St. Catherine's Church 'na Vspol'e' ('in-the-Fields') (Moscow)

 Baroque (architecture), interesting place, 1770s construction, Russian Orthodox Church, object of cultural heritage of federal importance (Russia), Orthodox church

Behind the wooded garden sits St. Catherine's Church 'na Vspol'e' ('in-the-Fields.') It was built in the mid 18th century in the settlement of the cosmetics guild. The "sloboda" of the cosmetics merchants was established in this area by the 16th century. In 1612 during the Time of Troubles, the area was the site of a battle between the Russians and the Lithuanians. The original wooden church from 1514 by Aleviz Fryazin may have been damaged at this time, and by 1657 a stone church stood here.

In the time of Catherine the Great, after she "inherited" the throne in 1762, the stone church was old, outdated and in need of restoration. Although Catherine never liked Moscow, she left her mark here on the new church dedicated to her patron saint, Catherine of Sinai. Her favorite architect, Karl Blank was responsible for the older summer church that was commissioned by the Tsarina and paid for by the state treasury. Built in a little over a year, the church was consecrated on 28 September 1767. It combines Moscow baroque with elements of rococo. The large European style rotunda is capped by the traditional Russian onion dome cupola and cross. Although the interior was destroyed during the Soviet times, some of the original frescoes with naturalistic themes can still be seen in the north transept of the church. These were designed and painted by Dmitri G. Levitsky, who was responsible for the frescoes in the original Christ the Redeemer Cathedral and whose works can also be seen at the Tropinin Museum.