Church of Archangel Gabriel (Menshikov Tower)
The Church of Archangel Gabriel is one of the most striking attractions in Moscow. It was first mentioned in 1551. In 1657, the church was registered as a stone building.
In 1699–1705, the associate of Peter I Alexander Menshikov bought land plots on Myasnitskaya Street and built a city estate (the area of today’s Post Office at 26 Myasnitskaya Street).
According to the official line, Alexander Menshikov (1673–1729) originated from an impoverished Lithuanian noble family, and according to the legend, he was employed by a pieman in Moscow. He was spotted by Franz Lefort and taken into service. He became Peter I’s orderly at the age of 14 and always was with the Tsar, accompanying him in his trips, the Azov campaigns and the Grand Embassy. The official titles of Peter’s favorite included Count (1702), Prince of the Holy Roman Empire (1705), His Highness Prince (1707), the First Governor of St. Petersburg (1703), General Field Marshal (1709), Admiral (1727), Generalissimo (1727) and President of the Collegium of War (1718). After the death of the Emperor and Catherine I, in 1727 Peter II decreed to exile Menshikov to his estate Ranenburg (now the town of Chaplygin in the Lipetsk Region) and then to distant Berezov where he soon died.
In 1701, the Church of Archangel Gabriel was rebuilt at the request of Menshikov, but as early as 1704, the old building was dismantled and a new one began to be built by his order and using his funds.
The existing stone church is a pillar-shaped church — a type typical of Russian architecture and particularly of buildings in the Naryshkin Baroque style. It consists of an outstretched foundation and two (originally three) octagonal tiers standing on top of each other. The third, non-surviving octagon was topped with a 30-meters high wooden spire with an angel figure and a cross installed at a height of more than 81 meters instead of a traditional dome. The church is believed to be a prototype of the St. Peter and Paul’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
The work to build the church was guided by architect Ivan Zarudny. It is possible that Zarudny headed a Swiss-Italian association of architects and craftsmen who came to Russia in 1703 or 1704 to build the Arsenal in the Kremlin. According to another assumption, the construction was contributed by Giovanni Francesco Rossi who worked in Moscow and its outskirts since 1697.
The construction of the Church was completed in 1707. A chiming clock purchased by his Highness Prince specifically for the purpose in England was installed on the “Menshikov Tower” as it began to be referred to. Also, 50 bells were hung. A special chamber for the customer was set up in the Church.
In 1723, the spire and the wooden upper level were destroyed by fire from a lightning strike. The bells became detached and broke through the vaulting. The clock and some exterior and interior decorations were destroyed.
The Church began to be restored as late as 1773, with the customer being a famous freemason Gavriil Izmailov. A new helical spire reminiscent of a burning candle was built by 1779. Masonic symbols appeared in the decoration of the church (but they were destroyed in the mid-19th century). The third octagon was not restored.
Despite the reconstruction, the Menshikov Tower has kept the features of the building dating from the 1700s. The building has the impressing western façade of the first level with a portal between huge volutes and cartouches with relief compositions on spiritual themes. The interior has also survived rather well. The two-level refectory is surrounded by lofts with Caryatides. A narrow gallery runs along the perimeter above the iconostasis. The interior space of the church is 26 meters high
In 1930, the church was closed. In 1947, it was reopened and transferred to the Metochion of the Antiochian Patriarchate. Restoration work took place in the same period. In 1960, the Church was recognized as a monument of federal significance.
In the 1960s, the iconostasis moved from the St. Peter and Paul Church which was exploded in 1964 in Preobrazhenskaya settlement (recreated in the 2010s) was installed in the church. In 1969, the iconostasis of the Menshikov Tower was handed to the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Makhachkala, the Republic of Dagestan.
