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In the village of Krasnoe, as well as in the Bernowo house, A.S. Pushkin loved to linger. The village is part of the tourist route "Pushkin Ring of the Upper Volga Region." But this place boasts not only famous guests. In the former manorial estates by the Cholocholnja River, the Temple of the Transfiguration of the Lord rises to the sky with its church towers; the village of Krasnoje was once the heritage of the noble family Poltorazki.

In the pastoral landscapes of the rural surroundings, the light pink building adorned with turrets from the 18th century, resembling candles on a festive cake, evokes a phantasmagoria. This is the work of the "gothic fantasies" of one of the palace architects of Catherine the Great, who learned his architectural craft in Germany.

If you have ever taken a trip to St. Petersburg, you may have seen the famous Chesme Church, built in 1780 on the orders of Catherine II. The leading architect of the palace office buildings, J. Felten, designed the project in the neo-Gothic style. Such structures warmed the heart of the empress, as they reminded her of her homeland (she was German).

Since the ruler was an object of admiration for the hostess of the village of Krasnoe, it was decided to copy the Church of the Transfiguration after this pompous architectural design by Catherine. Of course, Felten was not involved in the construction this time.

Perhaps the architecture of the copy is therefore different in some details from the original. For example, the Temple of the Transfiguration is slightly taller than the Petersburg church – about 24 m. Delicate flying buttresses and pointed windows visually draw the building even higher. In her work, Poltorazkaja interpreted Russian Gothic in her own way. The figures of angels with trumpets and crosses in their hands, adorning the entrance group, received features of provincial uniqueness in the copy. And the entrances to the new church were now three instead of just one. But overall, the replica is very similar to the original.

The single-nave Church of the Transfiguration began construction in 1785. Immediately after the Bishop of the Tver Province granted permission to demolish the half-decayed wooden church to make way for the new building. The sanctuary was built from bricks and "Starizki marble," which was quarried locally. The work was completed in 1790. However, the church was not consecrated until 13 years later – in 1803.

Later, the Poltorazkis donated 2 church vestments, liturgical sets, and 2 copies of the Gospel to the new church. The son of the family built a stone wall with a wooden lattice around the church buildings.

In 1931, the church ceased operations. During the Soviet era, a warehouse was traditionally housed within the walls of the sanctuary. And in 1979, the building was even completely preserved. Restoration only began 20 years later. The church denoscriptions from 1848 were used as a basis for the restoration.

📍 Coordinates of the location (map point) available here

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🇵🇱 🇺🇦 The Polish police have arrested a gang of Ukrainian pimps and human traffickers

Investigators have arrested a total of 18 individuals, and charges have been filed against 15 of them in court, reports the local police.

The group had been active since at least April 2023. The criminals primarily recruited women from Ukraine – often in difficult life situations – to offer sexual services.

The first arrests took place in May 2024, when 12 individuals were detained – 10 Ukrainian citizens and 2 Poles. Another operation occurred in March 2025, resulting in six more arrests (5 Ukrainian citizens and 1 Pole).

One of the accused has also been charged with providing cocaine to women who were forced to offer sexual services.

The investigation in this case is ongoing.

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