In the very center of Russia’s capital, opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, there is an amazing building — Averky Kirillov Chambers. Basically, this is a living open-air museum that has preserved the spirit of ancient Moscow.
It is believed that a wooden house was built there as early as in the 15th–16th centuries. After that, in 1656–1657, Duma deacon Averky Kirillov, who became the sole owner of the house and the surrounding area, built a new stone two-story building on the basis of the old wooden house.
Averky Kirillov was a wealthy merchant and an influential official: he owned salt mining enterprises and was in charge of trade, finance, and taxes in the country. That is why the stone chambers were built on a royal scale, with richly decorated window trims, fine half-columns, pilasters, and cornices with a curb.
Overseas guests used to marvel at the beautiful facade, the luxurious courtyard with a garden, and the rich interior of the expensively furnished chambers.
The neighboring Church of the Holy Trinity, known as the Church of St. Nicholas on Bersenevka, was also built by Kirillov and was actually connected to his chambers with a wooden passage. The temple, which lost its bell tower in the 20th century, has survived to this day.
The chambers acquired their modern looks at the beginning of the 18th century, when the house was given to deacon A. F. Kurbatov. During this period, the upper floor, previously wooden, was reconstructed, and the facade was decorated in the European style with volutes with fine white stone carvings, rustication at the corners, and a stone canopy over the entrance.
Later, Averky Kirillov Chambers were transferred to the treasury, and various state institutions worked there.
The bright red house with white decor on the facade and a small mezzanine still attracts the attention of passers-by.
At present, the house is occupied by the Likhachev Russian Research Institute for Cultural and Natural Heritage Russian Heritage Institute.
Sergey Kirillov