Krutitsy

Krutitsy is an architectural ensemble on a bluff above the Moskva River in the Tagansky district, the residence from the thirteenth century of the bishops of Krutitsy and Kolomna, among the most powerful clerics in the Russian Orthodox Church. The complex visible today dates mainly from the late seventeenth century and is a key work of Moscow Baroque: the gate known as the Krutitsky Teremok, with a facade entirely clad in polychrome glazed tiles, is one of the most unusual structures in Russia. The attached Dormition Cathedral and the bishops' palace form a courtyard that served as barracks and prison after the diocese was abolished in 1788. Today Krutitsy houses a metochion of the Moscow Patriarchate; the courtyards are freely accessible by day and feel surprisingly secluded despite the central location.