The Ryazan Kremlin

14 points5 km4.5 hours

The Ryazan Kremlin is the best place to start getting to know Ryazan. On the “Kremlin route” you can see one of the largest Orthodox churches in Russia; find out where, legend has it, the great Prince Oleg of Ryazan hid his sword, which square in the city was called “Red,” and how the Diveevo convent is connected with the Ryazan Kremlin; take a photo at the city's most “iconic” selfie spot; and sip fragrant cardamom coffee like the one served on the biblical Via Dolorosa in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Route author

Susanin Team

Things to do

📜 Learn the city's history
🏛️🕰️ Compare the eras

Route points (14)

Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior in Ryazan

Point on route “The Ryazan Kremlin”

Point 13

Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior

🕍 Place of worship • 📜 Historic site • 🏟️ Architectural landmark

Historical Background

The Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior rose on the bank of the Trubezh River (hence its other name, Spas na Yaru, “the Savior on the Bluff”). It is one of the oldest churches in Ryazan. The first written mention of a wooden church “on the bluff” dates from 1626. Half a century later the church burned down but was quickly rebuilt. Yet this church was not destined for a long life either. By 1695 a white-stone church stood in its place, built with funds from the stolnik (court official) Ivan Verderevsky, a descendant of an ancient noble family founded by the son-in-law of Prince Oleg of Ryazan.

Architecture

Over its history the church has been only slightly rebuilt, so its original beauty has survived to this day. Its architecture is a typical example of the Moscow posad (townsmen's) churches of the mid-17th century: a five-domed church with clusters of columns that give it a special slenderness, and a pyramidal tent-roofed bell tower. The walls and drums are decorated with kokoshniks (decorative arched gables), and the windows with white-stone surrounds.

A Typical Story with a Happy Ending

In Soviet times the church was closed and turned into a chicken hatchery, and all its remaining interior decoration was gradually lost. In the 20th century it housed various institutions, including the naval school of DOSAAF (the Soviet volunteer society for support of the armed forces). The Church of the Transfiguration was returned to believers and reconsecrated only in 1994. A little later, a tall brick vestibule in the tradition of Russian architecture was added to the bell tower.