Church of All Saints, Moscow

The Church of All Saints on Kulishki is one of the oldest Orthodox church sites in the historic center. According to a long-standing tradition, Prince Dmitry Donskoy founded a wooden church here in 1380 after the Battle of Kulikovo, dedicating it to All Saints in memory of the warriors who had fallen. Some historians, however, believe a church may have existed on the site even before the battle, so the precise circumstances of its foundation remain uncertain.

The surviving stone church was built around the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, incorporating foundations and masonry associated with an earlier structure. It was altered repeatedly over the following centuries: a chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas was added in 1662, and after a fire in 1688 the vault and dome were repaired and a refectory and bell tower were added. Further rebuilding followed later fires, including the severe damage suffered during the French occupation in 1812. These successive changes have left the church with architectural elements from several periods of its history. The church was closed in 1931, and regular worship did not resume until 1991, when the building was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. It once again functions as an active place of worship and remains particularly associated with the commemoration of those who fought at Kulikovo.

For visitors, the relatively compact building offers a connection with several centuries of religious and architectural history, from its medieval traditions through later rebuilding, Soviet closure, and post-Soviet restoration.