The long, nameless island in the Moscow River that separates the Kremlin side of the city from Zamoskvorechye was not always an island. It was created in 1783-1786 when the Vodootvodny Canal was cut through a marsh in the central bend of the river that flooded in springtime and had undermined the Bolshoi Kamenny Bridge.
From the end of the 14th century, this narrow strip of land had belonged to the Muscovite princes, and defended the Kremlin's southern approaches. The Sovereign's Garden and numerous kitchen gardens were also located here, providing the Kremlin with fruits and vegetables. In the 17th century, development of the area began, first with wooden buildings, later with stone.
The estate of Averky Kirillov, a scribe of the Boyars' Council, was built on land that once belonged to the Beklemishevs, a boyar family. The family's last scion, Ivan, led the opposition to Great Prince Ivan III, and was executed by royal order in 1525. His nickname, Bersen -- the Old Russian word for gooseberries -- was gradually applied to the surrounding area, and to the embankment on the Moscow River, Bersenyovskaya Naberezhnaya.
After Ivan Beklemishev's death, his land was confiscated by the state. Ivan III subsequently bequeathed the plot to his gardener, Kirill. The estate, as it stands today, was begun by Kirill's grandson, Averky Kirillov, in 1656-57.
According to legend, on the spot now occupied by Averky Kirillov's Palace once stood the home of Malyuta Skuratov, who directed the campaign of terror waged by the oprichnina, Ivan the Terrible's special administrative elite.
Kirillov was made a scribe of the Boyars' Council under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, father of Peter the Great. From the 15th to 17th century, this post was considered the lowest rank in the Boyars' Council. According to accounts of his contemporaries, Kirillov regularly took bribes and "told every sort of untruth."
In 1682 Kirillov was killed during the rebellion of the streltsy, a military corps instituted by Ivan the Terrible. He sided with the Naryshkins, relatives of young Peter the Great, against the supporters of his half-brother, Ivan V, whom the streltsy sought to install on the throne.
The ensemble of buildings at 20 Bersenyovskaya Naberezhnaya is considered the only extant example in Russia of an ancient Russian estate. It is renowned for its stylistic unity, the artistry of its decoration, and the stateliness of its exterior.
The great Russian painter, Viktor Vasnetsov, remarked that the palace is "like an illustration taken from the pages of a Russian fairy tale."
The estate's stone buildings have massive walls, up to two meters thick, and small windows designed for the Moscow winter. In Russian, the palace is known as Palaty Averkiya Kirillova. The word "palaty," used to describe a type of medieval Russian urban dwelling, really means a large room, normally with no columns or a single, bearing column in the middle. This room constituted the main living space in the center of the house, where the hosts would entertain guests or throw parties. In medieval Rus, palaty, especially those made from stone, were a symbol of wealth.
Kirillov built the three-story mansion from brick, trimmed with white stone and colored tiles. The white stone foundation remained from the days of Bersen-Beklemishev. The palace is axial in configuration, but not entirely symmetrical. The principal room for visitors is located on the second and most important floor. This room, with a cross emblazoned on its ceiling, was known as the room of the cross. In the 1690s a covered walkway was built from the main house to the church.
The house was rebuilt in 1703-11 by its new owner, Alexander Kurbatov, scribe of the armory, known for having directed construction of the Kremlin arsenal. Kurbatov added a porch on the north side of the house and made other improvements in the "Petrine Baroque" style, in vogue at the time. As a result, the river side of the house became its most attractive.
In the mid-18th century the estate was owned by court counselor Andrei Zinovyev. Afterward, the estate was occupied by the warehouses of the Wine Court, the center of the royal wine trade.
From the mid-18th century until the 1917 Revolution, the estate belonged to the Moscow branch of the Archaeological Society.
In 1923 it was given to the Central State Workshops, then converted into communal apartments. Today a scientific institute occupies the building.
From the end of the 14th century, this narrow strip of land had belonged to the Muscovite princes, and defended the Kremlin's southern approaches. The Sovereign's Garden and numerous kitchen gardens were also located here, providing the Kremlin with fruits and vegetables. In the 17th century, development of the area began, first with wooden buildings, later with stone.
The estate of Averky Kirillov, a scribe of the Boyars' Council, was built on land that once belonged to the Beklemishevs, a boyar family. The family's last scion, Ivan, led the opposition to Great Prince Ivan III, and was executed by royal order in 1525. His nickname, Bersen -- the Old Russian word for gooseberries -- was gradually applied to the surrounding area, and to the embankment on the Moscow River, Bersenyovskaya Naberezhnaya.
After Ivan Beklemishev's death, his land was confiscated by the state. Ivan III subsequently bequeathed the plot to his gardener, Kirill. The estate, as it stands today, was begun by Kirill's grandson, Averky Kirillov, in 1656-57.
According to legend, on the spot now occupied by Averky Kirillov's Palace once stood the home of Malyuta Skuratov, who directed the campaign of terror waged by the oprichnina, Ivan the Terrible's special administrative elite.
Kirillov was made a scribe of the Boyars' Council under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, father of Peter the Great. From the 15th to 17th century, this post was considered the lowest rank in the Boyars' Council. According to accounts of his contemporaries, Kirillov regularly took bribes and "told every sort of untruth."
In 1682 Kirillov was killed during the rebellion of the streltsy, a military corps instituted by Ivan the Terrible. He sided with the Naryshkins, relatives of young Peter the Great, against the supporters of his half-brother, Ivan V, whom the streltsy sought to install on the throne.
The ensemble of buildings at 20 Bersenyovskaya Naberezhnaya is considered the only extant example in Russia of an ancient Russian estate. It is renowned for its stylistic unity, the artistry of its decoration, and the stateliness of its exterior.
The great Russian painter, Viktor Vasnetsov, remarked that the palace is "like an illustration taken from the pages of a Russian fairy tale."
The estate's stone buildings have massive walls, up to two meters thick, and small windows designed for the Moscow winter. In Russian, the palace is known as Palaty Averkiya Kirillova. The word "palaty," used to describe a type of medieval Russian urban dwelling, really means a large room, normally with no columns or a single, bearing column in the middle. This room constituted the main living space in the center of the house, where the hosts would entertain guests or throw parties. In medieval Rus, palaty, especially those made from stone, were a symbol of wealth.
Kirillov built the three-story mansion from brick, trimmed with white stone and colored tiles. The white stone foundation remained from the days of Bersen-Beklemishev. The palace is axial in configuration, but not entirely symmetrical. The principal room for visitors is located on the second and most important floor. This room, with a cross emblazoned on its ceiling, was known as the room of the cross. In the 1690s a covered walkway was built from the main house to the church.
The house was rebuilt in 1703-11 by its new owner, Alexander Kurbatov, scribe of the armory, known for having directed construction of the Kremlin arsenal. Kurbatov added a porch on the north side of the house and made other improvements in the "Petrine Baroque" style, in vogue at the time. As a result, the river side of the house became its most attractive.
In the mid-18th century the estate was owned by court counselor Andrei Zinovyev. Afterward, the estate was occupied by the warehouses of the Wine Court, the center of the royal wine trade.
From the mid-18th century until the 1917 Revolution, the estate belonged to the Moscow branch of the Archaeological Society.
In 1923 it was given to the Central State Workshops, then converted into communal apartments. Today a scientific institute occupies the building.