period from 1970 to 1990. The roof of the cathedral and all the domes were completely gilded. The altar was significantly expanded, an elevator was built, new passages were made, connecting the cathedral and annexes from the courtyard side. This significantly changed the appearance of the temple on the north side.
The temple is rightfully a landmark and decoration of the center of Moscow. It stands out for the beauty and grace of its architecture. The size of the structure is also remarkable.
