On January 26, 2016, Chairman of the Vasnetsov Foundation Oleg Vasilyevich Kuznetsov and his family visited the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist on Presnya. (It is assumed that in the 1890s the paintings of the main temple were carried out by the workshop of Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov; according to a number of opinions, they were executed both by the hand of the master himself and by his students according to the sketches of the artist.) The plots and paintings, iconographic images, and wall paintings of the temple are similar to those that decorate the vaults of St. Vladimir's Cathedral in Kiev by Viktor Mikhailovich. The frescoes "God is the Word" in the vaulted part of the altar, "Fatherland" on the eastern vault of the temple, "Position in the coffin" in the niche above the tomb near the northern wall are exactly the same as Kiev murals.
The mosaic vaults of the main temple with a dominant silver-patinated background are made of tinted glass in a technique so characteristic of the Art Nouveau era and the work of V.M. Vasnetsov. It is pleasant to note the respect with which the servants of the temple spoke about the artistic value during our visit, drawing attention to the need to preserve this cultural heritage for posterity.
The mosaic vaults of the main temple with a dominant silver-patinated background are made of tinted glass in a technique so characteristic of the Art Nouveau era and the work of V.M. Vasnetsov. It is pleasant to note the respect with which the servants of the temple spoke about the artistic value during our visit, drawing attention to the need to preserve this cultural heritage for posterity.
