 The cathedral is situated on the Yelokhovskaya square. In the 15-17th centuries there was a settlement of Yelokhovo situated on the site of the modern square that was mentioned in the ancient chronicles as a birthplace of St. Basil ? an imbecile person who could perform miracles and was later cannonized. In the 18th century the settlement of Yelokhovo became part of Moscow.
A first ever church made of stone was built there with the assistance of Russian tsar Peter the Great in 1722-1732. At the end of the 18th century a dining room and a belfry was connected to the church.
A first tier of the belfry and the dining room as well as bells have survived to the present day. A big bell that cracked in 1900 was replaced by a new bell.
In 1835, on the initiative of rich parishioners a decision was made to build a new Epithany cathedral on the site of the old church.
The new cathedral was built to the design of architect Tyurin in 1935-1845. The magnificent cathedral with entrances shaped as triumphant arches and a dome that resembled that of St. Peter cathedral in Rome. The Epithany cathedral is one of the latest monuments of late classicism in Russia.
In 1852, the cathedral was decorated in the Greek style, and later, an attic and a cupola were built to crown the dining room, new frescoes were created and all of the church belongings were renewed.
One of the main attractions is a list representing the power of the icon of the Godmother of Kazan that helped liberate Russia from Polish invaders in 1612. The Epithany cathedral has a number of other precious icons and the relics of Metropolian Alexy, that had earlier been kept at the Chudov monastery and later moved to the Archangel cathedral in the Kremlin.
In 1930-1992 ,the Epithany cathedral had been the cathedral of the Russian patriarch.
District: Downtown
Address: 15, Elokhovskaya Sq., Moscow
Underground: Baumanskaya
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Culture and Art 