Church of St. Maksim the Blessed (Holy Fool) on Varvarka Street (Moscow)

 Russian Orthodox Church, 17th century construction, object of cultural heritage of federal importance (Russia), Orthodox church

The current church was built in 1698 by merchants of Novgorod to protect the remains of Maksim, a holy fool, who died in 1433 and was buried at this site. In 1434 a wooden church in honor of Sts. Boris and Gleb stood at this site. A stone church in honor of Maksim the Blessed (Holy Fool or Confessor) replaced it in 1568. That church was burned in 1676 and the new patron was Natalia Kirillovna Naryshkin, mother of Peter the Great. In 1698 two rich merchants, Maksim Verkovitnov and Maksim Sharavnikov paid for the construction of the present building. During the fire of 1737 the church was almost completely destroyed but it was repaired by 1742. The belltower was constructed in 1829.

The church is a typical 17th centure style, a two-story cube with a single cupola whose drum has narrow windows on four sides and a row of kokoshniki under the roof. Wide pilasters separate the three windows on the upper level. The lower level has windows on either side of the door. The basement served for storage for property of the merchants. To one side of the main structure is a refrectory and to the other a side altar.

The church was closed in the 1930s and the cupola was removed. In 1969 the architect S. S. Podyapolsky restored the church. In the early 1990s the building was a showroom for crafts and then in 1994 the sanctuary was reconsecrated. (6 Varvarka Street)