Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi

Affiliations As a house church, the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi is affiliated with both the State Tretyakov Gallery and the Moscow Patriarchate. The modern church functions both as a parish for the gallery's employees and as a museum open to the public. While active services are still held in the church, visitors can only enter the church through the Tretyakov Gallery. Religious artifacts are preserved in special climate-controlled environments to ensure their preservation. Name The church's name derives from the Old Tolmachi settlement of Tatar translators located in what is now in Moscow. == History ==

Beginnings The initial version of the church was wooden, as mentioned in a 1625 parish book. In March 1687, Patriarch Joachim visited the church for mass, which generally indicated the parish had nobles and highly regarded individuals as members. The top of the bell tower became broken, and bells separated into pieces. By the time the gallery began major restoration work on the church in 1983, the temple had remained empty for over 50 years. Yet by the turn of the decade, the bell tower was able to be fully restored. In September 1996, the church's restored main altar was sanctified by Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow. == Recent usage ==

In 2009, the Iverskaya icon was transferred to the church from the gallery. It had been previously located within the Iverskaya Chapel before it was destroyed in 1929. The Trinity is stored in the church as well during the Feast for Holy Trinity. On 12 December 2012, the Tretyakov Gallery elected to transfer the relics of more than 30 saints to the church. The church was most famously home to the Russian icon known as Our Lady of Vladimir. The icon is generally considered to be one of the most cherished symbols in Russian history. On 3 April 2026, the icon was transferred to Christ the Savior Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Moscow; the Russian Orthodox Church has free us of the icon for 49 years. , Archpriest Nikolai Sokolov is the rector for the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi. == See also ==