A historical district of Moscow's Bely Gorod (White City), between Myasnitskaya Street and the Yauza River, including Maroseyka (Pokrovka) Street, was developed later than other parts of White City. Historians M. Tikhomirov and P. Sytin agree that there was a pine forest until the late 15th century. This fact is evidenced by nearby churches named "in the pine forest", "near the pine forest" and others. However Sytin supposes that as early as that time Stromynskaya Road passed where now Maroseyka Street goes. It is also known, that in the late 15th century, between Stromynskaya Road (i. e. Maroseyka-Pokrovka Street) and the Yauza River, Ivan III planted a huge garden. The first buildings appeared there in the 16th century. These were wooden constructions where noble families of people coming from Novgorod and Pskov lived. The first church at the place of the now-existing Church of the Life Giving Trinity in Gryazi is considered to be also built at that time.
The church was first mentioned in 1547 as St. Basil's Church. The fire of 21 June 1547 spread along "Pokrovskaya Street to St. Basil's Church (St. Basil the Great also known as Basil of Caesarea)". In 1619, the second side chapel dedicated to the Intercession appeared; in 1625 — the side chapel of St. Trinity.
In 1649, the first stone church with previous altars was built. However, the church was shown as wooden in the 1674 Moscow map by Erich Palmquist. In 1701, the second stone church with a new side chapel of the Entrance of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple was built. The side chapel of the Intercession probably disappeared at that time.
On 20 May 1737, a fire happened in Moscow. It was said in a relative report by Moscow Synod Government's Registry, "The Church of the Life-Giving Trinity near the Pokrovskiye Gates was damaged by the fire. The porch's roof, the bell tower's passage, and the fence were burned down. Also the Trinity Icon's wreath was lost, and clothes in the side chapel of Three Saints as well as a cross used to be brought with holy water were burned away. Also an orarion in the deacon's house was burned out. All other things are safe..." The mentioned there side chapel of Three Saints had never been mentioned anywhere else. It is probably because St. Basil the Great was one of three Saints, and they might confuse the names and called the side chapel of St. Basil the side chapel of Three Saints. Or St. Basil's side chapel was consecrated as Three Saints' side chapel while being constructed.
In summer of 1741, the 1740 bell tower with a lower and an upper refectories crashed down, probably because the Church was built on swampy ground. In 1745, it was allowed to build a new church without St. Basil's side chapel. According to one of the stories, the stone church, built in the 1740s to the 1750s, was designed by architect Ivan Michurin, author of the famous Moscow map and owner of a lot near the Church. The side chapel dedicated to the Entrance of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple of the new-built church was consecrated in July 1748, the main side chapel of St. Trinity — in 1752.
During the 1812 Great Moscow Fire, when Napoleon invaded the city, the Trinity Church was not damaged. No stealing or losses because of the French army in the city were registered in the Church's registers unlike many other Moscow churches of that time. However, after the fire, affecting the whole city, Moscow was transformed and got absolutely different appearance. The Church of St. Trinity was not an exclusion and was also been reconstructed.
In 1819, the old heated church was demolished. A new one with side chapels dedicated to the Virgin Mary's Cathedral (or the Icon of the Mother of God "Of the Three Joys" that is celebrated on 8 January, the Day of the Virgin Mary's Cathedral) and St. Nicholas was built with support from Ivan Borisovsky, a church warden, a merchant and an honoured citizen. On 12 September 1826, the Church was consecrated by St. Philaret (Drozdov), the Metropolitan of Moscow.
In the mid-19th century, Y. Molchanov became a church warden. In 1861, he contributed money to reconstruct the Church in accordance with the design by M. Bikovsky.
The central altar of the Three Joys was consecrated on 10 December 1861 by St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, who, in 1826, consecrated the Church itself. Metropolitan Philaret like the Bikovsky's architecture very much and took a liking to the architect himself. Thus, it was not a surprise that he agreed to consecrate the new church, all the more so that he consecrated it 35 years before.
The name "in Gryazi" was given to the Church after the Rachka River flowing out of the Dirty (now Clean) Ponds through the White City's wall and the Church's yard. In the beginning it was a large pool that became a flow behind the Church's altar and flowed further to the south. It was this flow that made Pokrovka Street muddy in spite of a wooden bridge thrown across the River.
In different periods of time, the Church was called the Church of St. Basil of Caesarea in Stariye Gryazi, the Church of St. Trinity in Stariye Gryazi, the Church of the Virgin Mary's Cathedral in Gryazi, the Church of the Three Joys Icon in Gryazi, and the Cathedral of the Three Joys. In documents dated different periods, different names of the same church were stated. On 5 March 1926, the Parochial Council petitioned to the Right Reverend Bishop Alexy of Serpukhov, Manager of the Moscow Diocese, to "allow Protopriest Alexander Smirnov to hold a service in the Church of the Virgin Mary's Cathedral of the Three Joys, St. Trinity Church that is in Gryazi, near the Pokrovskiye Gates".
It is also interesting that the main side chapel of St. Trinity is situated on the right, and the central side chapel is dedicated to the Icon of the Three Joys. This has to do with the fact that St. Trinity side chapel appeared much earlier (in 1625). When M. Bikovsky built the Church, he kept the foundation and the lower part of St. Trinity side chapel as they were.
Ivan Snegiryov wrote about the name "Stariye Gryazi", "Some areas are called old ("stariye"), probably because they are not repeated in other places, for example, St. Trinity in Stariye Gryazi... Swamps in many, especially low-lying, areas of Moscow were called Gryazi. Now we know about them only from the names of churches. Let's point them out. The Church of St. Basil of Caesarea in Gryazi in White City, the 17th century. According to the 17th-century inventory records, it was called in Stariye Gryazi, in Pokrovka Street."
In 1899, the Church was restored. No large-scale changes were made. The building and its interior were renovated by efforts of Ivan Olovyanishnikov, a church warden. He did his utmost to restore the marble icon stand and gilding. The walls were adorned with ornaments and paintings again; all utensils were restored. The exterior was completely repaired.
In the mid-1929, the Church was captured by representatives of so called Grigoriantsy, who formed the Temporary Supreme Church Council, leaded by pseudo metropolitan Boris (Rukin). However, the Grigoriantsy did not own the Church long. In early January 1930, the Church was shut down by the decision of the Moscow City Hall of 20 December 1929 to be occupied by a granary.
In the mid-1950s, the building was re-equipped for a recreation centre. The dome and the bell tower were demolished. The interior was divided with partitions and ceilings for many rooms. Vaults of the northern side chapel were destroyed, and the third floor was added. A cinema and concert hall was arranged in the central side chapel. The Altar was used as a scene. In 1979, the building's vault cracked (no wonder the Church was called "in Gryazi"). The recreational centre was closed, and the building was scheduled to be fully repaired. In 1980 and 1981, the foundation was strengthened.
In the early 1990s, the building was occupied by the Leisure Centre of the Moscow Regional Committee of Trade Unions.
In 1992, the Church was handed over to a newly formed community of believers. The first prior of the Church was Priest Sergey Shirokov. On the patronal festival day, 14 June 1992, the side chapel of St. Trinity was consecrated, and the first Mass was said. In the late December 1996, Holy Patriarch Alexy appointed Priest Iowan Kaleda an acting prior of the Church.
Services were held in St. Trinity's side chapel that still occupies the back of the former side chapel. An assembly hall and a projection booth occupied the central side chapel then.
In 1997, an auditorium was dismantled. In the first half of 2001, the former projection booth was demolished too. On 8 January 2002, on the patronal festival day, the central side chapel was consecrated and dedicated to the Icon of the Three Joys.
However, weak floor was still in disrepair. Thus, the central side chapel was closed again. The floor was completely repaired in the altar and back parts of the side chapel. The floor level became approximately 20 cm (7.8 in) higher than before. It was also equipped with a heating system.
On 4 April 2004, on Palm Sunday, the first service was held in the reconstructed central side chapel.
On 1 March 1881, Ignaty Grinevitsky, a member of the People's Will terrorist organization, let off a bomb in Yekaterininsky Canal Embankment and gravely wound Emperor Alexander II, who was on his way back from the parade in Mikhailovsky Manege. As early as in 15 days after the assassination, a temporary mobile chapel, designed by Leon Benois, was c...
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