The Moscow Kremlin is located. The history of our Motherland is reflected in every building. These are ancient cannons and bells, cathedrals and palaces, museums and the residence of the President of Russia. High walls and loopholes tell us that this powerful and majestic structure is a fortress. At the same time, this building also reflects the spiritual life of Russia. The Kremlin in Moscow is an all-Russian national shrine, a symbol of Russia.

The Kremlin ensemble in Moscow includes the fortress itself with its powerful walls and towers, as well as temples and chambers, majestic palaces and ceremonial administrative buildings. These are ensembles of squares - Cathedral and Ivanovskaya, Senate and Palace, Troitskaya, as well as streets - Spasskaya, Borovitskaya and Dvortsovaya.

Towers of the Moscow Kremlin

The walls of the Moscow Kremlin have 20 towers, none of which are identical. The history of Moscow began at the Borovitsky Gate. Here is one of the southwestern towers of the Kremlin wall - Borovitskaya. It faces the Alexander Garden and Borovitskaya Square. According to legend, her name comes from the forest that covered one of the seven hills on which Moscow stands.

Cathedrals of the Moscow Kremlin

IN architectural ensemble The Moscow Kremlin includes eight cathedrals. One of the main temples of the Russian state - Uspensky. It hosted the coronation of emperors, the crowning of the kingdom, the election of the heads of the Russian Orthodox Church and the burial of metropolitans and patriarchs. Now here you can see the place of worship of Ivan the Terrible, especially valuable icons, a necropolis and a majestic iconostasis.

Blagoveshchensky cathedral served as the personal temple of the Grand Dukes and Tsars of Moscow. It is believed that some of the icons of the temple were created by Andrei Rublev, as well as Theophanes the Greek.

Cathedral of the Archangel was the family tomb of the great princes and kings. It contains 47 tombstones and 2 shrines. Grand Dukes Ivan Kalita and Dmitry Donskoy, Ivan III and Ivan the Terrible, Tsarevich Dmitry and Tsars Mikhail and Alexei Romanov are buried here. The image of “Archangel Michael with his deeds” created during the Battle of Kulikovo can be seen in the iconostasis of the temple.

The home church of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs is small Church of the Deposition of the Robe. It features a four-tiered iconostasis in a silver frame and wall paintings in a single ensemble.

To the north of the Assumption Church and the bell tower of Ivan the Great are Patriarchal Chambers and small five-domed Temple of the Twelve Apostles, built by Russian masters Antip Konstantinov and Bazhen Ogurtsov.

Ten-headed St. Basil's Cathedral was in danger of demolition many times. Napoleon dreamed of taking him to Paris in 1812, and later wanted to blow him up. During Soviet times, the cathedral interfered with demonstrations and they also wanted to destroy it.

East of Terem Palace located four house churches: St. Catherine and the Verkhospassky Cathedral, the Church of the Crucifixion of Christ and the Church of the Resurrection of the Word.

Moscow Kremlin - history and architecture

The first mention of Moscow is found in the chronicle and dates back to 1147. In 1156, the first wooden walls were built on the banks of the Moscow River and the mouth of the Neglinnaya River. Rus' at that time was divided into separate principalities, so it could not resist the invasion of the Tatar-Mongol yoke in 1238. Moscow was devastated and the Kremlin was burned.

During the reign of Ivan Kalita, the Moscow Principality was strengthened and the Kremlin was rebuilt. Stone churches, cathedrals and strong oak walls were built. By decree of Prince Dimitry Donskoy, grandson of Ivan Kalita, white stone walls and towers were erected in 1367. Moscow began to be called white stone. Under Grand Duke Ivan III, the territory of the Kremlin expanded, a ditch was dug around the walls. Together with foreign architects, the Assumption and Annunciation Churches, the Chamber of Facets and the Ivan the Great Bell Tower (watch tower) are being built. The Archangel Church was founded. With the flourishing of culture and architecture in the 17th century, the buildings of the Kremlin were also transformed. Tall brick tents with tiled coverings and gilded weather vanes appeared on the Kremlin towers.

At the beginning of the 18th century, by decree of Peter I, the Arsenal building was founded. With the transfer of the capital to St. Petersburg, the Kremlin remained in an abandoned state. Almost all wooden buildings were destroyed by fires and were not restored.

Its construction began only in the 2nd half of the 18th century. The Senate building is being built according to the design of architect M. F. Kazakov. Under the leadership of the architect Ivan Yegotov, the first building for the Armory Chamber was built. During the War of 1812, Napoleon decided to blow up the Kremlin during his retreat. Only thanks to the courage of Muscovites, he was miraculously saved. Soon all of its damaged buildings were restored.

In 1917, the capture of the Kremlin completed the revolution in Moscow. The Soviet government moved here from Petrograd in March 1918. Today the residence of the President of Russia is located here.

On the territory of the Moscow Kremlin, a State Museum Complex was created, which includes the Armory Chamber and churches (Assumption, Arkhangelsk and Annunciation), the Church of the Deposition of the Robe and the Patriarchal Chambers with the Church of the Twelve Apostles, the ensemble of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower, as well as collections of artillery guns and bells. The Kremlin complex and Red Square were included in the world list in 1990 cultural heritage UNESCO as one of the outstanding historical monuments planets.

The Moscow Kremlin is the center of Russia and the citadel of power. For more than 5 centuries, these walls have reliably hidden state secrets and protected their main bearers. The Kremlin is shown on Russian and world channels several times a day. This medieval fortress, unlike anything else, has long become a symbol of Russia.

Only the footage we are provided with is basically the same. The Kremlin is the strictly guarded active residence of the president of our country. There are no trifles in security, which is why all Kremlin filming is so strictly regulated. By the way, don’t forget to take a tour of the Kremlin.

To see a different Kremlin, try to imagine its towers without tents, limit the height to only the wide, non-tapering part and you will immediately see a completely different Moscow Kremlin - a powerful, squat, medieval, European fortress.

This is how it was built at the end of the 15th century on the site of the old white-stone Kremlin by the Italians Pietro Fryazin, Anton Fryazin and Alois Fryazin. They all received the same surname, although they were not relatives. “Fryazin” means foreigner in Old Church Slavonic.

They built the fortress in accordance with all the latest achievements of fortification and military science of that time. Along the battlements of the walls there is a battle platform with a width of 2 to 4.5 meters.

Each tooth has a loophole, which can only be reached by standing on something else. The view from here is limited. The height of each battlement is 2-2.5 meters; the distance between them was covered with wooden shields during the battle. There are a total of 1145 battlements on the walls of the Moscow Kremlin.

The Moscow Kremlin is a great fortress located near the Moscow River, in the heart of Russia - in Moscow. The citadel is equipped with 20 towers, each with its own unique look and 5 travel gates. The Kremlin is like a ray of light carried through rich history formation of Russia.

These ancient walls are witnesses to all the numerous events that happened to the state, starting from the moment of its construction. The fortress began its journey in 1331, although the word “Kremlin” was mentioned earlier.

Moscow Kremlin, infographics. Source: www.culture.rf. For a detailed view, open the image in a new browser tab.

Moscow Kremlin under different rulers

Moscow Kremlin under Ivan Kalita

In 1339-1340 Moscow Prince Ivan Danilovich, nicknamed Kalita (“money bag”), built an impressive oak citadel on Borovitsky Hill, with walls ranging from 2 to 6 m thick and no less than 7 m high. Ivan Kalita built a powerful fortress with a formidable appearance, but it stood less three decades and burned down during a terrible fire in the summer of 1365.


Moscow Kremlin under Dmitry Donskoy

The tasks of defending Moscow urgently required the creation of a more reliable fortress: the Moscow principality was in danger from the Golden Horde, Lithuania and the rival Russian principalities of Tver and Ryazan. The then reigning 16-year-old grandson of Ivan Kalita, Dmitry (aka Dmitry Donskoy), decided to build a fortress of stone - the Kremlin.

Construction of the stone fortress began in 1367, and the stone was mined nearby, in the village of Myachkovo. The construction was completed in a short time - in just one year. Dmitry Donskoy made the Kremlin a white-stone fortress, which enemies tried to storm more than once, but were never able to.


What does the word "Kremlin" mean?

One of the first mentions of the word “Kremlin” appears in the Resurrection Chronicle in a report about a fire in 1331. According to historians, it could have arisen from the ancient Russian word “kremnik,” which meant a fortress built of oak. According to another point of view, it is based on the word “krom” or “krom”, which means boundary, border.


The first victory of the Moscow Kremlin

Almost immediately after the construction of the Moscow Kremlin, Moscow was besieged by the Lithuanian prince Olgerd in 1368, and then in 1370. The Lithuanians stood at the white stone walls for three days and three nights, but the fortifications turned out to be impregnable. This instilled confidence in the young Moscow ruler and allowed him to later challenge the powerful Golden Horde Khan Mamai.

In 1380, feeling reliable rears behind them, the Russian army under the leadership of Prince Dmitry ventured on a decisive operation. Leaving from hometown far to the south, in the upper reaches of the Don, they met with the army of Mamai and defeated it on the Kulikovo field.

Thus, for the first time, Krom became a stronghold not only of the Moscow principality, but of all of Rus'. And Dmitry received the nickname Donskoy. For 100 years after the Battle of Kulikovo, the white-stone citadel united the Russian lands, becoming the main center of Rus'.


Moscow Kremlin under Ivan 3

The current dark red appearance of the Moscow Kremlin owes its birth to Prince Ivan III Vasilyevich. Started by him in 1485-1495. the grandiose construction was not a simple reconstruction of the dilapidated defensive fortifications of Dmitry Donskoy. The white stone fortress is being replaced by a red brick fortress.

The towers are pushed outward in order to fire along the walls. To quickly move the defenders, a system of secret underground passages was created. Completing the system of impregnable defense, the Kremlin was made into an island. On both sides it already had natural barriers - the Moscow and Neglinnaya rivers.

They also dug a ditch on the third side, where Red Square is now, approximately 30-35 meters wide and 12 m deep. Contemporaries called the Moscow Kremlin an outstanding military engineering structure. Moreover, the Kremlin is the only European fortress that has never been taken by storm.

The special role of the Moscow Kremlin as a new grand-ducal residence and the main fortress of the state determined the nature of its engineering and technical appearance. Built from red brick, it retained the layout features of the ancient Russian detinets, and in its outlines the already established shape of an irregular triangle.

At the same time, the Italians made it extremely functional and very similar to many fortresses in Europe. What Muscovites came up with in the 17th century turned the Kremlin into unique monument architecture. The Russians just built on stone tents, which turned the fortress into a light, skyward structure, which has no equal in the world, and the corner towers took on the appearance as if our ancestors knew that it was Russia that would send the first man into space.


Architects of the Moscow Kremlin

The construction was supervised by Italian architects. Memorial plaques installed on the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin indicate that it was built in the “30th summer” of the reign of Ivan Vasilyevich. The Grand Duke celebrated the anniversary of his state activities with the construction of the most powerful entrance front tower. In particular, Spasskaya and Borovitskaya were designed by Pietro Solari.

In 1485, under the leadership of Antonio Gilardi, the powerful Taynitskaya Tower was built. In 1487, another Italian architect, Marco Ruffo, began to build Beklemishevskaya, and later Sviblova (Vodovzvodnaya) appeared on the opposite side. These three structures set the direction and rhythm for all subsequent construction.

The Italian origin of the main architects of the Moscow Kremlin is not accidental. At that time, it was Italy that came to the fore in the theory and practice of fortification construction. Design features indicate that its creators were familiar with the engineering ideas of such outstanding representatives of the Italian Renaissance as Leonardo da Vinci, Leon Battista Alberti, and Filippo Brunelleschi. In addition, it was the Italian architectural school that “gave” Stalin’s skyscrapers in Moscow.

By the beginning of the 1490s, four more blind towers appeared (Blagoveshchenskaya, 1st and 2nd Nameless and Petrovskaya). All of them, as a rule, repeated the line of the old fortifications. The work was carried out gradually, in such a way that there were no open areas in the fortress through which the enemy could suddenly attack.

In the 1490s, the construction was curated by the Italian Pietro Solari (aka Peter Fryazin), with whom his compatriots Antonio Gilardi (aka Anton Fryazin) and Aloisio da Carcano (Aleviz Fryazin) worked. 1490-1495 The Moscow Kremlin was replenished with the following towers: Konstantino-Eleninskaya, Spasskaya, Nikolskaya, Senate, Corner Arsenalnaya and Nabatnaya.


Secret passages in the Moscow Kremlin

In case of danger, the Kremlin defenders had the opportunity to quickly move through secret underground passages. In addition, internal passages were built in the walls, connecting all the towers. The Kremlin defenders could thus concentrate as necessary on a dangerous section of the front or retreat if the enemy forces outnumbered them.

Long underground tunnels were also dug, thanks to which it was possible to observe the enemy in the event of a siege, as well as to make surprise attacks on the enemy. Several underground tunnels went beyond the Kremlin.

Some towers had not only protective function. For example, Tainitskaya hid a secret passage from the fortress to the Moscow River. Wells were made in Beklemishevskaya, Vodovzvodnaya and Arsenalnaya, with the help of which water could be delivered if the city was under siege. The well in Arsenalnaya has survived to this day.

Within two years, Kolymazhnaya (Komendantskaya) and Granenaya (Srednyaya Arsenalnaya) fortresses rose in orderly ranks, and in 1495 the construction of Trinity began. The construction was led by Aleviz Fryazin.


Chronology of events

Of the year Event
1156 The first wooden citadel was erected on Borovitsky Hill
1238 The troops of Khan Batu marched through Moscow, as a result, most of the buildings were burned. In 1293, the city was once again ravaged by the Mongol-Tatar troops of Duden
1339-1340 Ivan Kalita built mighty oak walls around the Kremlin. From 2 to 6 m in thickness and up to 7 m in height
1367-1368 Dmitry Donskoy built a white stone fortress. The white stone Kremlin shone for more than 100 years. Since then, Moscow began to be called “white stone”
1485-1495 Ivan III the Great built a red brick citadel. The Moscow Kremlin is equipped with 17 towers, the height of the walls is 5-19 m, and the thickness is 3.5-6.5 m
1534-1538 A new ring of fortress defensive walls was built, called Kitay-Gorod. From the south, the walls of Kitai-Gorod adjoined the walls of the Kremlin at the Beklemishevskaya Tower, from the north – to the Corner Arsenalnaya
1586-1587 Boris Godunov surrounded Moscow with two more rows of fortress walls, called the Tsar City, later - White City. They covered the area between modern central squares and the Boulevard Ring
1591 Another ring of fortifications, 14 miles long, was built around Moscow, covering the territory between the Boulevard and Garden Rings. Construction was completed within one year. The new fortress was named Skorodoma. So Moscow was enclosed in four rings of walls, which had a total of 120 towers

All towers of the Moscow Kremlin

His Majesty - Moscow Kremlin. Part 13. Walls and towers

The Kremlin Wall is a brick wall surrounding the Moscow Kremlin. It was erected on the site of the white stone wall of Dmitry Donskoy in 1485-1516 by Italian (“Fryazhsky”) architects. 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.



The existing walls and towers were built in 1485-1516. 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 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.


Kivshenko Alexey d. (1851-96). Ivan the Great

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.


Moscow Kremlin at the beginning of the 17th century.

Brick walls were placed along the line of white stone ones, with a small retreat out. Starting from the Spasskaya Tower, the territory of the Kremlin was increased by east direction. Approximately 20 years after construction Kremlin wall The Kitai-Gorod wall was attached to it, hugging the entire Kitai-Gorod.




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



Fedor Alekseev. View of the Kremlin at the Spassky Gate. Around 1800
Initially, there was a through passage inside the wall through all the towers, covered with cylindrical vaults. 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


View of Zamoskvorechye from behind the wall in 1848

At the beginning of the 18th century, the Neglinnaya River was diverted further from the western wall, along which it originally flowed.


At the same time, the originally existing plank roofs of the walls burned down. In 1702-1736, for the construction of the arsenal building, part of the wall was dismantled and later restored.



Modern chimes were made by brothers Nikolai and Ivan Budenop in 1851-1852 and installed on 8-10 tiers of the Spasskaya Tower. From that time on, the chimes played the “March of the Preobrazhensky Regiment” at 12 and 6 o’clock, and at 3 and 9 o’clock the hymn “How Glorious is Our Lord in Zion” by Dmitry Bortnyansky, which sounded over Red Square until 1917. Initially, they wanted to play the Russian anthem “God Save the Tsar” on the playing shaft of the chimes, but Nicholas I did not allow this, stating that “the chimes can play any songs except the anthem.”

In 1771-1773 for construction Kremlin Palace According to the project of V.I. Bazhenov, part of the southern wall between the Beklemishevskaya and Blagoveshchenskaya towers was also dismantled, which was later restored. The bombing of the Kremlin by the French (1812) caused heavy damage to the walls, the walls along Neglinnaya were especially damaged. Repairs and restoration of the fortifications were carried out from 1817 to 1822.



In 1866-1870, 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.


A survey and partial restoration of the walls was carried out in 1931-1936. The next restoration of the walls and towers of the Kremlin took place in 1946-1953. 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


"Inconsistency" of the Kremlin wall. 2012


“Inconsistency” of the Kremlin wall between the Blagoveshchenskaya (far) and Tainitskaya (near) towers. 2012

The Kremlin wall between the Annunciation and Tainitskaya towers has a vertical ledge and a reduced pitch of two teeth, as if during construction from different sides there was a mistake in joining. This “error” divides the wall between the towers in an approximate ratio of 1 to 2, counting from Blagoveshchenskaya.


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 Moscow Kremlin has 20 towers. Three towers (Beklemishevskaya, Vodovzvodnaya and Corner Arsenalnaya), standing in the corners of the triangle, have a circular cross-section, the rest are square.
Most of the towers are made in a single architectural style, given to them in the second half of the 17th century. The Nikolskaya Tower stands out from the general ensemble, which was rebuilt in the Gothic style at the beginning of the 19th century.

The list is compiled starting from the south-eastern corner of the Kremlin wall, counterclockwise.
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.
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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

The walls had access to the Spasskaya, Nabatnaya, Konstantino-Eleninskaya, Troitskaya, Borovitskaya, Blagoveshchenskaya and Petrovskaya towers. Initially, there was a through passage inside the wall through all the towers, covered with cylindrical vaults. 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.



At the beginning of the 18th century, Neglinnaya was moved further away from the walls. To install new cannons, loopholes were cut out on the towers. At the same time, the original plank roofs of the walls burned down.

In 1702-1736, for the construction of the Arsenal, part of the wall was dismantled and later restored. In 1771-1773, for the construction of the Kremlin Palace according to the design of V.I. Bazhenov, part of the southern wall between the Beklemishevskaya and Annunciation towers was also dismantled, which was later restored.



The hem of the Moscow Kremlin in the 17th century Painting by Sergei Glushkov

In 1802-1805, a major overhaul of the towers was carried out, during which almost all of the outlet arches were dismantled. The War of 1812 caused heavy damage to the walls, especially the Nikolskaya Tower, towers and walls along Neglinnaya. Repair and restoration of the fortifications were carried out from 1817 to 1822. During the renovation work, pseudo-Gothic decorative details were added to the external appearance of the Borovitskaya and Vodovzvodnaya towers



In 1866-1870, 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. During the restoration process, pseudo-Gothic decorative details disappeared from the Borovitskaya Tower, but many elements of the original details of the walls and towers of the Kremlin were lost and replaced with inaccurate copies. Damage to the towers and walls was caused during alterations in the second half of the 19th century during the adaptation of their premises for economic needs


The Nikolskaya and Beklemishevskaya towers, damaged during the revolution, were repaired in 1918. A survey and partial restoration of the walls was carried out in 1931-1936. In 1935-1937, ruby ​​five-pointed stars were installed on five towers.



This is approximately how Napoleon found the Kremlin



The next restoration of the walls and towers of the Kremlin was carried out in 1946-1953, during which the walls were cleaned and repaired, loopholes and parapets were restored, details on a number of towers were revealed, the tops of the Spasskaya, Trinity and Nikolskaya towers were upholstered in sheet copper. 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.

Beklimishevskaya




It is also known as Moskvoretskaya - a tower of the wall of the Moscow Kremlin. Located in the southeastern corner of the Kremlin triangle, near the Moskva River and Moskvoretsky Bridge. The name comes from the courtyard of boyar I.N. Beklemishev, which was located inside the Kremlin near the tower. After the execution of Beklemishev by Vasily III, the courtyard along with the tower was used as a prison for disgraced boyars. Located near the junction of the Moscow River with a moat, the tower performed an important defensive function, covering, among other things, the ford and crossing of the Moscow River.

The tall round tower was built in 1487-1488 according to the design of the Italian architect Marco Ruffo. The main cylinder is located on a white stone base with a semicircular roller at the joint.



The tower has four tiers with the possibility of all-round firing: three tiers of round vaulted rooms and the upper tier, where the machicolations and combat platform are located. A well and a secret hiding place were installed in the tower to prevent undermining. In 1680, an octagon with a narrow tent and two rows of dormer was built over the main cylinder. The tower tent has no internal coverings.


Under Peter I in 1707, the tower was converted for defense against the Swedes. In particular, the loopholes of the tower were cut to accommodate more powerful guns (restored to their original form during restoration in 1949).


View of the Beklemishevskaya (Moskvoretskaya) tower 1890-1900

The Beklemishevskaya Tower is one of the few Kremlin towers that have practically not been rebuilt. After Napoleon's invasion, the Beklemishevskaya tower was repaired. Also, during the storming of the Kremlin by the Bolsheviks in 1917, the upper tent was hit by a shell (in 1920 it was restored by the architect I.V. Rylsky).
Eastern Wall The Eastern Wall of the Kremlin runs along Red Square

Konstantino-Eleninskaya Tower



Previously, Timofeevskaya was a tower of the wall of the Moscow Kremlin. Located on east side Kremlin, above the Beklemishevskaya tower.


The tower was built in 1490 by the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari (Petr Fryazin) on the site of the Timofeevsky Gate of the white stone Kremlin of Dmitry Donskoy. The tower received its modern name after the Church of Constantine and Helen was built nearby in the Kremlin in the 17th century (the church was dismantled in 1928).


Moscow dungeon. The end of the 16th century (Konstantin-Eleninsky gate of the Moscow dungeon at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries)

The tower was intended to protect the entrances to the pier on the Moskva River and the nearby streets of Veliky Posad, going towards Zaryadye: Vsekhsvyatskaya (now Varvarka) and Velikaya (later became Mokrinsky Lane, and has now completely disappeared). Initially, the Konstantino-Eleninskaya Tower was a passageway, with a drawbridge across the moat and a diversion arrow (an additional tower connected to the main bridge). After 1508, the second diversion arrow was completed.

In the 1680s, an arched quadrangle with a slender hipped roof was built over the main square quadrangle. After Velikaya Street lost its significance at the end of the 17th century, the gates were closed, and the outlet archway and the lower tier of the tower were turned into a prison. In 1707, the loopholes of the Konstantino-Eleninskaya tower were cut out for more powerful cannons. In the 18th century, the diversion arrows and the bridge were demolished.


Konstantino-Eleninskaya Tower 1882-1996 photographer Barshchevsky I.F.

The arch of the blocked gate, partially covered by later layers, is still clearly visible on the façade of the tower from the side of Vasilyevsky Descent, as well as the recess for the gate icon and traces of vertical slots for the levers of the drawbridge.



On the upper platform of the main quadrangle there are machicolations; inside it is divided into two tiers, covered with brick vaults. The first tier was previously used for travel, and the second was used for office space. The ascent to the upper platform of the tower is via a narrow staircase located deep in the wall.



Konstantino-Eleninskaya Tower from the Kremlin wall

The tower was restored in the 1950s and 1970s.
Through the Timofeevsky Gate, located in ancient times on the site of the Konstantin-Eleninskaya Tower, Dmitry Donskoy





Alarm tower



The Alarm Tower is a tower on the wall of the Moscow Kremlin. Located on the slope of the Kremlin hill opposite St. Basil's Cathedral. The name comes from the Spassky alarm bell hanging on it, which served as a fire alarm.


This tower, which has preserved its ancient forms, was built in 1495. The main quadrangle ends with machicolations with a parapet. Its interior consists of two tiers: the lower one with a flat ceiling and numerous rooms, with stairs and openings providing access to the walls, and the upper one with a closed vault.



Alarm tower of the Moscow Kremlin. 1882-1896

In 1680, an upper arched quadrangle and a tent with an observation tower were added to the tower. The quadrangle is open into the cavity of the tent. The details and decoration of the upper quadrangle and tent (brick semi-columns of the quadrangle and observation tower with white stone capitals and belts) are reminiscent of the completion of the Arsenal Tower.
In total, there were three alarm bells in the Kremlin: Spassky (on the Alarm Tower), Troitsky and Tainitsky.



By decree of Alexei Mikhailovich in 1668, alarm signals were regulated:
. in the event of a fire in the Kremlin, “ring all three alarm bells in both directions, quickly”
. in the event of a fire in Kitai-Gorod, “to ring the Spassky alarm bell in one direction, soon”
. in the event of a fire in the White City - “sound the Spassky alarm at both ends and sound the alarm, which is quieter at both ends on the Trinity Bridge”
. In the event of a fire in Zemlyanoy Gorod, it is a “quiet custom” to sound the alarm on the Tainitskaya Tower
In 1771, during the Plague Riot, the rebels sounded the Spassky alarm and thus gathered Muscovites to the Kremlin. At the end of the riot, Catherine II ordered the removal of the tongue from the bell. For over 30 years the bell hung on the tower without a tongue. In 1803, the bell was moved to the Arsenal, and in 1821 - to the Armory, where it still hangs in the lobby.
The inscriptions on the bell say: “On the 6th day of July 1714, this alarm bell poured out from the old alarm bell which broke the Kremlin of the city to the Spassky Gate. It weighs 150 poods”, “The master Ivan Motorin ran this bell”.
In the 1970s, the Alarm Tower began to tilt due to the loss of soil density and a cracked foundation. After bracing the base of the tower with metal hoops and strengthening the soil, the tilt was stopped. However, the tower still deviates from the vertical by one meter.
Tsar's Tower



The Tsar's Tower is the youngest and smallest tower of the Moscow Kremlin, built in 1680.
Strictly speaking, this is not a tower, but a stone tower, a tent placed on the wall. Once upon a time there was a small wooden tower from which, according to legend, Tsar Ivan IV (the Terrible) loved to watch the events taking place on Red Square - hence the name of the tower.
White stone belts on the pillars, high pyramids in the corners with gilded flags, a tent ending with a gilded elegant weather vane - all this gives the tower the appearance of a fairy-tale mansion





A small turret was placed directly on the wall in the 80s of the 17th century (that is, almost two centuries later than the other towers) between the Spasskaya and Nabatnaya towers of the Kremlin. Its octagonal tent on jug-shaped pillars resembles the porch lockers of stone residential mansions that were common at that time.

The name of the tower is associated with a legend according to which it served as a kind of canopy over the royal throne, from where the sovereign of all Rus' could observe the events taking place on Red Square from the walls of the Kremlin (hence the name of the tower).

Senate Tower



The Senate Tower is one of the towers of the Moscow Kremlin wall. Located on the eastern side of the Kremlin between the Spasskaya and Nikolskaya towers.



Built in 1491 by the architect Pietro Antonio Solari. The tower received its name after the construction of the Senate Palace on the Kremlin territory was completed in 1787. Until that time it had no special name. In 1680, a stone tent was built over the tower, ending with a golden weather vane. Inside the tower has three tiers of vaulted rooms. Tower height 34 meters





In 1918, a plaque “To those who fell for peace and brotherhood of peoples”, made by sculptor S. T. Konenkov, was installed on the tower. In the 1920s, the board was removed and moved to the Russian Museum. In 1924, the Lenin Mausoleum was built in front of the tower on Red Square. In 1948, a passage was made from the tower to the Mausoleum so that members of the CPSU Central Committee could enter the stands directly from the Kremlin, bypassing Red Square.
NIKOLSKAYA TOWER



Gate icon of St. Nicholas of Mozhaisk

Built in 1491 according to the design of the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari. It is most likely that the tower received its name from the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, which was located on the eastern facade. A number of researchers believe that the tower was named after the monastery of St. Nicholas the Old, located nearby on ancient Nikolskaya Street.


Nikolsky Gate of the Kremlin and Alevizov Row. Alekseev, students. 1800s.

In 1612, it was through the gates of the Nikolskaya and Spasskaya towers that the people's militia, led by Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin, solemnly entered the Kremlin on November 1 (an agreement on the surrender of the Polish garrison was signed on October 27). In ancient times, a clock was placed on the tower, the last mention of which dates back to 1614.



In the fire of 1737, the Nikolskaya Tower burned down and after restoration under the leadership of I. F. Michurin acquired a baroque decor, like the original design of the Arsenal. By 1780 the tower was built on. I. Blank round top with a low tent.


In 1805-1806, the tower was completely rebuilt by the architect A. I. Ruska, together with A. N. Bakarev: the previous superstructure over the quadrangle was replaced by a Gothic octagonal top with a high white-stone tent and openwork decorations. The Gothic appearance is the main difference between the Nikolskaya Tower and other Kremlin towers.



In 1812, the Nikolskaya Tower was damaged in the explosion of the Arsenal by the French leaving Moscow: the tent collapsed, part of the passage gate was damaged, but part of the quadrangle with the gate icon of St. Nicholas of Mozhaisky was not touched



Nikolskaya Tower, 1883

News of the miracle soon reached the emperor. Arriving in Moscow, Alexander I personally became convinced of the safety of the icon and ordered, first of all, to restore the tower, and hang a marble plaque under the icon, the words for which he himself wrote: “In 1812, during the enemy invasion, this stronghold was almost all destroyed by the enemy’s explosion; but by the miraculous power of God St. The image of the great saint of God, St. Nicholas, here inscribed on the stone itself, and not only the image itself, but also the glass itself that covered it, the lantern with the candle remained unharmed. Who is God as great as our God! You are God, work miracles: God is marvelous in His saints.”



The tower was restored in 1816-1819 according to the design of the architect Osip Ivanovich Bove. During the restoration, some changes were made to both the design and architecture of the tower.
At the suggestion of the architect F.K. Sokolov, the white-stone tent was replaced with an iron one on a frame, and four white-stone phial towers were installed at the corners of the quadrangle to complement the Gothic appearance. The architect V. A. Bakarev participated in the restoration of the tower. The tower was painted white.


Near the St. Nicholas Gate there were single-domed chapels. On the left was the chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, on the right was the chapel of Alexander Nevsky. Initially wooden, then stone chapels were rebuilt several times, most recently in 1883. The chapels belonged to the Kazan Cathedral.


Destruction of the Kremlin in 1812. Nikolskaya Tower, Arsenal ruins, Arsenal Tower

The duties of the rectors of the chapels included caring for the unquenchable lamp at the gate icon of St. Nicholas of Mozhaisk. Above the entrances to the chapels there was an image of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Both chapels were demolished in 1925.


Watercolor.I.A.Weiss. 1852

At the end of October 1917, the tower and gates were heavily damaged as a result of artillery shelling; they were restored in 1918 by the architect N.V. Markovnikov. During the restoration in 1918, it was repainted from white to the common brick color of the Kremlin wall.


The marble plaque with the words of Alexander I was dismantled. On October 26, 1935, a semi-precious star was installed above the tent of the Nikolskaya Tower instead of a double-headed eagle. In 1937, the gem star was replaced with the modern ruby ​​star. The star of the Nikolskaya Tower has the largest number of faces per ray - 12.




Nikolsky Gate, November 1917



During the restoration of the tower in 1919, the gate image was renovated to the oldest design and the traces of bullets and shrapnel were repaired. In 1920-1922, on the initiative of the Restoration Department, the later paintings of angels on the sides of the central image were eliminated; the fresco of Nikolai Mozhaisky, as stated in 1925 in one of the documents, “is only partially preserved”



Until 2010, the gate icon was considered lost
.
On May 11, 2010, the chairman of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation, Vladimir Yakunin, reported the discovery of ancient icons on the Spasskaya and Nikolskaya towers of the Kremlin, hidden by plaster in their icon cases during Soviet times


On July 5, 2010, restoration work began on the Nikolskaya Tower. In the future, to protect the gate icon from rain, snow and other negative influences, it is planned to install glazing with a natural ventilation system or icon case.
On October 28, 2010, restoration work was finally completed.


Corner Arsenal Tower



Corner Arsenal Tower (Sobakina) is the most powerful tower of the Moscow Kremlin. It completed the defense line from Red Square and controlled the crossing of the Neglinnaya River to Torg



Built in 1492 by the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari (circa 1450-1493). From the moment of its construction, for a long time the tower was called Sobakina after the neighboring courtyard of the Sobakin boyars; It received its modern name after the construction of the Arsenal building in the 18th century. Initially, the Sobakina Tower was the tallest tower in the Kremlin



In the past, it performed not only defense functions. There was a well dug in the tower, which the fortress garrison could use in the event of a siege. From the Corner Arsenal Tower there was a secret passage to the Neglinnaya River, and its sixteen-sided volume had seven rows of loopholes; the passage and loopholes were probably laid in the 1670s-1680s during the construction of a base widening downward, attached in a semicircle to the original wall



In 1672-1686, an octagonal tent was erected above the tower on a stepped base, which ended in an openwork octagon with a tent and a weather vane. In 1707, Peter I, in the course of preparing Moscow for defense against the Swedes, gave the order to clear away the remaining five tiers of tower loopholes to install artillery.



In 1812, during the explosion of the Arsenal by French troops, cracks formed in the walls of the tower and the watchtower collapsed.



Soon the tower was restored to its previous forms by the architect O. I. Bove. In 1894, the tower was repaired, the interiors were remodeled and it was adapted to house the Moscow provincial archive. In the 1948-1950s, during the restoration of the tower, the embrasures located in six levels were restored to their original forms



Middle Arsenal Tower



The Middle Arsenal Tower is a tower of the Moscow Kremlin, located on the northwestern side of the Kremlin wall, stretching along the Alexander Garden.







The tower was built in 1493-1495 on the northwestern side of the Kremlin wall, on the site of the corner tower of the time of Dmitry Donskoy. In the 15th-16th centuries there were dams near the tower on the Neglinnaya River. In the 1680s, it was completed - an open quadrangle with a tetrahedral tent, completed with a through watchtower with a tent.







The tower received its current name during the construction of the Arsenal building at the beginning of the 18th century. Previously, it was called Granena - from the facade dissected on the edge. In 1821, when laying out the Alexander Garden, a pleasure grotto was built at the foot of the tower according to the design of O. I. Bove.



Kremlin in the morning
2007

Photos used by Ilya Varlamov “Walking along the Kremlin Wall”, Wikimedia
(To be continued)

The first mention of the word Kremlin appears in the Resurrection Chronicle in 1331, then there were still light wooden walls. In 1339, Ivan Kalita replaced them with new wooden walls made of durable oak, and in 1367, Prince Dmitry Donskoy erected impenetrable white stone walls in place of the old ones.

(Walls of the Moscow Kremlin under Ivan III at the end of the 15th century. Painting by A. Vasnetsov)

In 1485, architects from Italy Mark Fryazin, Anton Fryazin, Aloiso di Carcano began the long work of erecting the walls of the Moscow Kremlin following the construction of the first tower - Tainitskaya. The work took five years, during which a wall was built on the most threatened southern side, and seven towers were erected. Then the walls began to be built on the side of the square, today's Red Square. Then Ivan III, by order, demolished all the buildings near the old Kremlin walls for the convenient construction of new ones. Then, over the next 30 years, all the other Kremlin towers were built along with the walls.

We still see these red brick walls today. They beautifully decorate the slopes of Borovitsky Hill in red, made of brick chips with graceful architectural towers.

Characteristics of the Kremlin walls:

The length of the entire wall is 2235 meters;

Thickness from 3.5 to 6.5 meters;

Height from 5 to 19 meters.

The structure of the Kremlin wall:

The inside wall consists of cobblestones and white stones, they are filled with lime mortar.

A military passage was made at the top of the wall; it is fenced on the defended side with sharp two-angled teeth, there are 1045 teeth in total.

The towers fit not only into the architectural ensemble of the Kremlin, but also performed a military-defensive task, making the fortress one of the impregnable in Europe.

In total, there are 18 towers in the Kremlin wall. Three of them: Vodovzvodnaya, Beklemishevskaya and Arsenalnaya went beyond the walls, thus holding back the attack by defending. Another six, powerful, well-equipped from a military point of view, are travel passes for defensive purposes.

In the mid-17th century, the four towers were decorated with imperial double-headed eagles, which were replaced in the Soviet 1930s with red stars covered in ruby. Then the stars were placed not on four, but on five towers, adding a fifth star to Vodovzvodnaya tower.

In contact with

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 Kremlin territory was expanded eastward.

Lilya Dal (Biryukova), CC BY-SA 3.0

About 20 years after the construction of the Kremlin wall, the Kitay-Gorod wall was added to it, hugging the entire Kitay-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 tallest tower is Trinity, it has a height of 79.3 m. Most of the towers are from the second half of the 17th century. designed in the same architectural style.

Necropolis

The northeastern section of the wall, facing the northern part of 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 from different sides there was a mistake in joining. This “error” divides the wall between the towers in an approximate ratio of 1 to 2, counting from Blagoveshchenskaya.