The main symbol of Russia, the building is so status, significant, outstanding that only such world-famous historical architectural objects as the Egyptian pyramids or the Tower of London can be compared with it ...
Appolinary Vasnetsov. The heyday of the Kremlin at the end of the 17th century
The Moscow Kremlin is the oldest part of the Russian capital, the heart of the city, the official residence of the country's leader, one of the world's largest complexes with unique architecture, a treasury of historical relics and a spiritual center.
The significance of the Kremlin in our country is evidenced by the fact that it is with the Moscow complex that the very concept of the “Kremlin” is associated. Meanwhile, there are Kremlins in Kolomna, Syzran, Nizhny Novgorod, Smolensk, Astrakhan and other cities not only in Russia, but also in Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus.
According to the definition given in the "explanatory dictionary" by Vladimir Dahl, "krem" is a large and strong timber forest, and "kremlin" is a coniferous forest growing in a moss swamp. And the “Kremlin” is a city surrounded by a fortress wall, with towers and loopholes. Thus, the name of these structures comes from the type of wood that was used in their construction. Unfortunately, not a single wooden Kremlin has been preserved in Russia, except for the guard towers in the Trans-Urals, but the stone structures, which until the 14th century were called detinets and performed a protective function, remained, and the Moscow Kremlin is, of course, the most famous of them.
The main symbol of Russia is located on Borovitsky Hill, on the higher left bank of the Moskva River, in the place where the Neglinnaya River flows into it. If we consider the complex from a height, then the Kremlin is an irregularly shaped triangle with a total area of 27.7 hectares, surrounded by a massive wall with towers.
The first detailed plan of the Moscow Kremlin, 1601
The architectural complex of the Moscow Kremlin includes 4 palaces and 4 cathedrals, the southern wall goes to the Moscow River, the eastern one to Red Square, and the northwestern one to the Alexander Garden. Currently, the Kremlin is an independent administrative unit within Moscow and is included in the UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage List.
Plan of the Moscow Kremlin presented on its official website
Listing all the events that took place over the course of more than 900 years of the history of the Moscow Kremlin is not an easy task. Interestingly, the first human settlements on Borovitsky Hill are dated by archaeologists to the 2nd millennium BC. At that time, the construction site of the future Kremlin was completely covered with dense forests, hence the name of the hill - Borovitsky.
Other archaeological finds found on the territory of the Kremlin date back to the period of the 8th-3rd centuries BC, scientists suggest that even then the first wooden fortifications were erected on the site where the Cathedral Square of the Kremlin is now located. You can see items related to the everyday life of the ancient inhabitants of the Kremlin Mountain in the basement of the Annunciation Cathedral, where the exhibition "Archaeology of the Moscow Kremlin" operates.
From the 12th century until the first half of the 13th century, a border fortress was located on the site of the Moscow Kremlin, which became the beginning of the history of Moscow. Archaeologists managed to discover an ancient cemetery of the 12th century, which was located on the site of the Assumption Cathedral, presumably, there was also a wooden church nearby.
Border fortress on the site of the Moscow Kremlin, watercolor by G.V. Borisevich
The founder of Moscow, Vladimir-Suzdal Prince Yuri Dolgoruky, laid a fortress at the mouth of the Neglinnaya River, a little higher than the Yauza River. The new fortress united 2 fortified centers located on the Borovitsky hill into a single whole. The fortress, which stood on the site of the future Kremlin, occupied an irregular triangle between the current Trinity, Borovitsky and Tainitsky gates.
Monument to Yuri Dolgoruky in Moscow
During this period, Moscow and the Kremlin experienced numerous internecine wars of the Russian princes, a severe fire and looting overtook the city during the invasion of Batu Khan, so that the wooden structures of the old Kremlin were seriously damaged.
The first "high-ranking person" who settled in the Moscow Kremlin was Prince Daniel - the youngest son of Prince Alexander Nevsky from Vladimir, then the son of Moscow Prince Daniel - Ivan Kalita ruled in Moscow, who did a lot to make the city one of the largest and strongest in the world. Rus'. Ivan Kalita was also engaged in the arrangement of his residence, which, under him, in 1331 received its current name - the Moscow Kremlin and became a separate, main part of the city.
In 1326-1327, the Assumption Cathedral was erected - already at that time it became the main temple of the principality, and in 1329 the construction of the church and the bell tower of John of the Ladder was completed. The following year, the domes of the Cathedral of the Savior on Bor rose in the Kremlin, and in 1333 the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael was built, in which Ivan Kalita himself, his children and grandchildren were then buried. These first not wooden, but white-stone temples of Moscow later determined the spatial composition of the Kremlin center, in its main features it is still preserved today.
By the way, it was under Ivan Kalita, in the first half of the 14th century, that the treasury of the Moscow princes began to form, the place of storage of which, of course, became the Kremlin. One of the main items of the treasury was the “golden hat” — scientists identify it with the famous Monomakh’s hat, which served as a crown for all Moscow rulers.
Moscow Kremlin under Ivan Kalita, painting by A.M. Vasnetsov
In 1365, after another fire, Prince Dmitry (in 1380, after the victory over Mamai, he received the nickname Donskoy), who ruled at that time in Moscow, decided to build towers and fortifications of stone, for which they brought to Borovitsky Hill in the winter of 1367 sleigh limestone. In the spring of the same year, the construction of the first white-stone fortress of North-Eastern Rus' began.
Cathedral Square became the cult center of the Kremlin, on which the wooden princely chambers, the white-stone Annunciation Cathedral were located, Metropolitan Alexei founded the Chudov Monastery in the eastern part of the Kremlin, and the residence of the Metropolitan himself was located in the Kremlin.
In 1404, on a special tower of the Moscow Kremlin, the Athos monk Lazar, a Serb, installed a special city clock, which became the first in the territory of Rus'.
In the second half of the 15th century, a grandiose restructuring of the Moscow Kremlin began, after which it acquired modern features familiar to every Russian. Prince Ivan the Third, who married Sophia Paleolog, a Byzantine princess, was able to complete the unification of the principalities of Rus' and Moscow acquired a new status - the capital of a large state. Naturally, the residence of the head of such a vast country needed alteration and expansion.
In 1475-1479, the Italian architect Aristotle Fioravanti erected a new Assumption Cathedral, which was the main temple of the Moscow principality under Ivan Kalita, and now has received the status of the main cathedral of the Russian state.
Assumption Cathedral on a postcard from the early 20th century
Another Italian architect, Aleviz Novy, was engaged in the construction of the grand-ducal temple-tomb - the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael. On the western side of the square, the palace of the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan the Third was erected, which included the Middle Golden Chamber, the Embankment Chamber and the Great Faceted Chamber, that is, a whole complex of ceremonial buildings. Unfortunately, not all of them have survived to this day.
Moscow Kremlin at the end of the 15th century, painting by A.M. Vasnetsov
After the Italian craftsmen erected new towers and walls of the Kremlin, many foreign guests began to call the building a castle, similar to which the battlements on the walls give the complex. The Moscow Kremlin was also compared with the Scaliger castle in Verona and the famous Sforza castle in Milan. However, unlike these structures, the Kremlin became not only the residence of the ruler of the country, but also the center of the cultural, religious life of the entire state, here are the most famous temples of Rus', the residence of the metropolitan and monasteries.
Of course, the history of the Moscow Kremlin is inextricably linked with the history of the princes, tsars and emperors who ruled the Moscow principality, then the kingdom, and then the Russian Empire. So, Tsar Ivan the Fourth (better known as the Terrible), who came to the throne in 1547, also did a lot to form the Kremlin ensemble. Under him, the Church of the Annunciation was rebuilt, and orders were placed on Ivanovskaya Square, including the Ambassadorial Order, which was in charge of receiving foreign guests. Already then there was the Armory, also on the territory of the Kremlin there were royal stables, a sleeping chamber, storage facilities and workshops.
In 1652-1656, Patriarch Nikon was involved in the reconstruction of the patriarchal palace in the Kremlin, the treasures of the Patriarchal sacristy were stored in this building, and church councils met in the Cross Chamber and feasts were held for distinguished guests.
Only in 1712, after Peter the Great decided to move the capital to the newly erected St. Petersburg, the Moscow Kremlin lost its status as the permanent and only residence of the rulers of the state, in addition, the beginning of the 18th century was marked for Moscow by a new devastating fire. When restoring the damaged parts of the Kremlin, it was decided to build an Arsenal between the Sobakina and Troitskaya towers.
In 1749-1753, the old chambers of the Sovereign's Court dating back to the 15th century were dismantled; on their foundations, the famous architect F.-B. Rastrelli erected a new stone Winter Palace in the Baroque style. The building faced on one side to the Moskva River, and on the other - to the Cathedral Square.
In 1756-1764, the architect D.V. Ukhtomsky erected a new building of the Armory Gallery between the Archangel and Annunciation Cathedrals, but then, in the course of planning a large-scale reconstruction of the Kremlin, this building was demolished. The idea of V.I. Bazhenov to build a new palace was never realized, however, in the course of preparing for the start of this project, the Kremlin lost many ancient buildings.
In 1776-1787, the architect M. F. Kazakov, by decree of Catherine the Second, built the Senate building opposite the Arsenal, and only then Senate Square acquired its completed look.
In 1810, by decree of Emperor Alexander the First, the Armory was erected, architect I.V. Egotov managed to fit the new building into the ensemble of the Kremlin, as a result of the construction a new Kremlin square appeared - Troitskaya, formed between the new museum building, the Arsenal and the Trinity Tower.
The Kremlin was seriously damaged during the Napoleonic invasion; after the fire of 1812, many of the blown up and burnt buildings of the complex had to be restored.
In 1838-1851, in accordance with the decree of Emperor Nicholas I, a new palace complex was built in the Moscow Kremlin, designed in the “national Russian style”. It included the building of the Apartments, the Grand Kremlin Palace, erected on the site of the Winter Palace, and the more solemn building of the museum - the Moscow Armory. The architect Konstantin Ton carried out construction strictly within the boundaries of the ancient Sovereign's Court, took into account all the historical features, managed to combine in one composition both new buildings and architectural monuments of the 15th-17th centuries. At the same time, the reconstruction of old churches was also carried out. New buildings formed in the Moscow Kremlin and a new area - Imperial or Palace.
Already at the beginning of the 20th century, the Moscow Kremlin was considered a monument of history and architecture. Nicholas II intended to turn the Poteshny Palace into a museum dedicated to the Patriotic War of 1812, but 1917 crossed out all the plans of the emperor.
As you know, after the coup, the Bolshevik government moved from St. Petersburg to the Kremlin and until 1953, that is, until the death of Stalin, who occupied an office and an apartment in the Kremlin, the complex was closed to ordinary tourists and Muscovites.
In 1935, the Kremlin lost its double-headed eagles, and in 1937, luminous ruby stars were installed in their place on the Spasskaya, Borovitskaya, Nikolskaya, Troitskaya and Vodovzvodnaya towers.
On the site of the demolished Ascension and Chudov monasteries, the building of the Military School was erected, which greatly changed the appearance of the architectural complex.
Interestingly, during the Great Patriotic War, the Kremlin was practically not damaged, despite the massive bombardments that hit Moscow in 1941 and 1942. The authorities evacuated the treasures of the Armory, and in the event of the surrender of the capital to the German troops, a plan was provided for mining the main buildings of the complex.
In 1955, the Moscow Kremlin reopened its doors to ordinary visitors, the Museum of Applied Art and Life of Russia of the 17th century, located in the Patriarchal Palace, began its work. The last large-scale construction on the territory of the Kremlin was the construction in 1961 of the Palace of Congresses, which many modern architects and ordinary Muscovites call “glass against the backdrop of the ancient Kremlin” and consider its construction to be another crime of the Soviet regime.
Like any ancient, historical building, the Moscow Kremlin has its own secrets, legends associated with it, and often rather dark secrets.
Most of these legends are associated with the Kremlin dungeons. Since their exact map was lost a long time ago (perhaps it was destroyed by the builders themselves), many underground passages, corridors and tunnels of the Moscow Kremlin have not yet been fully explored.
For example, the search for the famous library of Ivan the Terrible was resumed several times, but the vast repository of books and documents of that time has not yet been found. Scientists argue whether the legendary library really existed, whether it burned down during one of the fires that repeatedly raged on the territory of the complex, or is hidden so well that modern archaeologists are not able to find it on the huge square of the Moscow Kremlin.
Most likely, until the 18th century, all the towers and walls of the Kremlin were literally “permeated” with numerous secret passages and tunnels.
It was during the search for Liberia (as the library of Ivan the Terrible is usually called) that the archaeologist Shcherbatov in 1894 stumbled upon a mysterious underground structure located under the first floor of the Nabatnaya Tower. Trying to explore the found tunnel, the archaeologist hit a dead end, but then he discovered the same tunnel leading from the Konstantin-Eleninskaya Tower.
The archaeologist Shcherbatov also found a secret passage connecting the Nikolskaya tower with the Corner Arsenal, however, in 1920, all information, photographs taken by scientists and reports on the passages found were classified by the Bolsheviks and became a state secret. It is possible that the new authorities have decided to use the secret passages of the Kremlin for their own purposes.
According to scientists, since the Moscow Kremlin was built according to all the rules of fortification of the Middle Ages and was primarily a fortress designed to protect the townspeople from attacks by enemies, the Italian architect Fioravanti also built places for lower combat and "rumors" - secret corners from which you can it was secretly to observe (and eavesdrop) on the enemy. Most likely (collecting evidence is now quite difficult), until the 18th century, all the towers and walls of the Kremlin were literally “permeated” with numerous secret passages and tunnels, but then, as unnecessary, most of them were simply walled up and covered up.
By the way, the very name of the Tainitskaya tower clearly indicates that there was a hiding place under it, there are references to the construction of secret passages in the annals that recorded the process of building towers in the 15th century.
Tainitskaya tower of the Moscow Kremlin
There were also rumors about the dungeons of the Beklemishevskaya Tower, which, by the way, enjoys the most notorious reputation - it was here that the torture chamber, created by order of Ivan the Terrible, was located. In the 19th century, Archpriest Lebedev, who served in the Kremlin for more than 45 years, counted 9 failures that formed on the vaults of various underground structures. It is known about the secret passage leading from the Tainitskaya to the Spasskaya Tower, another secret road leads from the Troitskaya to the Nikolskaya Tower and further to Kitai-Gorod.
And Ignatius Stelletsky, a well-known historian and specialist specifically in the “archeology of dungeons”, the initiator of the digger movement in Moscow, intended to go from the Beklemishevskaya Tower to the Moscow River, and from the Spasskaya Tower through a secret underground passage directly to St. Basil’s Cathedral, and then along the existing near the temple descent into a large tunnel under Red Square.
There were remains of underground passages in various parts of the Moscow Kremlin more than once, almost during each reconstruction, but most often such dead ends, failures or vaults were simply walled up or even poured with concrete.
On the eve of his coronation, the ghost of Ivan the Terrible was seen by Emperor Nicholas II himself, about which he informed his wife Alexandra Feodorovna.
There are in the Moscow Kremlin, of course, and their ghosts. So, in the Commandant's Tower they saw a disheveled, pale woman with a revolver in her hand, in which they allegedly recognized Fanny Kaplan, who was shot by the then Kremlin commandant.
For several centuries, the ghost of this Russian tyrant has been found on the lower tiers of the bell tower of Ivan the Terrible. By the way, the ghost of Ivan the Terrible also has a crowned witness - on the eve of his coronation, Emperor Nicholas II himself saw him, about which he informed his wife Alexandra Feodorovna.
Flickers sometimes over the teeth of the Moscow Kremlin and the ghost of the Pretender - False Dmitry executed here. The Constantino-Eleninskaya Tower also enjoys a bad reputation - here, too, in the 17th century there was a torture chamber and a case was recorded of the appearance of drops of blood on the masonry, which then disappeared on their own.
Another ghostly inhabitant of the Moscow Kremlin is, of course, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, who was seen both in his office and in his former apartment. Stalin's well-known comrade-in-arms, the head of the NKVD Yezhov, "visited" his former office ... But Iosif Vissarionovich himself was never noted in an appearance in the Kremlin after March 5, 1953.
It is not surprising that such an ancient structure, replete with burials, secrets and secret rooms, is of interest not only to archaeologists, scientists and historians, but also to mystics.
Data
If we talk about the Moscow Kremlin only from the point of view of a large-scale complex of buildings, it is impossible not to mention all its structures.
So, the architectural complex of the Moscow Kremlin includes 20 towers: Tainitskaya, Beklemishevskaya, Blagoveshchenskaya, Vodovzvodnaya, Petrovskaya tower, Borovitskaya, First Nameless, Second Nameless, Konstantin-Eleninskaya, Nikolskaya, Spasskaya, Corner Arsenalnaya, Nabatnaya, Senatskaya, Middle Arsenalnaya, Armory, Komendantskaya, Troitskaya, Tsarskaya and Kutafya.
Each of the towers has its own history, purpose and a special architectural image. The most famous of them is, of course, the Spasskaya Tower with its famous clock, which appeared on the tower erected in 1491 in 1625 according to the project of Christopher Galoway and subsequently changed and improved several times.
The modern Kremlin chimes were made in 1852 by the Russian watchmakers brothers Budenop, in 1917 the clock suffered from a shell hit, and after repairs in 1918, the “Internationale” began to play, the last restoration of the chimes was carried out in 1999.
The Kremlin complex also includes five squares: Troitskaya, Dvortsovaya, Senatskaya, Ivanovskaya and Sobornaya.
Located on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin and 18 buildings: the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin on the Senyakh, the Church of the Deposition of the Robe, the Assumption Cathedral, the Annunciation Cathedral, the Archangel Cathedral, the Faceted Chamber, the Ensemble of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower, the Terem Palace, the Golden Tsarina's Chamber, the Upper Savior Cathedral and the Terem churches, the Arsenal, The Patriarchal Chambers with the Church of the Twelve Apostles, the Senate, the Poteshny Palace, the Grand Kremlin Palace, the State Kremlin Palace, the Armory and the Military School named after the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.
It is impossible not to mention such significant objects of the Kremlin, which attract millions of tourists, such as the Tsar Cannon and the Tsar Bell.
The Tsar Bell is indeed the largest bell in the world, created back in 1733-1735 by order of Anna Ivanovna, and installed in the Kremlin as a monument to foundry craftsmanship. And the Tsar Cannon, with its caliber of 890 millimeters, is still the largest artillery gun on the planet. The cannon, weighing 40 tons, did not have to fire a single shot, but it became an excellent decoration for the museum composition of the Moscow Kremlin.
Yes, and the Moscow Kremlin itself is rightfully considered the largest in Europe, preserved, operating and currently used architectural and historical complex.
Currently, on the territory of the Kremlin there is the State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve "Moscow Kremlin", numerous exhibitions, exhibits and relics of which are available to everyone who wants to see with their own eyes all the beauty and charm of the ancient building.
Not so long ago, Vladimir Kozhin, managing director of the President of the Russian Federation, said that even after the expansion of Moscow and the relocation of all departments and ministries to new locations, the presidential administration and the head of state himself would still remain in the Kremlin. Apparently, the country's leadership is well aware that it is difficult to find a better place to receive foreign guests and govern the state. And you can’t break the centuries-old traditions in any way ...
Anna Sedykh, rmnt.ru
A Finno-Ugric settlement dating back to the early Iron Age (second half of the 1st millennium BC) was found near the modern one.
XI-XIV centuries
Initially, the Kremlin served as a fortification of the Krivichi settlement, which arose on the cape at the confluence with the Moscow River. The first chronicle mention of Moscow dates back to 1147.
In 1156, the first fortifications with a total length of about 850 m and an area of about 3 hectares were built on the territory of the modern Kremlin. The fortification was surrounded by a moat 16-18 m wide and at least 5 m deep. The earth rampart was about 14.5 m wide and 7 m high. For those times it was a typical average Russian fortress. The shaft was reinforced with oak beams, fastened in the Polish manner.
In 1238, during the Mongol-Tatar invasion, the Kremlin was destroyed. From 1264 it was the residence of the Moscow specific princes. In 1339 the oak walls and towers were built.
In the Kremlin there was the oldest Moscow church - the Cathedral of the Savior on Bor, or the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior "what is on Bor", built by 1330, for the millennium of Constantinople - "New Rome". The temple was destroyed in 1933. Moscow princes and princesses were buried here, until the role of the tomb was transferred to the Archangel Cathedral for men and the Ascension Monastery (also destroyed) for women. After the establishment of the Novospassky Monastery at the end of the 15th century. Cathedral of the Savior on Bor received the status of a court church. As a result of the construction of the Kremlin Palace in the period 1830–40. the Church of the Savior turned out to be inscribed in the courtyard of the Palace.
, public domainAnother ancient building was the Chudov Monastery, founded by Metropolitan Alexy in 1365, located in the eastern part of the Kremlin, adjacent to the Ascension Monastery. It was named after the Church of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael in Khonekh, which later became the tomb of Metropolitan Alexy.
In 1483, the Aleksievskaya Church was built on the territory of the monastery. By order of the Chudov Archimandrite Gennady, the relics of Metropolitan Alexy were transferred to it. In 1501–03 the ancient church of Michael the Archangel was replaced by a temple built by Italian masters. At the beginning of the XX century. in the basement of the Aleksievskaya church, a tomb was built, where the remains of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, who died in the Kremlin in 1905 at the hands of terrorists, were buried. The crypt of the Grand Duke was under the floor, exactly under the shrine of St. Alexis. In 1929, all the buildings of the Chudov Monastery were demolished.
XIV-XVII centuries
In 1367, under Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy, the wooden walls of the Kremlin were replaced by walls and towers made of local white stone (according to archeology, the towers and the most important parts of the wall were made of stone, from where there was the greatest danger of assault). Since this period, the name “White-Stone Moscow” is often found in the annals.
Alas, the strength of the material turned out to be insufficient and the structures “floated”. During the restoration of the Kremlin walls and towers in 1946-1950. and in 1974-1978. inside their brickwork, in the lower parts and foundations, white stone blocks were found, used as backfill. It is possible that these are the remains of the white stone walls of the Kremlin of the time of Dmitry Donskoy.
In the second half of the 15th century, under Ivan III the Great, the Moscow Kremlin was rebuilt under the guidance of Italian architects, in particular, Pietro Antonio Solari (see: Castello Sforzesco). In the construction of the Kremlin carried out on a huge scale, the achievements of both Russian and Italian military engineering were used.
Apollinary Mikhailovich Vasnetsov (1856–1933), Public Domain Burnt brick was chosen as the main material for construction. Many buildings, including churches, were designed and built by Italian craftsmen.
According to the plan of the architects, the center of the Kremlin was Cathedral Square with the Assumption Cathedral (1475–79), the Annunciation Cathedral (1484–89), the Faceted Chamber (1487–91), the Archangel Cathedral (1505–08) located on it - (the tomb of Russian princes and tsars ) and the bell tower of Ivan the Great. Unlike the main buildings of the Kremlin, the Cathedral of the Annunciation and the Church of the Deposition of the Robe (1484–86), built by Russian craftsmen, are much more connected with old Russian traditions.
In 1485–95 the fortifications of the Kremlin are being rebuilt. For example, the “Portomoynye Gates” were laid from the side of the Moscow River. In 1508-16 a moat was dug on the site of modern Red Square, the water to which came from the Neglinnaya River. The Kremlin becomes an impregnable fortress, surrounded by water on all sides.
In 1610-12. The Kremlin was occupied by the Polish-Lithuanian garrison of A. Gonsevsky. In the XVI-XIX centuries. there is an active construction of secular buildings, and the Kremlin ensemble receives its logical conclusion. In 1635–36 the Terem Palace is being built, adjacent to. In the 17th century, the Kremlin towers received tiered and tented completions, acquiring a modern look.
18th - early 20th centuries
By 1702–1736 includes the construction of the Arsenal building (architects D. Ivanov, H. Konrad with the participation of M. I. Choglokov). Under Elizabeth Petrovna in 1743–1750, the ancient Dining Room, Reciprocal and Golden Chambers of the palace were dismantled and replaced with a small richly decorated building designed by V. V. Rastrelli, built under the supervision of D. V. Ukhtomsky. At the same time, Ukhtomsky built the Armory nearby and was engaged in the restructuring of the Orders.
In 1768, for the construction of the Kremlin Palace, according to the project of V.I. Bazhenov, a special state organization was created - the Expedition of the Kremlin Building. For the construction of the palace, the southern part of the Kremlin wall was dismantled along with the Tainitskaya and Nameless towers. However, in 1775 the construction of the palace was canceled, the official reason for which was the settlement of the Archangel Cathedral.
In 1776–87 The building of the Senate was built (architect Matvey Kazakov).
Napoleon in the Kremlin
In 1812, Moscow and the Kremlin were captured by Napoleon's army. The French army entered the Kremlin on September 2, 1812, and Napoleon himself on September 3. However, the very next day he fled from the Kremlin through a secret passage under the threat of spreading fire.
Retreating, Napoleon ordered to mine and blow up the Kremlin buildings. Despite the fact that most of the charges did not explode, the damage was significant. The Petrovskaya and First Nameless Towers were blown up, the Corner Arsenal Tower was seriously damaged, and extensions to the Ivan the Great Bell Tower were also damaged.
It took 20 years to restore the destruction, from 1815 to 1836. In the same period, but already in the "peaceful" years, the Kolymazhny Gate (XV century) and the Cathedral of Nikita Gostynsky were dismantled. In 1836, the architect O. Montferrand installed the Tsar Bell on a special pedestal, which fell in a fire in 1737 and lay all this time in a pit.
Grand Kremlin Palace
In the middle of the XVIII century. the idea arose to build the Grand Kremlin Palace, located on the southern slope of the Kremlin (Borovitsky) hill along the river. At different times, his projects were developed by architects V. I. Bazhenov, M. F. Kazakov, N. A. Lvov, V. P. Stasov. But only the project of K. A. Ton in 1839-49. was destined to come true. According to his own project in 1844-51. building was built. In the second half of the XIX century. no significant reconstructions were carried out in the Kremlin, with the exception of the restoration by N. A. Shokhin of the Poteshny Palace, which returned the building to the appearance of the 17th century.
Kremlin monuments
In 1893–98 on the southeastern side of the slope of the Kremlin hill, a monument to Alexander II was built with public funds (project by sculptor A. M. Opekushin, artist V. V. Zhukovsky and architect N. V. Sultanov).
In 1908, a cross-monument was erected between the buildings of the Senate and the Arsenal near the Nikolskaya Tower at the site of the death of Prince Sergei Alexandrovich.
The passage to the territory of the Moscow Kremlin was free for everyone. It was customary to enter through the Spassky Gate, bowing to the icon of the Savior. The emperor and his family rarely visited his Moscow residence, therefore, by taking a free ticket at the palace office, the visitor had the right to walk around all the Kremlin palaces.
Armed uprising of 1917
During the armed uprising in October-November 1917, the Kremlin, on the territory of which there were detachments of junkers, was seriously damaged by artillery shelling carried out by revolutionary troops.
The walls, the Spasskaya Tower and the Spassky Clock, the Nikolskaya Tower, the Beklemishevskaya Tower, almost all the churches on the territory of the Kremlin were badly damaged, the Small Nikolaevsky Palace received great damage.
With the advent of Soviet power, the capital was moved to Moscow and the Kremlin again becomes the political center. In March 1918, the Soviet government headed by V. I. Lenin moved to the Kremlin. Palaces and cavalry corps became his residence and the place of residence of the Soviet leaders. Soon, free access to the territory of the Kremlin for ordinary Muscovites is banned. Temples are closed and the Kremlin bells are silent for a long time.
Alexey Mironov , Public Domain According to the historian V.F. Kozlov, at the meeting of the Moscow Council, the people's commissars were offered three options for accommodation: the Noble Women's Institute, the Spare Palace at the Red Gate and the Kremlin. At a meeting of the Council of People's Commissars, there were objections to the latter, since the territory of the Moscow Kremlin is a favorite place for Muscovites to walk, and if the government is located there, free access will be limited, if not completely stopped, the closure of the Kremlin cathedrals will cause dissatisfaction among believers and the population, and it does not fit the government of the Soviet republic be located in the residence of the kings, but all the debate was stopped by the chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, Ya. Sverdlov:
“Undoubtedly, the bourgeoisie and the philistines will raise a howl - the Bolsheviks, they say, desecrate shrines, but this should not worry us the least. The interests of the proletarian revolution are above prejudice.”
The Petrograd Collegium for the Protection of Antiquities and Art Treasures sent a desperate appeal to the government with a call to leave the Kremlin, because "... the occupation of the Kremlin by the government poses a monstrous threat to the integrity of the greatest monuments in their world and exceptional significance." This appeal (published in 1997 by T. A. Tutova, an employee of the Kremlin museums) was not even considered.
Destruction
During the years of Soviet power, the architectural ensemble of the Moscow Kremlin suffered more than in its entire history. On the plans of the Kremlin at the beginning of the 20th century, one can distinguish 54 structures that stood inside the Kremlin walls. More than half of them - 28 buildings - no longer exist. In 1918, with the personal participation of Lenin, the monument to Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich was demolished. In the same year, the monument to Alexander II was destroyed. In the mid-1920s, the chapels near the gate icons were demolished near the Spasskaya, Nikolskaya and Borovitskaya towers.
In 1922, during the campaign to “seize church valuables” from the Kremlin cathedrals, more than 300 pounds of silver, more than 2 pounds of gold, thousands of precious stones, and even the shrine of Patriarch Hermogenes from the Assumption Cathedral were seized. The Grand Kremlin Palace began to be adapted for holding congresses of Soviets and congresses of the Third International, a kitchen was placed in the Golden Chamber, and a public dining room was placed in the Faceted Chamber. The Small Nikolaevsky Palace turned into a club for workers of Soviet institutions, it was decided to build a gym in the Catherine's Church of the Ascension Monastery, and a Kremlin hospital in Chudovoye.
In the late 1920s, a large series of demolition of the ancient structures of the Kremlin began. Pyotr Palamarchuk, the author of a fundamental study on the Moscow churches "Forty Sorokov", calculated that on the eve of 1917 there were 31 churches with 51 altars in the Moscow Kremlin. On September 17, 1928, the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee adopted a resolution that determined the timing of the demolition of church buildings and ancient structures of the Moscow Kremlin. Information about the upcoming destruction of the monuments reached the Glavnauka of the People's Commissariat for Education only by mid-June 1929. By that time, the Church of Saints Constantine and Helena had already been demolished.
The head of the People's Commissariat of Education, A. V. Lunacharsky, sent a letter to the chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, M. I. Kalinin, condemning the planned demolition and the implementation of such a decision bypassing representatives of the scientific community. At a meeting of the Politburo, this letter was called "anti-communist and obscene in tone."
unknown , Public Domain In 1929–30 two ancient Kremlin monasteries, Chudov and Voznesensky, were completely demolished, with all the temples, churches, chapels, necropolises, outbuildings, as well as the Small Nikolaev Palace adjoining the Chudov Monastery, where the headquarters of the defending junkers was located. Thus, the entire eastern part of the Kremlin from Ivanovskaya Square to the Senate Palace until 1932 was completely ruins.
At the end of 1932, on the site of the destroyed monuments, the building of the military school named after. All-Russian Central Executive Committee in the neoclassical style. In 1933, the Church of the Annunciation at Zhitny Dvor, which was attached to the Annunciation Tower in the 18th century, was demolished.
In the same year, the oldest temple in Moscow, the Cathedral of the Savior on Bor, located in the courtyard of the Grand Kremlin Palace, was destroyed. In 1934, a 5-storey service building was built in its place. Not even the foundations of the temple remained, with the exception of fragments of the foundation of the western narthex, which was discovered in 1997. In total, during the years of Soviet power, 17 churches with 25 altars were destroyed.
In addition to the destruction of monuments, some buildings have undergone alteration. At the Faceted Chamber, the “Red Porch” was broken, the main staircase along which Russian tsars and emperors passed to the coronation in the Assumption Cathedral (restored in 1994).
The facade of the Grand Kremlin Palace before the revolution contained 5 white-stone bas-reliefs in the form of the coat of arms of Russia - a double-headed eagle - and several more small bas-reliefs in the form of the emblems of the historical possessions of the Russian Empire (Moscow, Kazan, Astrakhan, etc.). After the revolution, they were cut down, the place of the central double-headed eagle was taken by a bas-relief in the form of the coat of arms of the USSR, and the letters “C” and “C” on the left and “C” and “R” on the right were located around. During the restoration of the Grand Kremlin Palace in 1994, all historical bas-reliefs on the facade were recreated.
In 1935, the double-headed eagles that crowned the main Kremlin travel towers: Spasskaya, Nikolskaya, Troitskaya and Borovitskaya were replaced by gilded copper ones, covered with Ural gems. In 1937, gemstone stars were replaced with ruby glass stars. The ruby star was first installed on the Vodovzvodnaya Tower.
The Great Patriotic War
During the Great Patriotic War, the Kremlin was disguised in order to avoid its destruction. Streets and facades of other buildings were depicted on the walls, green roofs were repainted, the stars were removed or covered.
The mausoleum was hidden under a two-story fake building. The architect Boris Mikhailovich Iofan supervised the work. Major of State Security N.S. On July 29, Shpigov flew over Moscow in a Douglas plane and confirmed that the buildings of Moscow, including the Kremlin ensemble, were well camouflaged.
The Germans could not carry out targeted bombing of the Kremlin, since the Kremlin visually disappeared. During the war, only a few bombs fell on the territory of the Kremlin, which did not cause serious damage.
Kremlin opening
Since 1955, the Kremlin has been partially open to the public, becoming an open-air museum. From the same year, a ban on residence on the territory of the Kremlin was introduced (the last residents were discharged in 1961).
In the course of restoration work in the late 1960s and early 1970s, clay tiles on the Kremlin towers were replaced in many places with metal sheets painted to look like tiles. In addition, in connection with the construction of the “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier” memorial, part of the surface layer of the wall between the Corner and Middle Arsenal towers was hewn to a depth of 1 m and then laid out again to create a monotonous surface in color and texture, designed to serve as a background for the memorial.
The Moscow Kremlin is the main attraction of the city. Getting to it is easy enough. There are several metro stations, leaving which you can walk to the Kremlin. The Alexandrovsky Garden station will take you, as you can easily guess, straight to the Alexander Garden. There you will already see the Kutafya Tower, where they sell tickets to the Kremlin and the Armory. You can also go to the metro station. Library them. IN AND. Lenin. In this case, the Kutafya tower will be visible across the road. The stations Ploshchad Revolyutsii and Kitay-gorod will take you to Red Square, only from different directions. The first is from the side of the State Historical Museum, the second is from the side. You can also get off at Okhotny Ryad - if you want to take a walk along the shopping row of the same name. Just be prepared for unusual prices)).
About prices in the Kremlin museums. Visiting the Kremlin is not a cheap pleasure. An hour and a half visit to - will cost 700 rubles, - 500 rubles, a walk around with an inspection - 500 rubles. For more information about museums and some of the nuances about visiting them, which you should know, see the links.
The Kremlin is called not only walls with towers, as some people think, but everything that is located inside it. Outside the walls, on the ground of the Moscow Kremlin, there are cathedrals and squares, palaces and museums. This summer, the Kremlin Regiment shows its skills on Cathedral Square every Saturday at 12:00. If I manage to escape to the Kremlin, I will write about it.
History of the Moscow Kremlin.
The word "Kremlin" is very ancient. The Kremlin or citadel in Rus' was called the fortified part in the center of the city, in other words, the fortress. Times were different in the old days. It happened that Russian cities were attacked by countless enemy forces. It was then that the inhabitants of the city gathered under the protection of their Kremlin. Old and young hid behind its powerful walls, and those who could hold weapons in their hands defended themselves from enemies from the walls of the Kremlin.
The first settlement on the site of the Kremlin appeared about 4,000 years ago. This has been established by archaeologists. Fragments of clay pots, stone axes and flint arrowheads were found here. These things were once used by ancient settlers.
The place where the Kremlin was built was not chosen by chance. The Kremlin was built on a high hill, surrounded on both sides by rivers: the Moskva River and the Neglinnaya. The high location of the Kremlin made it possible to notice enemies from a greater distance, and the rivers served as a natural barrier in their path.
Initially, the Kremlin was wooden. An earthen rampart was poured around its walls for greater reliability. The remains of these fortifications were discovered during construction work in our time.
It is known that the first wooden walls on the site of the Kremlin were built in 1156 by order of Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. These data are preserved in ancient chronicles. At the beginning of the 14th century, Ivan Kalita began to rule the city. Kalita in ancient Rus' was called a bag for money. The prince was so nicknamed because he accumulated great wealth and always carried a small bag of money with him. Prince Kalita decided to decorate and fortify his city. He ordered the Kremlin to build new walls. They were cut down from strong oak trunks, so thick that they could not be wrapped around with hands.
Under the next ruler of Moscow, Dmitry Donskoy, the Kremlin was built other walls - stone. From all over the district, stone craftsmen were gathered to Moscow. And in 1367. they set to work. People worked without interruption, and soon Borovitsky Hill was surrounded by a powerful stone wall, 2 or even 3 meters thick. It was built from limestone, which was mined in quarries near Moscow near the village of Myachkovo. The Kremlin so impressed contemporaries with the beauty of its white walls that since then Moscow has been called white stone.
Prince Dmitry was a very brave man. He always fought in the forefront and it was he who led the fight against the conquerors from the Golden Horde. In 1380, his army completely defeated the army of Khan Mamai on the Kulikovo field, which is not far from the Don River. This battle was nicknamed Kulikovo, and the prince has since received the nickname Donskoy.
The white-stone Kremlin stood for more than 100 years. During this time, a lot has changed. Russian lands united into one strong state. Moscow became its capital. It happened under the Moscow Prince Ivan III. Since then, he began to be called the Grand Duke of All Rus', and historians call him "the collector of the Russian land."
Ivan III gathered the best Russian masters and invited Aristotle Fearovanti, Antonio Solario and other famous architects from distant Italy. And now, under the guidance of Italian architects, new construction began on Borovitsky Hill. In order not to leave the city without a fortress, the builders erected a new Kremlin in parts: they dismantled a section of the old white stone wall and in its place quickly built a new one - of brick. There was quite a lot of clay suitable for its manufacture in the vicinity of Moscow. However, clay is a soft material. To make the brick hard, it was fired in special furnaces.
During the years of construction, Russian masters stopped treating Italian architects as strangers, and even their names were remade in the Russian way. So Antonio became Anton, and the nickname Fryazin replaced the complex Italian surname. Our ancestors called overseas lands Fryazhsky, and those who came from there - Fryazins.
They built the new Kremlin for 10 years. The fortress was protected from two sides by rivers, and at the beginning of the 16th century. a wide ditch was dug on the third side of the Kremlin. He connected two rivers. Now the Kremlin was protected from all sides by water barriers. erected one after another, equipped with their diversion archers for greater defense. Along with the renewal of the fortress walls, the construction of such well-known ones as Uspensky, Arkhangelsk and Blagoveshchensky took place.
After the crowning of the Romanovs, the construction of the Kremlin went at an accelerated pace. The Filaret belfry was built next to the bell tower of Ivan the Great, Teremnaya, Poteshny palaces, the Patriarch's chambers and the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles. Under Peter I, the building of the Arsenal was erected. But after the transfer of the capital to St. Petersburg, they stopped building new buildings.
During the reign of Catherine II, a number of ancient buildings and part of the southern wall were demolished for the construction of a new palace. But soon the work was canceled, according to the official version due to lack of funding, according to the unofficial version - because of the negative opinion of the public. In 1776-87. Senate building was built
During the invasion of Napoleon, the Kremlin suffered enormous damage. Churches were desecrated, looted, and part of the walls, towers and buildings were blown up during the retreat. In 1816-19. restoration work was carried out in the Kremlin. By 1917 There were 31 temples in the Kremlin.
During the October Revolution, the Kremlin is bombed. In 1918, the government of the RSFSR moved to the Senate building. Under Soviet rule, the Kremlin Palace of Congresses was built on the territory of the Kremlin, stars were installed on the towers, placed on pedestals, and the walls and structures of the Kremlin were repeatedly restored.
Those who received guests from Russia, and even more so from Moscow, have probably already heard that they call our Narva fortress the "Kremlin". We are so accustomed to seeing in it only a symbol of the capital and even the state that we forget why it was built. And by the way, the Moscow Kremlin is the largest military fortress in Europe.
The name "Kremlin" is firmly associated with Moscow. More precisely, the "Kremlin", with a capital letter. Meanwhile, both the meaning and origin of the word remain unclear. In any case, it is not specifically Moscow - the Kremlin is or was at the time of foundation in Novgorod, Tver, Kolomna, Ryazan ... Even in Pskov, where the fortress has long been called Krom. In general, a lot of Kremlins.
According to different versions, this name can mean, for example, kremnos (Greek) - a steep mountain; kroma - edge, edge, border (of the city).
A more likely version of the origin of the "Kremlin" from the word "Krem", meaning timber; Kremlin tree. Then the Kremlin is exactly a wooden, rather even a pine fortification. Well, then the usual name was transferred to oak fortifications (actually, the city) and further - to a stone fortress.
Under Yuri Dolgoruky, the first Moscow Kremlin appeared. In any case, we do not know the name of the previous fortress. Academician M.N. Tikhomirov suggested that the Vyatichi town could be located at the mouth of the Yauza. In general, almost next to the place where the Krivichi later put their Kremlin, the direct ancestor of the modern one.
And it is not a fact that we would recognize the Kremlin in this fortification of a moat and a rampart with a palisade. And most likely, the first city was just that.
However, in 1177 Gleb Ryazansky burned it down.
It can be assumed that the second city was just the Kremlin itself, a flint, built from a coniferous forest. Its proposed boundaries are given by M.N. Tikhomirov: a triangle familiar from the current Kremlin. Only fit "in the corner" of the Neglinnaya and Moscow rivers, between the current Taininskaya, Borovitskaya towers and Cathedral Square.
However, it burned down in 1334: "the city of Kremnik in Moscow will burn down."
The new fortress of Ivan Kalita (1340) is built of oak, which is confirmed by archeology. Well, the usual name remains.
The walls probably consisted of oak cages filled with earth. In plan, the Kremlin is still the same triangle, but larger - expanding, mainly in the northeast direction. Its walls reach the current grotto in the Alexander Garden.
At the same time, stone construction began in Moscow. Naturally, churches are being built. The first of the Moscow stone temples is the Assumption. The second is John of the Ladder. Only five, made of white stone.
Oak Castle stood for only 26 years, before a fire in 1365.
In 1367, under Prince Dmitry Ivanovich (the future Donskoy), the burned-out wooden walls were replaced with stone ones, which withstood two Lithuanian sieges in 1368 and 1370. The stone fortress expands almost to its present size. There are two versions regarding the material of the walls:
- towers and walls in the most dangerous areas were made of stone, the rest of the walls were wooden;
- completely stone walls were not durable and damaged areas were replaced with wooden ones.
Perhaps one or the other. Before the advent of artillery, fortress walls did not require special strength. The chronicle of the end of the 15th century mentions the low walls of that time. Perhaps they were not completed, or so they were conceived.
The famous White Stone Moscow, indeed, turns out to be short-lived. White stone is not an ideal material for our climate. And perhaps it's also in the skill of the builders? After all, the Moscow Assumption Cathedral has been standing for more than 500 years, and the white-stone Vladimir-Suzdal churches have been standing for almost 1000 years ...
And already at the end of the 15th century, Moscow's stone cathedrals and walls began to be rebuilt. The Kremlin is expanding again, the length of the walls is increasing from one and a half to more than two kilometers. Naturally, the fortress is already designed for siege artillery fire: three-layer walls 3.5-6.5 meters thick; the gap between the outer brick walls is filled with white stone.
The construction of the new Kremlin took a long time: from 1485 to 1499.
And gradually. Unlike previous kremlins, the current brick one is of Italian construction. The general plan - most likely, the great Aristotle Fioravanti. And then it started…
Anton Fryazin, Marco Ruffo, Pietro Antonio Solari, Aleviz Old, Aleviz New. The fortress itself was completed by Aleviz the Old. And Aleviz Novy built the Archangel Cathedral of the Kremlin and ... an unmeasured number of churches in Moscow and beyond.
But the history of the construction of the Kremlin did not end there either. In 1538, Petrok Maly built the Kitai-Gorod wall, which covered the Kremlin settlement. In 1591, the White City was built - a whitewashed brick wall where the Boulevard Ring now runs.
In 1592, under Fyodor Ioannovich, on the orders of Boris Godunov, a fortification was built, similar to the Kremlin of Dmitry Donskoy: Wooden (later Earthen) city. This is a moat and an oak wall on an earthen rampart. Now in its place is the Garden Ring, one of the streets of which is called Zemlyanoy Val.
And finally, in the 17th century, the Kremlin towers were “completed”. The first (1625) built the top of the Frolovskaya (later Spasskaya) tower. And by the end of the century, the finials gave the Kremlin its familiar look. For what? Don't know. Maybe for beauty?
I dare to express my personal opinion that without them it would be better. Without this decor, the Kremlin would again become what it was intended to be: a fighting fortress. However, the tent tops themselves have long become a historical landmark, without which the symbol of Moscow is somehow inconceivable...
Became Moscow Kremlin rebuilt by Ivan III. Already in the first years of his reign, the Grand Duke began work on the renovation and decoration of the fortress of Dmitry Donskoy. However, later he decided to completely tear down the old white stone walls and put new, brick ones in their place. These grandiose works began in the summer of 1485 and were completely completed already under Vasily III. They were led by Italian masters specially invited to Moscow. In addition to high walls and towers, they erected a dam that blocked the Neglinka River. Thus, a whole lake was formed from the north of the Kremlin - an insurmountable barrier for enemies, as well as for fires, from which Moscow often suffered in those years. A huge ditch was also filled with Neglinka water, which was dug along the eastern wall of the Kremlin. As a result, the Moscow fortress turned into an impregnable island.
By the end of the reign of Ivan III, the Moscow Kremlin became unrecognizable. Like a fabulous vision, he ascended on the high bank of the Moscow River. Combining palaces, temples and monasteries in one impressive architectural ensemble, the Kremlin vividly embodied the key idea for Moscow statehood of the unity of spiritual and secular power.
Inside the Kremlin, by order of Ivan III, a number of magnificent stone buildings were built. The first in 1475-1479. erected a new Assumption Cathedral - the center of the spiritual life of Moscow, the cathedral and the tomb of the Moscow metropolitans.
Following the Assumption Cathedral, the Italians built a new princely palace in the Kremlin, a hall for ceremonial receptions (the Faceted Chamber), the Archangel Cathedral and a number of other buildings.
Simultaneously with the Italian masters, Russian architects from Pskov also worked in the Kremlin. They erected the Church of the Robe of the Robe, rebuilt the Annunciation Cathedral and erected several churches in the Kremlin monasteries. material from the site
Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin
Fulfilling the instructions of the Grand Duke, the architect of the Assumption Cathedral, the Italian master Aristotle Fioravanti took as a model the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir. Thus, the idea of the succession of the power of the Moscow princes from the rulers of Vladimir-Suzdal Rus received a visual embodiment. The talented architect managed to give his creation a unique charm. The Moscow chronicler of that time wrote with admiration: “Because that church was wonderful in majesty and height, lordship and ringing and space ...”
In addition to their building experience, the Italians had to acquaint Muscovites with the latest achievements of Western European engineering. So, the builder of the cathedral, Aristotle Fioravanti, simultaneously established the production of high-quality cannons in Moscow. He participated in many campaigns of Ivan III, commanded artillery, built bridges and designed all sorts of useful devices.
