IMG_0318 The Church of Archangel Michael in Podzhigorodovo (Церковь Михаило-Архангельская в Поджигородово). 1778-1783. New wooden stairs in the belltower above the second floor.
Village Podzhigorodovo, Klin Raion, Moscow Oblast, Russia
The church was built in 1778-1783 by two brothers Yurevyh, local noblemen who had a large manor here. It's believed that the architect was the famous Russian architect Vasily Bazhenov. Unusual two-story church with the winter church on the first floor and the summer church on the second floor. The exterior was plastered and whitewashed in 1906.
The last owner of the Podzhigorodovo manor was nobleman Vladimir Sokolov. He was a revolutionary and his party nickname was Volsky. Vladimir Lenin visited Sokolov before the 1917 revolution. There's a photo of Lenin playing chess with Sokolov in his Podzhigorodovo manor house.
Olga remembers climbing the bell tower as a child. The church was used then to store chemical fertilizer. She still recalls the smell of the fertilizer and the treacherous circular staircase.
The church was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1992. Services are presently held in the first floor winter church. The second floor summer church has not been restored. Like many rural churches in Russia, the Church of Archangel Michael is undergoing slow restoration and still dominates the surrounding landscape.
IMG_0318 The Church of Archangel Michael in Podzhigorodovo (Церковь Михаило-Архангельская в Поджигородово). 1778-1783. New wooden stairs in the belltower above the second floor.
Village Podzhigorodovo, Klin Raion, Moscow Oblast, Russia
The church was built in 1778-1783 by two brothers Yurevyh, local noblemen who had a large manor here. It's believed that the architect was the famous Russian architect Vasily Bazhenov. Unusual two-story church with the winter church on the first floor and the summer church on the second floor. The exterior was plastered and whitewashed in 1906.
The last owner of the Podzhigorodovo manor was nobleman Vladimir Sokolov. He was a revolutionary and his party nickname was Volsky. Vladimir Lenin visited Sokolov before the 1917 revolution. There's a photo of Lenin playing chess with Sokolov in his Podzhigorodovo manor house.
Olga remembers climbing the bell tower as a child. The church was used then to store chemical fertilizer. She still recalls the smell of the fertilizer and the treacherous circular staircase.
The church was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1992. Services are presently held in the first floor winter church. The second floor summer church has not been restored. Like many rural churches in Russia, the Church of Archangel Michael is undergoing slow restoration and still dominates the surrounding landscape.