Nativity Church at Putinki, Eastern Orthodox church in Tverskoy District, Moscow, Russia
The Nativity Church at Putinki is a white Orthodox church in Tverskoy District, built of specially moulded brick. A lower red-and-white chapel with a pyramidal roof and round-headed arch stands in front; behind, the main volume rises to three candle-like tents and blue onion domes with gold crosses on tiered towers. Recessed panels band the lower walls, and a dark sloped roof covers the nave.
The church was founded in 1649 on the site of a wooden church destroyed by fire, and completed in 1652 under Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich. In 1653 Patriarch Nikon banned further tent-roofed churches, making this one of Moscow's last stone tent churches. A wide refectory with the chapel of Theodore Tyron was added in the late 17th century; the church was closed in 1938 and returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1990.
The name "in Putinki" comes from the Putevoy ambassadorial courtyard nearby, where European envoys arriving via Tver stayed, or from the roads to Dmitrov and northern towns. The church is a patriarchal metochion; services resumed in August 1991. Alexander Abdulov's Backyards festival raised funds for its restoration, and his funeral was held here on 5 January 2008.
The church welcomes visitors daily and holds regular services throughout the week. It is helpful to check visiting hours beforehand, as religious ceremonies may restrict access to certain areas at specific times.
The church's five tented roofs form an unusual composition: three candle-like tents crown the main volume, a fourth tops the refectory, and a fifth rises above the bell tower between them. Patriarch Nikon reportedly passed the church on his way to the Trinity Monastery and was so scandalized by its design that he banned tent-like churches altogether in 1653.
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