Znamenskaya Church, or the Church of the Theotokos of the Sign is a Russian Orthodox church in Dubrovitsy, Moscox Oblast, Russia. In 1690, a Russian socialite named Boris Alexeyevich Golitsyn who also owned the Dubrovitsy Estate, began constructing a stone church in Baroque tradition. The design choice was unusual for the period as it was unlike the architecture of traditional Russian churches. Nonetheless, the church’s architect did not completely ignore the local traditions. Thus, the architect pioneered a style blending Western and Russian traditions in church architecture.
In 1699, the construction was complete. However, the then Patriarch of Moscow refused to consecrate the church due to its “uncharacteristic and non-standard” architecture. The consecration of the church took place in 1704, after the death of the Patriarch. Today, the construction reason for such an unconventional church is a mystery. The names of the architects, sculptures, artists, and stone carvers are also unknown due to the nonexistence of any documents.
The church also had mystical inviolability. That is, the church thrice escaped destruction without little or no harm. First, in 1812, the French troops plundered and burned all the surrounding villages but did not do any harm to the church. Then, it survived post-revolutionary years with little losses. Finally, the Nazi forces mined the church in 1941, but fortunately, the Nazis were stopped right on time.
