Church of Transfiguration of Savior in Bolvanovka (russian: Храм Спаса Преображения на Болвановке), also abbreviated to ''Saviour in Bolvanovka'' (Спас на Болвановке), is an

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

church in

Zamoskvorechye District Zamoskvorechye District (russian: райо́н Замоскворе́чье) is a district of Central Administrative Okrug of the federal city of Moscow, Russia. Population: The district contains the eastern half of historical Zamoskvorechye ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

. The neighborhood, Bolvanovka (rus. ''Болвановка''), derives its name from Russian ''bolvan'' (болван), which could mean either a billet or, in obsolete sense, a non-Orthodox cult image. There have different ''Bolvanovka'' neighborhoods in medieval Moscow, a sign of wide

Tatar The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

presence (e.g. near

Taganka Square Taganskaya Square (russian: link=no, Таганская площадь) is a city square at the south-eastern corner of the Garden Ring in central Moscow, formed in 1963 by merging two historic squares, Upper Taganka and Lower Taganka. In 181 ...

). A legend says that the church stands on site of a Tatar ''bolvan'', an artifact which symbolized submission of Moscow to

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as Ulug Ulus, 'Great State' in Turkic, was originally a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the fragme ...

Ivan III of Russia Ivan III Vasilyevich (russian: Иван III Васильевич; 22 January 1440 – 27 October 1505), also known as Ivan the Great, was a Grand Prince of Moscow and Grand Prince of all Rus'. Ivan served as the co-ruler and regent for his blin ...

destroyed this symbol (or broke ambassador symbol - basma (басма), that has the same name) and established an Orthodox church at this place in 1465. His refusal to pay

tribute A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of land which the state conqu ...

to the Horde resulted in the

Great stand on the Ugra river The Great Stand on the Ugra River (russian: Великое cтояние на реке Угре, also russian: Угорщина, translit=Ugorshchina, derived from " Ugra") was a standoff between the forces of Akhmat Khan of the Great Horde, an ...

of 1480. A wooden church had been mentioned in city records since 1465. The new baroque building was built in the 18th century; completion date is disputed (1722 or later); what is known definitely is that the church was consecrated in 1755. Alternative accounts assert that there was a succession of wooden churches built in 1708 and 1722; extant building that replaced them was built in 1749–1755. The church burnt down in the

Fire of Moscow (1812) Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames are pr ...

and was reopened to worshippers in 1815 with subsequent expansion in 1839. It was closed by

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

s in 1922, partially destroyed, and returned to the worshippers in 1991. A temporary, standalone wooden

belltower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...

was added in the 1990s.

References

*Russian: Official parish page (www.bolvanovka.ru

*Russian: history of the church: Жиянова, Инна, "Московский храм Спаса Преображения на Болвановке"

*Russian: history of the church: Лебедева, Елена, "Cпасо-Преображенские церкви Москвы",

*Russian: map, service hours, clergy contact

{{DEFAULTSORT:Savior in Bolvanovka, Church Churches in Moscow History of Moscow Russian Orthodox church buildings in Russia Churches completed in 1755 Zamoskvorechye District Church buildings with domes Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Moscow