Church of the Ascension, Kolomenskoye

If, eventually, somebody thinks that the Red Square in Moscow has not enough to see, there's always the Church of Ascension, situated just a few kilometers from the center of the Russian capital

Church of the Ascension

This postcard was sent by Masha

The Church of the Ascension was built in 1532, in the imperial estate of Kolomenskoye, near Moscow, to celebrate the birth of the prince who was to become Tsar Ivan IV "the Terrible". The church is now situated near the centre of Moscow on the steep slope that descends to the floodplain of the Moscow River. 

Church of the Ascension

The church represented a new stage in Russian architecture. It is the first tent-roofed church to be built in stone. The remarkable tent roof rises from an octagonal base crowned by small kokoshniks; the base itself also rises from a larger base formed by a series of tiered kokoshniks. Galleries reached by steps at various levels surround the church. In the eastern altar part of the gallery, facing the Moscow River, there is a "royal pew" in the form of a throne with a white-stone ciborium above it. Because of this specific construction, the walls are 2.5 to 3 metres thick, making the interior very small, although the 41-metre high ceilings create a feeling of spaciousness. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/634

Church of the Ascension

This postcard was sent by Galina