Who built the Moscow Kremlin - a symbol of the Russian state. Moscow Kremlin: towers and cathedrals. History and architecture of the Kremlin Kremlin walls history
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The Kremlin Wall is a brick wall surrounding the Moscow Kremlin.
The total length of the walls is 2235 m, height from 5 to 19 m, thickness - from 3.5 to 6.5 m. In plan, the walls form an irregular triangle.
The top of the wall, according to the Lombard tradition, is decorated with battlements in the shape of a swallowtail; the total number of battlements along the top of the wall is 1045. Most of the battlements have slit-like loopholes. The walls have wide embrasures covered with arches.
On the outside the walls are smooth, on the inside they are decorated with arched niches - a traditional technique designed to lighten and strengthen the structure of the structure.
Construction
Under Ivan III and his successor Vasily III, the construction of the Kremlin walls was led by the architects Anton Fryazin, Marco Fryazin, Pietro Antonio Solari and Aleviz Fryazin the Old.
The brick walls were placed along the line of the white stone ones, with a slight retreat outward. Starting from the Spasskaya Tower, the territory of the Kremlin was increased by east direction.
Lilya Dal (Biryukova), CC BY-SA 3.0Approximately 20 years after construction Kremlin wall The Kitai-Gorod wall was attached to it, hugging the entire Kitai-Gorod.
Bricks
For the construction of walls and towers, large (30x14x17 cm or 31x15x9 cm) bricks weighing up to 8 kg each were used.
The front walls were made of brick and filled with white stone. The highest walls were erected along Red Square, where there was no natural water barrier.
Passages and hiding places
Initially, there was a through passage inside the wall through all the towers, covered with cylindrical vaults.
Benoist et Aubrun, Public Domain Most of The passage was eventually covered with construction debris; the area between the Konstantino-Eleninskaya and Nabatnaya towers was preserved.
There were also hiding places and passages under the walls, in some cases extending far beyond the line of fortifications.
Wall in the 18th–20th centuries.
In 1702–36 To build the arsenal building, part of the wall was dismantled and later restored.
In 1771–73 For the construction of the Kremlin Palace according to the design of V.I. Bazhenov, part of the southern wall between the Annunciation Tower and the Annunciation Tower was also dismantled, which was later restored. The bombing of the Kremlin by the French (1812) caused heavy damage to the walls, especially the walls along Neglinnaya. Repairs and restoration of the fortifications were carried out from 1817 to 1822.
In 1866–70 The walls and towers of the Kremlin were restored by architects N.A. Shokhin, P.A. Gerasimov, F.F. Richter, who sought to give the buildings their original appearance. However, many authentic details were then lost and replaced by inaccurate copies.
Heidas, CC BY-SA 3.0 A survey and partial restoration of the walls was carried out in 1931–36. The next restoration of the Kremlin walls and towers took place in 1946–53. During its course, the walls were cleaned and repaired, loopholes and parapets were restored. The restoration commission included prominent scientists and restorers: I. E. Grabar, V. N. Lazarev, M. V. Alpatov, P. D. Korin, D. P. Sukhov and others.
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Moscow Kremlin
Towers of the Kremlin wall
There are 20 located along the walls. 3 towers standing in the corners of the triangle have a circular cross-section, the rest are square.
The most high tower- Troitskaya, it has a height of 79.3 m. Most of the towers are from the second half XVII V. designed in the same architectural style.
Necropolis
The north-eastern section of the wall facing northern part Red Square, serves as a columbarium for urns with the ashes of figures of the communist movement and the Soviet state. Many of them are also buried in the ground along this section of the wall.
In the post-Soviet period, the question of the need to move the necropolis to another location was repeatedly raised for political, religious and other reasons.
- The Kremlin wall between the Annunciation and Tainitskaya towers has a vertical ledge and a reduced pitch of two teeth, as if during construction with different sides made a mistake in docking. This “error” divides the wall between the towers in an approximate ratio of 1 to 2, counting from Blagoveshchenskaya.
The oldest center of Moscow - the Moscow Kremlin- laid down as a fortification small settlement, located on Borovitsky Hill, when its history began.
The first mentions of Moscow were found in chronicles for 1147. They also report that the wooden walls of the Kremlin were erected by order of Yuri Dolgoruky. Initially, the size of the fortress was small, the length of the wall reached 1200 meters.
Versions of origin There are several words for “Kremlin”.
According to one of them, this name comes from the name of the central part of ancient cities, called “Krom”. Another version suggests that this word could also come from “kremlin”, a very durable tree used to build fortress walls. There is even an assumption that the roots of this word are Greek, i.e. “kremnos” is a steep mountain, steep above a ravine or shore. Judging by where the fortress was built, this version has every right to exist.
But all this does not change the essence, which is that the Moscow Kremlin is the largest surviving fortress in Europe.
And at first it was a small fortification on an area of about nine hectares, where residents of the villages located outside the walls of the fortress could take refuge in the event of the threat of an enemy attack. Over time, the settlements grew, and the fortress grew along with them.
New Kremlin walls were erected during the reign of Ivan Kalita. They were made of stone inside, and outside were made of wood and coated with clay.
It is noteworthy that even during the difficult years of the yoke in Rus', the Moscow princes rebuilt existing fortresses and built new ones. Thus, under Dmitry Donskoy, the Kremlin, damaged in a fire in 1365, was rebuilt. White stone was used to build the walls, which became about two kilometers long, and the Kremlin towers. Since then, Moscow began to be called white-stone in chronicles.
At the very beginning of the 18th century, Peter I ordered government institutions to be moved outside the Kremlin. All dilapidated buildings are demolished, and the Arsenal building is built. It was built from 1702 to 1736. From 1776 to 1788, the Senate building with a spectacular round hall covered with a dome was built in the Kremlin.
In the mid-nineteenth century, the idea of building the Grand Kremlin Palace appeared. There were many projects, but it was built according to the drawings of the architect K.A. Tones. Years of construction - 1839-1849.
Significant damage was caused to the buildings of the Moscow Kremlin in 1812.
Napoleon, during his retreat from Moscow, ordered the Kremlin to be blown up. Mines were laid under buildings, walls and towers. Some explosions were prevented, thanks to Russian patriots, but, nevertheless, significant destruction still occurred. After the French emperor was expelled from the country, they began to restore the destroyed palaces, towers and walls, then completed the construction of the Armory Chamber and the Grand Kremlin Palace. In those days, the Moscow Kremlin was accessible to visitors. Visitors entered the territory through the open Spassky Gate, having first bowed to the icon of the Savior.
The Kremlin in Moscow after the 1917 revolution
In 1917, there were cadets on the territory of the Kremlin. As a result of the shelling carried out by the revolutionary troops, the Moscow Kremlin was partially destroyed: the walls, the Small Nikolaevsky Palace, almost all the cathedrals, Beklemishevskaya, Nikolskaya and Spasskaya towers were damaged.
In 1918, V.I. moved to the Kremlin. Lenin and the entire government of Soviet Russia, as the capital is moved to Moscow. Because of this, the bells in the Kremlin fall silent, churches are closed, Muscovites are deprived of free access to the territory.
The dissatisfaction of believers with the closure of cathedrals was quickly stopped by Yakov Sverdlov, who was not slow in declaring the primacy of the interests of the revolution over all prejudices. In 1922, more than thirty kilograms of gold, about five hundred kilograms of silver, the shrine of Patriarch Hermogenes and more than a thousand different precious stones were seized from the religious buildings of the Moscow Kremlin.
Kremlevsky architectural ensemble During Soviet rule, it suffered more than in the entire previous history of its existence.
Of the 54 structures marked on the Kremlin plan at the very beginning of the last century, less than half remain. Monuments to Alexander II and Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich were demolished. Congresses of the Soviets began to be held in the large Kremlin Palace, a public dining room was set up in the Faceted Chamber, and a kitchen was installed in the Golden Chamber. The Catherine Church of the Ascension Monastery was adapted into a sports hall, and the Kremlin hospital was located in the Chudov Monastery. In the thirties, the Small Nicholas Palace and all the monasteries and buildings were demolished. Almost the entire eastern part of the Moscow Kremlin turned into ruins. The Soviet government destroyed 17 churches.
Many years passed before the Moscow Kremlin began to be restored.
To celebrate the eight hundredth anniversary of Moscow, a thorough restoration of the towers and walls was carried out. Palekh artists discovered a mural from 1508 in the Annunciation Cathedral. A large amount of restoration work was carried out in the Archangel Cathedral (wall paintings were restored). A major restoration has also been carried out in the Assumption Cathedral.
The ban on living in the Kremlin has been in place since 1955, and the ancient architectural ensemble becomes a museum, partially open to the public.
In modern, diverse Moscow, the Kremlin remains historical place, which millions of tourists strive to visit, in the hope of touching, feeling and understanding the history of the white-stone capital.
The Moscow Kremlin to this day is the main socio-political, artistic, historical, religious and spiritual center of Russia. In addition, the Moscow Kremlin - official residence President Russian Federation.
In 1990, UNESCO included the Moscow Kremlin, whose history continues, on the list of world cultural heritage.
Address: Russia Moscow
Start of construction: 1482
Completion of construction: 1495
Number of towers: 20
Wall length: 2500 m.
Main attractions: Spasskaya Tower, Assumption Cathedral, Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, Annunciation Cathedral, Archangel Cathedral, Chamber of Facets, Terem Palace, Arsenal, Armory, Tsar Cannon, Tsar Bell
Coordinates: 55°45"03.0"N 37°36"59.3"E
Object of cultural heritage of the Russian Federation
Brief history of the Moscow Kremlin
In the very heart of Moscow, on Borovitsky Hill, the majestic Kremlin ensemble rises. It has long become a symbol not only of the capital, but of all of Russia. History itself decreed that an ordinary Krivichi village, located in the middle of the forest, eventually turned into the capital of a mighty Russian state.
The Kremlin from a bird's eye view
Kremlin or Detinets in ancient Rus' called the central, fortified part of the city with a fortress wall, loopholes and towers. The first Moscow Kremlin, built in 1156 by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky, was a wooden fortress surrounded by a moat and rampart.
During the reign of Ivan I, nicknamed Kalita (money bag), oak walls and towers were erected in Moscow and the first stone building was laid - the Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady.
View of the Kremlin walls from the Kremlin embankment
In 1367, Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy surrounded the Kremlin with a powerful fortress wall made of white limestone. Since then, the capital has received the nickname “White Stone Moscow”. Large-scale construction began under Ivan III, who united a significant part of the Russian lands around Moscow and built a residence worthy of the “Sovereign of All Rus'” in the Kremlin.
Ivan III invited architects from Milan to build fortifications. It was in 1485 - 1495 that the walls and towers of the Kremlin that still exist today were built. The top of the walls is crowned with 1045 battlements in the shape of a “swallowtail” - they have the same appearance as the battlements of Italian castles. At the turn of the 15th - 16th centuries, the Moscow Kremlin turned into an impregnable massive fortress, lined with red brick.
View of the Kremlin from the Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge
In 1516, a moat was dug along the fortifications overlooking Red Square. After the Time of Troubles, the towers were decorated with tents, giving the Kremlin a modern look.
The miraculous return of the shrine of the Moscow Kremlin
The main one of the 20 towers of the Moscow Kremlin is rightfully considered Spasskaya, created by the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari. The Spassky Gate has long been the main entrance to the Kremlin, and the chimes placed in the tower's tent are known as the main clock of the country. The top of the tower is crowned with a luminous ruby star, but after the collapse of the USSR there are increasingly calls to remove the star and erect a double-headed eagle in its place. The tower got its name from the icon of the Savior of Smolensk over the gate.
View of the Kremlin from the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge
The icon was revered by saints, so men, passing through the gate, in front of the image of the Savior had to take off their headdress. Legend has it that when Napoleon was passing through the Spassky Gate, a gust of wind tore the cocked hat off his head. But the bad omens did not end there: the French tried to steal the gilded robe that adorned the image of the Savior of Smolensk, but the ladder attached to the gate overturned, and the shrine remained unharmed.
During the years of Soviet power, the icon was removed from the tower. For more than 70 years, the shrine was considered lost, until in 2010, restorers discovered a metal mesh hiding the image of Christ under a layer of plaster. On August 28, 2010, on the feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, Patriarch Kirill solemnly consecrated the newly found icon above the gates of the Spasskaya Tower.
Beklemishevskaya Tower
Legends and myths of the Kremlin
From time immemorial, the Moscow Kremlin was not only a symbol of the unlimited power of the sovereign, but also a place about which legends were written. Over the long history of the Kremlin churches and towers, so many legends have been created that would be enough for a whole book.
The most famous legends tell about secret dungeons and underground passages. It is believed that they were invented by Italian architects who designed and built the Kremlin walls and towers. Many underground rooms have been preserved under the former Chudov Monastery, which until the 1930s was located in the eastern part of the Kremlin Hill. These are transitions interior spaces temples and long galleries. Today, some of them are flooded with groundwater.
Eternal flame at the walls of the Kremlin
There are rumors among Muscovites that previously there were branched roads leading out from each of the Kremlin towers. underground passages. The same secret passages connected everything royal palaces. When builders began digging a large foundation pit for the State Kremlin Palace in the 1960s, they discovered three underground passages dating back to the 16th century. The dungeons were so wide that you could drive a cart through them.
Underground passages were found during every major reconstruction. Most often, voids, gaps and labyrinths were walled up or simply filled with concrete for safety reasons.
Spasskaya Tower
One of the secrets of the Moscow Kremlin is also connected with its dungeons. For several centuries now, historians and archaeologists have been struggling with the mystery of the disappearance of the library of Ivan IV the Terrible, which is also called Liberia. The Russian sovereign inherited a unique collection of ancient books and manuscripts from his grandmother Sophia Paleologus, who received these books as a dowry.
In historical documents there is an inventory of the library, consisting of 800 volumes, but the collection itself disappeared without a trace. Some researchers are convinced that it burned down in a fire or disappeared during the Time of Troubles. But many are sure that the library is intact and hidden in one of the Kremlin dungeons.
View of the Assumption, Annunciation Cathedrals and Cathedral Square
The discovery of books in storage facilities located underground was not an accident. When Sophia Paleologus arrived in the city in 1472, she saw the terrible consequences of the fire that raged in Moscow two years earlier. Realizing that the library she brought could easily perish in a fire, Sophia ordered a spacious basement, which was located under the Kremlin Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, to be equipped for storage. After this, the valuable Liberia was always kept in dungeons.
View of Cathedral Square and Ivan the Great Bell Tower
Cathedrals of the Moscow Kremlin - “altars of Russia”
Today the Moscow Kremlin is both the place of work of the President of the Russian Federation and a historical and cultural museum. Historical Center The Kremlin is represented by Cathedral Square with three cathedrals - Assumption, Archangel and Annunciation. An old proverb says: “The Kremlin rises above Moscow, and above the Kremlin there is only the sky.” That is why all the people honored the tsar’s decrees, which he proclaimed in the Assumption Cathedral.
This temple can rightfully be called the “altar of Russia.” In the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, kings were crowned kings, the next head of the Russian church was elected, and in the tombs of the temple the relics of Moscow saints found eternal rest. The Archangel Cathedral, from 1340 until the 18th century, served as the tomb of Moscow princes and kings.
Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin
Under its arches, tombstones are placed in strict order on white stone slabs. The Annunciation Cathedral was the personal house of prayer for the Moscow princes: here they were baptized, confessed, and got married. According to legend, the grand ducal treasury was kept in the basement of this temple. The Cathedral Square is surrounded by the Ivan the Great Bell Tower, Faceted and Patriarchal Chambers. Meetings of the Boyar Duma and Zemsky Sobors were held in the Faceted Chamber, and the office of the Holy Synod was located in the Patriarchal Palace.
Sights of the Moscow Kremlin
The younger buildings of the Kremlin include the Bolshoi Kremlin Palace, built in the mid-19th century by order of Emperor Nicholas I. Today, within its walls is the ceremonial residence of the President of Russia.
Tsar Cannon
In the palace halls, inauguration ceremonies for the President are held, state awards and credentials are presented. In one of the palace buildings the Diamond Fund of the Russian Federation and the Armory Chamber are located - a treasury of palace items. In the Kremlin, on pedestals stand the Tsar Cannon weighing 40 tons and the Tsar Bell weighing 200 tons - masterpieces of Russian foundry craftsmanship. Due to their gigantic dimensions, they are not suitable for their intended use, but they have become symbols great Russia. The Kremlin is always crowded. Guests admire the timeless beauty architectural creations, personifying Russian history. As M.Yu. wrote Lermontov in “Panorama of Moscow”, nothing can compare with this Kremlin which, “surrounded by battlements and golden domes of cathedrals, reclines on high mountain, How crown of sovereignty on the forehead of the formidable ruler."
The Moscow Kremlin is the main attraction of the city. Getting there is quite easy. There are several metro stations, from which you can walk to the Kremlin. The Alexandrovsky Sad station will take you, as you can easily guess, straight to the Alexandrovsky Garden. The Kutafya Tower will already be visible there, where they sell tickets to the Kremlin and to the Armory Chamber. You can also go to the metro station. Library named after IN AND. Lenin. In this case, the Kutafya Tower will be visible across the road. The stations Ploshchad Revolyutsii and Kitai-Gorod will take you to Red Square, but from different sides. The first is from the State Historical Museum, the second - from the side. You can also get off at Okhotny Ryad - if you want to stroll along the shopping row of the same name. Just be prepared for unusual prices)).
About prices for the Kremlin museums. A visit to the Kremlin is not a cheap pleasure. An hour and a half visit to – will cost 700 rubles, – 500 rubles, a walk around with inspection – 500 rubles. For more information about museums and some nuances about visiting them that you should know, see the links.
The Kremlin is called not only the walls with towers, as some people think, but also 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 on Cathedral Square every Saturday at 12:00 the Kremlin regiment shows its skills. 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 Detinets in Rus' was the name given to the fortified part in the center of the city, in other words, a fortress. In the old days, times were different. It happened that Russian cities were attacked by countless enemy forces. That’s when the city’s residents gathered under the protection of their Kremlin. The old and young took refuge 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 arose approximately 4,000 years ago. Archaeologists have established this. Shards of clay pots, stone axes and flint arrowheads were found here. These things were once used by ancient settlers.
The location for the construction of the Kremlin was not chosen by chance. The Kremlin was built on a high hill, surrounded on two sides by rivers: the Moskva River and the Neglinnaya. The high location of the Kremlin made it possible to spot 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 built around its walls for greater reliability. The remains of these fortifications were discovered during construction work already 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. This data was preserved in ancient chronicles. At the beginning of the 14th century, Ivan Kalita began to rule the city. In ancient Rus', a kalyta was a money bag. 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 strengthen his city. He ordered the construction of new walls for the Kremlin. They were cut down from strong oak trunks, so thick that you couldn’t wrap your arms around them.
Under the next ruler of Moscow, Dmitry Donskoy, the Kremlin had other walls built - stone ones. Stone craftsmen from all over the area were gathered to Moscow. And in 1367 they got 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 its contemporaries with the beauty of its white walls that from then on Moscow began to be 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, not far from the Don River. This battle was nicknamed Kulikovskaya, 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. This happened under the Moscow Prince Ivan III. From that time on, 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 leadership 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 quickly built a new one in its place - out of brick. There was quite a lot of clay suitable for its production in the vicinity of Moscow. However, clay is a soft material. To make the brick hard, it was fired in special kilns.
Over the years of construction, Russian masters stopped treating Italian architects as strangers, and even changed their names to the Russian style. So Antonio became Anton, and the complex Italian surname was replaced by the nickname Fryazin. Our ancestors called the overseas lands Fryazhsky, and those who came from there were called Fryazin.
It took 10 years to build the new Kremlin. The fortress was defended on both 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 on all sides by water barriers. They were erected one after another, equipped with diversion archers for greater defensive capability. Along with the renovation of the fortress walls, the construction of such famous ones as Uspensky, Arkhangelsky and Blagoveshchensky took place.
After the crowning of the Romanov kingdom, the construction of the Kremlin began at an accelerated pace. The Filaret belfry was built next to the bell tower of Ivan the Great, Teremnaya, Poteshny palaces, Patriarchal chambers and the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles. Under Peter I, the Arsenal building was erected. But after the capital was moved 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 official version due to lack of funding, unofficially due to negative public opinion. In 1776-87 the Senate building was built
During Napoleon's invasion, the Kremlin suffered enormous damage. Churches were desecrated and 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 churches in the Kremlin.
During the October Revolution, the Kremlin was 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, they were placed on pedestals, and the walls and structures of the Kremlin were repeatedly restored.