STREET (in Soviet times - Dzerzhinskv Street)
Metro Lubyanka
This short street stretching from Lubyanskaya Square to Sretenka Street takes its name from the fact that in the early 16th century people from Novgorod lived here, and they named it after Lubyanitsa Street in their home town.
On the right at No. 14 there is a beautiful house in the late Baroque style. This is the substantially reconstructed chambers of Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, a hero of the second company of Russian irregulars in 1612. It was here that Muscovites, with the Prince at their head, heroically defended their city against Polish aggressors.
In the early 19th century the house belonged to Rostopchin, Moscow's governor-general, who was commander-in-chief of the Moscow irregulars in 1812. It was here that they brought General Bagration after being mortally wounded at Borodino Field. The merchant Vereshchagin was executed in the courtyard of this house having been accused of helping Napoleon. This episode was described by Tolstoy in War and Peace.
The brick chambers of the Khovansky boyars of the 17th century are located in the courtyard of Nos. 7 and 9. Ivan Khovansky led the Moscow uprising of the streltsy in 1682 (the streltsy were members of a privileged military corps). The Tsarina Sophia, Peter the Great's sister, accused him of treason, and ordered that he and his son should be executed. This historical drama was used by Mussorgsky in his opera Khovanshchina. Further down on the same side of the street is the splendid white stone Cathedral of the Vladimirskaya Icon of the Mother of God, which stands in the grounds of Sretensky (Candlemas) Convent. It was founded in the late 14th century at the place where Muscovites in their religious procession received the Vladimirskaya Icon of the Mother of God after it had become the protector of Moscow. In the fateful year of 1395 the war lord Tamurlane rode against Moscow. and in order to protect the city the highly revered Icon of the Mother of God was brought from Vladimir. All Moscow prayed before it for deliverance from its terrible misfortune. It is said that at the very hour when the icon reached Moscow. Tamurlane dreamed that he saw the Mother of God surrounded by a host of angels with flaming swords which were pointed at him. His chief warriors explained to him that he had seen the Defender of the Russians. Tamurlane decided that they would not be able to conquer the Russians, and in his fear gave orders for an immediate retreat, to the amazement and delight of the watching Russians. In memory of this miracle wrought by the Vladimirskaya Icon, Sretensky Convent was founded at the place where the icon had been received. The icon was to be kept in Moscow in perpetuity, and was displayed in the Kremlin Assumption Cathedral, but after the revolution it was taken to the Tretyakov Gallery.
