Description of the attraction
The Church of Clement, the Pope of Rome, or the temple of the Holy Martyr Clement, the Pope, is located in Klimentovsky Lane. The first historical mentions in written sources of a temple with this name date back to 1612. The temple is mentioned in connection with the Moscow battle, which took place between the Russian militias and the Polish-Lithuanian conquerors under the leadership of Hetman Chodkiewicz in August 1612.
The first stone temple on this site appeared in 1657. By 1662, the temple already had three aisles. The temple was rebuilt many times. The rebuilding of 1720 is known. During the restructuring in 1756 - 1758. a bell tower and a refectory appeared at the temple.
The surviving baroque temple was presumably built by I. Yakovlev according to the design of the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Trezzini. The funds for the construction of the temple were allocated by the merchant K. Matveev. The construction was completed in 1769. The temple became dominant in the Zamoskvoretsky district of Moscow.
In the memoirs of contemporaries, the temple is characterized as austere, stately, striking with its refined style and extraordinary architectural harmony. The contemporaries also noted the difference between the temple and the countless patterned churches and bell towers that were found in abundance in Zamoskvorechye.
During the Soviet period of history, in 1929, the temple was closed. A repository for the books of the Lenin Library was set up here. In 2008, the temple was returned to the Orthodox Church. The books were taken out of the vault, a serious restoration began, the purpose of which was to recreate the historical appearance of the temple. Restoration work is still in progress.
