Great Ascension Church, Nikitskie Gates, Moscow

Obverse

a relief image of the National Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation, above it along the rim the inscription in a semicircle ‘РОССИЙСКАЯ ФЕДЕРАЦИЯ’ (RUSSIAN FEDERATION) framed with paired diamonds on both sides, under the coat of arms are the chemical symbol and fineness of the metal on the left and fine metal content and the mint mark on the right, at the bottom centre in three lines are the inscription ‘БАНК РОССИИ’ (BANK OF RUSSIA), the coin denomination ‘3 РУБЛЯ’ (3 RUBLES), and the year of issue ‘2024 г.’ (2024).

Reverse

a relief image of the Great Ascension Church against the background of Alexander Pushkin and Natalia Goncharova’s wedding ceremony scene, laser treated for matte finishing; a miniature figure of an angel cast in relief on the left; and relief inscriptions ‘ХРАМ ВОЗНЕСЕНИЯ ГОСПОДНЯ ‘БОЛЬШОЕ ВОЗНЕСЕНИЕ’ У НИКИТСКИХ ВОРОТ’ (GREAT ASCENSION CHURCH, NIKITSKIE GATES) at the top around the circumference and ‘МОСКВА’ (MOSCOW) at the bottom.

Authors

Designers: E.V. Kramskaya (obverse), A.V. Gnidin (reverse).
Sculptors: A.A. Dolgopolova (obverse), A.V. Gnidin (reverse).
Mint: Saint Petersburg Mint (СПМД).
Edge: 300 corrugations.

Discover more

The Church of the Ascension of the Lord at the Nikitskie Gates (the Great Ascension Church) is an Orthodox church of the central deanery of the Moscow Eparchy (Diocese). It is located in the Presnensky District of the Central Administrative Okrug of Moscow (36 Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street).

Its wooden predecessor – the Church of the Ascension of the Lord in the Watchmen, first mentioned in 1619 – burned down in 1629. In 1685–1689, the Tsarina Natalia Naryshkina, whose court was nearby, built a stone Ascension Church with five stone domes and side chapels of the Vladimir Mother of God icon and Saint Nicholas.

The foundation of the church was not strong enough. Therefore, it was decided to build a new church near it. For this purpose, the Prince Grigory Potemkin gave his plot of land. First, in 1798–1816, a narthex was built with two side chapels, currently accommodating the altars of the Mother of God icon Joy of All Who Sorrow and Saint Nicholas. In this narthex, the wedding ceremony of the poet Alexander Pushkin with Natalia Goncharova was held on 18 February (2 March) 1831. The main part of the church was erected in 1827–1848.

The building is constructed in the Empire style. The basis is a monumental rectangular structure (a quadrangle) decorated with side porticoes, accommodating side chapels of the Meeting of the Vladimir Mother of God icon and the Beheading of St. John the Baptist.

Despite the fact that the church was officially named the Church of the Ascension of the Lord at the Nikitskie Gates, people generally knew it as the Great Ascension Church, in contrast to the Small Ascension Church, an older church built in 1634 and officially named as the Church of the Ascension of the Lord in Nikitskaya Street in the White City (today, 18 Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street).

In the congregation of the church, there were representatives of the intelligentsia, nobility and merchants living in the closest vicinity.

During the reconstruction of the church, builders discovered the foundation of the bell tower demolished in 1937. On this foundation, a new 61-meter bell tower was built on the west side of the church in 2002–2004.

Sources: http://большоевознесение.рф, https://www.culture.ru