Church of the Archangel Gabriel
This church dates back to the beginning of the 18th century and is also known as “Menshikov Tower”. Alexander Menshikov, a friend of Peter the Great, called upon architect Ivan Zarudny along with a few Italian artists to build it. In Baroque style the church is 81 meters high, 3 meters higher than Ivan the Great Bell Tower.
In 1723, after a thunder storm and a fire, its fifty bells fell off and destroyed the interior of the church. It was restored at the end of the 18th century with a few modifications and was occupied by a Masonic lodge. Metropolitan Philaret (1783-1867) will later chase them away and have all the Masonic symbols removed.
Closed after the 1917 revolution, the Archangel Gabriel church now hosts the Patriarchat of Antioch.