On my way to Zvenigorod and to Mozhzhenka I kept passing Bolshiye Vyazyomy, but could never bring myself to go and see it, though it lies quite close to Golitsyno station

On my way to Zvenigorod and to Mozhzhenka I kept passing Bolshiye Vyazyomy, but could never bring myself to go and see it, though it lies quite close to Golitsyno station. One day, on a lovely spring morning, I got off the train and strolled over to the estate. I did not regret it: the Church of the Transfiguration, built by Boris Godunov, is very fine. Beside it stands a strange bell tower, quite unlike the architecture of the Moscow region. It is closer to the bell towers of Pskov, yet differs greatly from them. In Pskov they are heavy, planted firmly in the earth, whereas this one is openwork and light, and the sky shining through its arches matters more than the structure itself. I looked at the grave of Nikolay Pushkin, the poet's brother, who died in infancy. From a distance I admired the Golitsyn mansion, which housed some research institute at the time, so one could not come close. They say a small museum has opened there now.

Nikita Alexeyev, 1985, from the book “Aachen to Yakhroma”