Averky Kirillov’s Palace

Общественное положение Кириллова не могло не отразиться на облике его дома. В результате каменные палаты были выстроены с большим размахом: пышные наличники, изящные полуколонны и пилястры, карнизы с поребриком – всё это свидетельство о высоком благосостоянии хозяев. Богатство дома ярко описывали иностранные гости, дивившиеся не только красивым фасадом и впечатляющим двором с садом, но и богатым убранством с дорогой мебелью и обстановкой. О времени постройки дома можно судить по круглой плите в центре свода большой палаты – закладному камню с датой «1657». Соседняя церковь святой Троицы, более известная под названием Никольской на Берсеневке, также была выстроена Кирилловым, считалась его домовым храмом и даже соединялась деревянным переходом непосредственно с палатами. Здесь же в 1682 году был похоронен и сам Аверкий Кириллов. Церковь, лишившаяся в ХХ веке колокольни, сохранилась до наших дней и находится совсем рядом.

Окончательно облик здания сформировался в начале XVIII века, когда владение принадлежало дьяку А.Ф. Курбатову. В это время был выстроен верхний этаж, ранее бывший деревянным, а фасад получил европейские детали: волюты с тонкой белокаменной резьбой, руст на углах и каменный козырёк над входом. По одной из версий, достройкой дома ведал архитектор Иван Зарудный.

В дальнейшем палаты Аверкия Кириллова перешли в казну и были заняты различными учреждениями: камер-коллегией, межевой канцелярией, разрядным архивом, московской казённой палатой, сенатской курьерской командой. С 1870 года дом стал цитаделью защиты культурного наследия России: здесь обосновалось Императорское Московское археологическое общество во главе с графом Уваровым. После революции здание занимали различные научные учреждения, ныне здесь располагается Российский институт культурологии. Реставраторы поддерживают облик дома и продолжают исследование его истории.

A small bright red house with white details on the facade and a small mezzanine stands on the Bersenevskaya embankment apart from the others. Even today, when it’s all but crushed by the neighboring colossus of the famous Soviet ‘House on the Embankment’, this house with white ornament details on its façade and a small mezzanine still attracts the attention of the passers-by, particularly if seen from Patriarshy Bridge. Back in the old days, these ancient chambers used to play a very important role for the whole area. The property on this side of the river is surrounded by legends that do not have any real historical basis: the names of boyar Ivan Nikitich Berseny-Beklemishev and even the famous oprichnik Malyuta Skuratov are called. It is believed that a wooden house with a stone ground floor existed here as early as the 15th or 16th century — some traces of the building were discovered by restorers. In any case, the name of the property owner cannot be established with any confidence until the 17th century when the land was inherited by the sons of Stepan Kirillov. In the middle of the same century, the government official Averky Kirillov, a secretary at the Boyars’ Duma and a wealthy merchant, became the sole owner of the property. At the height of his career, Averky Kirillov was the head of several prikazes (ministries of the Russian government until 18th century), including the Treasury Prikaz and the Grand Palace Prikaz, as well as several other government offices in charge of trade, taxation and the public purse. His ministry was brought to a violent end during the Moscow uprising of 1682, when some of the streltsy (guardsmen) who sided with Tsarina Sophia, murdered him for being a supporter of the Naryshkin noble family, Sophia’s rivals. Kirillov’s high social status obviously had some effect on the appearance of his home. The stone palace was majestic: luxurious architraves, elegant demi-columns and pilasters, cornices with decorative bands — it all went to show that the building’s owner was a wealthy person. The opulence of the house was vividly described by foreign visitors who were astonished not only by the beautiful façade and the impressive courtyard that contained a garden, but also by the rich interiors with expensive furniture and decorations. As attested by the number inscribed on a circular slab in the center of the main chamber’s vault, the house was built in 1657. The construction of the nearby Church of the Holy Trinity, better known under the name ‘Church of Saint Nicholas on Bersenevskaya’, was also founded by Kirillov — the church was considered to be his private chapel, and there even used to be a wooden passage that connected it with the palace itself. It was here that Averky Kirillov was buried in 1682. The church has survived to this day, albeit without a belfry: it was demolished in the 20th century. The building’s appearance was finalized in the early 18th century when the land plot belonged to A.Kurbatov, another government official. At that time, its formerly wooden first floor was remade in stone, and its façade got some European-style ornamentation elements, including white-stone volutes with fine carvings, rustication at the corners, and a stone canopy above the entrance. According to one version, the new elements were designed and built by the architect Ivan Zarudny. Later, the palace of Averky Kirillov was acquired by the State and was used to house various government institutions, including the Collegium (ministry) of State Income, the Chancellery of Demarcation (in charge of geodetic surveying), the Archive of the former Allocation Prikaz, Moscow’s Treasury Chamber, and the Messenger Service of the Senate. Since 1870, the building became a sort of a bastion in an effort to protect Russia’s cultural heritage, as it was transformed into the headquarters of the Imperial Archeological Society of Moscow, led by Count Uvarov. After the revolution, the building was occupied by various research institutions. Currently, it houses the Russian Institute of Culture Studies. The unique look of edifice survives thanks to the efforts of restorers who continue studying its history.