Church of All Saints, Moscow

The Church of All Saints is one of the oldest churches in Moscow. Located in the Slavic area near Solyanka, the building is a five minute walk from the Kremlin. This remarkable place of worship was built by Dmitry Donskoy, in the 14th century, to celebrate the memory of soldiers who died in the Battle of Kulikov.

Some say the church site appeared long before the initial construction in 1380. That, in fact, a much earlier battle in 1367 is the basis for the existence of the church. The church is often associated with the Virgin Ekonomissy, a miracle performing religious icon.

In 1488, the wooden structure was replaced with stone. During 1687 to 1689, the church was redesigned to reflect the popular Muscovite Baroque style: four-tier towers and a dome temple. During the 1930s, the church was used by secret police to conduct executions. In 1975, the museum became the property of the Museum of History of Moscow. In 1991 the Church of All Saints was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. A cross was installed in the church in 1994 to remember all the victims of tyranny. Since 1998, the metochion of the Eastern Orthodox Church of Alexandria has been housed in the church.