Text 6. Moscow: the Kremlin

Moscow is the capital of Russia and the seat of the Government. Interest in the city and its history is great both among people living in Russia and among the thousands of visitors arriving from abroad every month. The history relics of the past and the new buildings of the present days figure high on the list of “musts” for all people who visit the city. The old buildings are a living embodiment of the country’s rich history and silent witness to the genius of the men who created them.

It would be an impossible task to enumerate, relate the history, and describe the artistic qualities of every building of interest in Moscow. So let’s investigate about the talent and the spirit of the Russian people.

“What is there to compare with the Kremlin, with its crenellated walls, with the golden domes of its cathedrals reclining on its high hill like the crown on the brow of a terrible sovereign…It must be seen, and seen again…And all that it conveys to the heart and to the imagination must be felt.” These were the emotions that welled up in the heart of Lermontov, Russia’s great early 19^th century poet, when attempting to describe the Moscow Kremlin. Here in the Kremlin are concentrated the oldest churches, palaces and stone buildings of every kind and purpose, created by generations of Russian architects. The history of the Moscow Kremlin is a bright web of fascinating events and projects. The ravages of time, however, have spared only an insignificant proportion of the enormous number of buildings erected here since the year 1147 AD, when Moscow was first mentioned in the chronicles.

The plan of The Moscow Kremlin bore a close resemblance to the traditional triangular shape of Russian towns and was situated, as was usual, at the confluence of two rivers.

A rather obvious attempt was made to give it a neat and clear geometrical shape in the positioning of wall and tower as demanded by the 16^th century defence needs. Originally there were 18 towers. The walls were one and a half miles in length, they varied between 25 and 60 feet high depending on the lie of the land and an average thickness of between 13 and 15 feet. The highest wall stood on the Red Square side as on that side there were no natural water barriers, so important in medieval town defence system. The huge circular polygonal towers at the corners of the walls were strictly practical, their great height and the way they jut out from the fortress perimeter having a purely defensive purpose. The remaining towers were square structured.

The St. Frol Gate, renamed the Spassky (Saviour) Gate in the 17^th century, was used for ceremonial entry in to the Kremlin. Moscow’s swift growth soon made it necessary for the Kremlin walls to be adequately decorated.

Inside the Kremlin the most important building from the point of view of historical interest is the Cathedral of the Assumption, built between 1475 and 1479 by the Italian architect R. Fioravante, nicknamed “Aristotle” on account of his erudition. Fioravante was asked to be guided by the shape of the cathedral of Assumption at Vladimir. It is constructed of white stone blocks, is striking in its majesty and serenity. The effect is greatly enhanced by the fire mighty golden domes and the division of the walls into several sections by smooth-flowing arches. The great architectural qualities displayed in the cathedral’s external appearance are repeated in the interior. One of the contemporary chronicles said that “such a Church was never before in all the land of Russia”. It had a profound influence on Russian architects for many years to come. Many attempts were made to imitate it and throughout the next two hundred years similar structures appeared in cities and monasteries all over the country. Neither the first iconostasis in the cathedral, erected and painted under the direction of the famous icon-painter Dionisius in 1481 and 1482, nor the frescoes dating from 1514, have survived. Only isolated fragments of the frescoes on the alter wall and the chapel of Praise remain to enable us to judge of the cathedral’s original interior finishing. With the gradual emergence of a unitary state under the rule of Moscow many important icons and masterpieces of applied art were brought here from cities that had once been independent feudal centres.

Some famous icons were brought from Vladimir, Ivan the Terrible carried off many icons from Novgorod. One of the most important is the 12^th century icon of St. George, discovered only a few years ago during restoration work. St. George is depicted as a youth, with wide open eyes and curly hair, dressed in full armour. Equally famous is the 14^th century Moscow icon of the saviour, “The angry Eye”.

Nowadays the Kremlin centre looks truly magnificent with its many-domed cathedrals. A huge campanile – the Belfry of Ivan the Great – served both as a watch-tower and as an element linking the cathedrals and churches in a single harmonious ensemble. Its well-balanced proportions are evidence of the hand of an experienced master, and lend the tower a great degree of elegance. It suffered in explosions ordered by Napoleon in his attempt to destroy the Kremlin before abandoning Moscow in the autumn of 1812.

Simultaneously with the general rebuilding of the Kremlin was begun a stone palace for the grand princes. However due to successive attempts at rebuilding only a few sections of the old work have survived. One of these is the Terem Palace, built in 1635 and 1636 by stone masons Antip Konstantinov and Larion Ushakov. Originally it had a gilded roof with bosses of real gold, made by Osipov in 1637.

At that time the practice of erecting of large buildings as single entities was unknown and so the different storeys were placed on the top of the other, steadily diminishing in size towards the top. The craftsmen engaged in building of the Terem Palace focused much of their attention on the gorgeous decoration with floral motifs painted in gaudy colours. The same kind of bright ornamentation was employed for decorating the vaults and the pillars. In the patterns of grasses and flowers one can pick out the shapes of heraldic birds, beasts and masks.

After the foundation of Peter’s new capital St. Petersburg in 1711 the tempo of building work in the Kremlin declined sharply.

The most recent building in the Kremlin was the Kremlin Palace of Congress, built in 1960-61. The exterior is extremely simple, one of the most important modern structures in Moscow nor does it lack anything in originality. The auditorium is of course the most important part of the building and seats 6000 spectators. The stamp of modernity is written all over the building, both inside and out.

Very old and forever young the Kremlin is a “must” for tourists and natives of Moscow.