Church of the Nativity of Christ, Orthodox church in Rozhdestveno, Russia
The Church of the Nativity of Christ in Rozhdestveno is a late Neoclassical stone church built from 1810 to 1823 for Count Ivan Kutaisov, with features of Matvey Kazakov's school. It has two side chapels, dedicated to St John the Baptist and to Saints Peter and Paul, and the right chapel holds the graves of Count Kutaisov (died 1834) and his wife Anna Petrovna (died 1848).
The church was first recorded in 1628 in the parish book of the Patriarchal Treasury as the Church of the Nativity in the sovereign palace village of Rozhdestveno. The present building was begun in 1810 by Count Ivan Kutaisov, consecrated in 1820 and completed in 1823 in late neoclassical style with features of Matvey Kazakov's school. Closed in 1938, it was used as a fertilizer store and lost its roof before being returned to the parish in 1997.
The village takes its name, Rozhdestveno, from the Nativity of Christ, the church's dedication. The main altar is dedicated to the Nativity, while the side chapels honour St John the Baptist and Saints Peter and Paul. A chapel of Alexander Svirsky is attached to the church. Since 1997 the rector has been Archpriest Alexander Yelatomtsev.
The church stands in the village of Rozhdestveno, Istrinsky District, Moscow Oblast, and is a federal architectural monument. It was closed in 1938 and returned to the parish in 1997; restoration work is still ongoing, so parts of the building may be under scaffolding. A chapel of Alexander Svirsky is attached to the church.
The church's right chapel holds the grave of Count Ivan Kutaisov, who commissioned the building and died in 1834; his wife Anna Petrovna was buried beside him in 1848. The estate passed through the female line to Illarion Nikolayevich Tolstoy, a great-grandson of Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov, who built a parish school here in 1889.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,412 contributors worldwide.