In the second half of the 15th century, when Moscow became political and cultural center Russian lands, the Kremlin was rebuilt with the participation of Italian architects. Its center was Cathedral Square with the Assumption Cathedral built by the architect Aristotle Fioravanti (1475-79) - the tomb of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs, the place of weddings and coronations of great princes, then tsars and emperors. Pskov craftsmen erected the Church of the Deposition of the Robe (1484-88) and the Annunciation Cathedral (1484-89) - the home church of the Moscow sovereigns. In 1505-08, the Archangel Cathedral was built - the tomb of Russian princes and tsars (before Ivan V Alekseevich). The stone sovereign palace (on the site of the modern Grand Kremlin Palace) with the Faceted Chamber (1487-91) completed the design of the western side Cathedral Square. The Ivan the Great bell tower became the center of the Kremlin ensemble. In 1485-95, around the Kremlin, taking into account the traditions of Russian defensive architecture and the achievements of Western European fortification, the existing walls and towers were built from red brick with internal backfilling made of cobblestones and white stone on lime mortar. The Kremlin became one of the most powerful fortresses in Europe.

INSCRIPTION ABOVE THE GATES OF THE SPASSKAYA TOWER

“In the summer of July 6999 (1491), by the grace of God, this archer was made by order of John Vasilyevich, the sovereign and autocrat of all Russia and the Grand Duke of Volodymyr and Moscow and Novgorod and Pskov and Tver and Ugra and Vyatka and Perm and Bulgaria and others in the 30th year of the state it was made by Peter Anthony Solario from the city of Mediolan (Milan - ed.).”

ARCHITECTS OF THE NEW ENSEMBLE OF THE MOSCOW KREMLIN

To realize the plan of Ivan III - to turn the Kremlin into a symbol of the Russian state, a demonstration of its greatness and power - architecture was one of the most important means. And the prince turns the Kremlin into a monumental ensemble. Almost all the buildings of the Kremlin - towers, walls, buildings on the central Kremlin square - not only stand in the same places and bear the same names where they began to be built and as Ivan Kalita called them in the 30s of the 14th century, but they even look the same as they looked during the reign of Ivan III...

The prince, on the advice of “Greek Sophia,” invited architects from Italy. The first to arrive from Bologna in 1474 was Aristotle Fioravanti with his son Andrei.

The Italian architect was 58 years old at that time, and he had already gone down in Italian history as the author of palaces, fortresses and fortifications for many Italian dukes and even for the Hungarian king, as the man who moved a huge bell tower from place to place. In Bologna, Fioravanti was about to begin construction of the Palazzo del Podesta, the model of which had so delighted his compatriots. But he went far to the east to enter the history of another people - the Russians.

Aristotle was settled in the Kremlin, given enormous powers, and work began to boil. Ivan III himself understood that the white stone walls were an unreliable defender; they would not withstand cannon fire. The Kremlin should be built in brick. And the Italian first built a brick factory on the Yauza River. The bricks produced at this factory according to Fioravanti’s own recipe were unusually strong. They were narrower and longer than usual, and therefore they began to be called “Aristotelian”.

Having created the general layout of the Kremlin fortress and its center - Cathedral Square, the Italian headed the construction of the Assumption Cathedral - the main cathedral of Moscow Rus'. The temple was supposed to carry a huge “preaching” meaning; it was supposed to announce to the world the birth of a new state, and therefore it was necessary to embody the truly national character of culture. Aristotle began to become acquainted with examples of Russian architecture in Vladimir, in northern Rus', and when, after four years of work, the five-domed cathedral was ready, it captured the imagination of his contemporaries. He looked “like one stone,” and with this feeling of monolith he inspired the idea of ​​the monolithic nature of the entire people. It cannot be considered accidental that a year after the completion of the cathedral, Ivan III refused to pay tribute to the Golden Horde.

In those same years, Pskov craftsmen, still unknown to us, were rebuilding the Annunciation Cathedral - the house church of the royal court. In the basement of this cathedral, a new Treasury Courtyard was built - the Treasury Depository, the deep white stone cellars of which lasted for three centuries. The Treasury was built by another Italian - Marco Ruffo, whose name we associate with another remarkable Kremlin building - the Chamber of Facets - the ceremonial throne room of the future Russian tsars. For the 15th century, the Chamber of Facets represents a unique creation: a hall with an area of ​​500 square meters, the vaults of which rest on only one central pillar.

Marco Ruffo just started this chamber. He completed the work together with the architect Pietro Antonio Solari, who arrived from Italy - one of the legendary builders of the Milan Cathedral. It was Solari who was responsible for the main engineering solution for the Faceted Chamber, which was later named so for the tetrahedral stones with which it is lined. Both architects simultaneously built the stone sovereign's palace.

One can only regret that Solari lived in Moscow so little - in 1493, three years after his arrival, he suddenly died. But even in three years he did too much and, most importantly, brought to life the plan of Ivan III: to turn the Moscow Kremlin into the most impregnable fortress in Europe. The new fortress walls, 2235 meters long, ranged in height from 5 to 19 meters. Inside the walls, the thickness of which reached from 3.5 to 6.5 meters, closed galleries were arranged for the secret movement of soldiers. To prevent enemy undermining, there were many secret passages and “rumors” from the Kremlin.

Its towers became the centers of the Kremlin's defense. The first was erected in the very middle of the wall, facing the Moscow River. It was built under the direction of the Italian master Anton Fryazin in 1485. Since there was a secret spring under the tower, they called it Tainitskaya.

After this, almost every year it is built new tower: Beklemishevskaya (Marco Ruffo), Vodovzvodnaya (Anton Fryazin), Borovitskaya, Konstantino-Eleninskaya (Pietro Antonio Solari). And finally, in 1491, two towers were erected on Red Square - Nikolskaya and Frolovskaya, - the latter would later become known to the whole world as Spasskaya (as it was named in 1658 by a royal decree in the image of the Savior of Smolensk, written above the gates of the tower in memory of the liberation by Russian troops city ​​of Smolensk). The Spasskaya Tower became the main, main entrance to the Kremlin...

In 1494, Aleviz Fryazin (Milanets) came to Moscow. For ten years he built the stone chambers that became part of Terem Palace Kremlin. He erected both the Kremlin walls and towers along the Neglinnaya River. He also owned the main hydraulic structures of Moscow in those years: the dams on Neglinnaya and ditches along the walls of the Kremlin.

In 1504, shortly before his death, Ivan III invited another “Fryazin” to Moscow, who received the name Aleviz Fryazin the New (Venetian). He came from Bakhchisarai, where he was building a palace for the khan. Vasily III already saw the creations of the new architect. It was under him that the Venetian built eleven churches (which have not survived to this day) and the cathedral, which now serves as the decoration of the Moscow Kremlin - Arkhangelsk, designed in the best traditions of ancient Russian architecture. One feels that its creator was greatly influenced by the original Russian culture.

At the same time, in 1505-1508, the famous Ivan the Great bell tower was built. Its architect Bon-Fryazin, having erected this pillar, which later reached 81 meters, accurately calculated that this architectural vertical would dominate the entire ensemble, giving it a unique color.

The construction of the Moscow Kremlin was an outstanding event for its time. Even if we consider the beginning of the construction of the ensemble to be 1475 - the year of the foundation of the last, fourth version of the Assumption Cathedral, and the end of construction - the construction of the last Kremlin fortifications in 1516, we have to admit that all this splendor and power was created in thirty (!) years.

04/21/2012 admin Tags: ,

How to get to the Kremlin
Dear readers! This article was written in 2012. We constantly monitor changes in the situation in the Kremlin and, if necessary, edit the text. The last update was made in March 2019. The algorithm for purchasing tickets and access to the Kremlin remains the same.
To be sure to buy tickets to the Armory Chamber, we recommend purchasing them online on the Moscow Kremlin website.

For those for whom it is important to save themselves from reading a tedious article of 1700 words and quickly buy tickets and a tour to the Kremlin, I offer an alternative.

How to get to the Kremlin

Be careful! Many websites are misleading and give incorrect information about ticket prices to the Kremlin. Tickets have increased in price since February 2019.
Summary of the article

  • How to get to the Kremlin.
  • Where to buy tickets to the Kremlin
  • Where are the Kremlin ticket offices?
  • Tickets to the Kremlin. How much are?
  • Excursions to the Kremlin

All the aspirations of those who want to meet cultural heritage capitals are directed towards the Kremlin. What do you need to know in order to watch all three Kremlin components ( , ; ; ) with minimal losses?

Part one. For Russian and Russian-speaking tourists.

How to get to the Kremlin. For visitors

Attention! With the onset of the warm season (from mid-April), the queues for tickets to the Kremlin have increased! On weekends, be prepared to spend 30 minutes or more at the checkout! During the summer on Saturdays, there is a long line at the box office long before its opening, by 9 o'clock in the morning there may already be a substantial tail standing.

– Day off is Thursday. On holidays the Kremlin is usually open. But there are special events, meetings of foreign heads of state, inaugurations again. In such exceptional cases it is closed.

– works in sessions. There are four of them - at 10, 12, 14.30 and 16.30

– Opening hours of the Moscow Kremlin Museum-Reserve are from 10:00 to 17:00 in winter, from 9:30 to 18:00 in summer (from mid-May to mid-September). closes at 18:00. open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., lunch break: 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.


The Borovitsky Gate of the Kremlin is intended for vehicles. The entrance to the Kremlin is to the left of the gate through the arch.

To get to the Borovitsky Gate you need to go from the ticket office along the road, it is shown in the picture. If you stand facing the cash register, then to the right. Borovitsky Gate of the Kremlin is NOT visible from the ticket office

In the top photo, the Borovitskaya Tower is barely visible in the distance on the left. On the way to the Borovitskaya Tower you will pass by the recently erected monument to Emperor Alexander I.


The monument to Tsar Alexander I was erected in the Alexander Garden between the Commandant (pictured) and Armory towers

When entering the Borovitsky Gate, you need to present an entrance ticket to the Kremlin or the Armory and go through a security check.


Officers at the entrance to the Kremlin through the Borovitsky Gate will ask you to open your bags and lay out all the contents of your pockets on the table. Be sure to inquire about the availability of tickets.

You will be asked to show your ticket either in the building (ticket to visit the Armory Chamber) or at the very end of the long building of the Armory Chamber. There you need to present a ticket to the Kremlin territory.

You can enter the Kremlin through the Trinity Gate

The Trinity Gate is located in the Alexander Garden, in the Trinity Tower, which is connected by a bridge to the Kutafya Tower. Ticket control and inspection is carried out at the Kutafya Tower.


The photo shows the Kutafya Tower (left), Trinity Tower (right). They are connected by the Trinity Bridge. After inspection by officers of the Kremlin commandant's office (the procedure is the same as at an airport), visitors enter the Kremlin through the Trinity Gate. Metal detectors are very sensitive. Be prepared to empty all your change from your pockets.

At the bottom, at the stairs, you need to present a ticket to the territory of the Kremlin or the Armory Chamber.


At the bottom of the stairs there is a lone ticket inspector checking the availability of tickets for those wishing to visit the Kremlin. (Taken on a weekday afternoon in the fall).

Here are the diagrams for clarity.

– You cannot enter the Kremlin with large bags, backpacks, or suitcases. These things are left in a storage room near the Kutafya Tower of the Kremlin. (Water will not be taken into the storage room; take bottles with you to the Kremlin). Handbags, which sometimes come in quite large sizes, can be carried. It is prohibited to bring ANY weapons into the Kremlin, including gas cans and pocket knives. Professional photo and video shooting on the territory of the Kremlin is prohibited.

Entrance to the Kremlin with luggage - bags and backpacks

ENTRANCE TO THE KREMLIN WITH BACKPACKS is sometimes allowed, sometimes prohibited. It is better to leave a large backpack in a storage room under the Kutafya Tower. It works from 10 to 18. Lunch breaks are from 11:00 to 11:30 and from 15:30 to 16:00.


Luggage storage is to the left of the stairs. The Kutafya Tower is visible at the top.

Details about the operation of the storage room can be found on the official Kremlin website. http://www.kreml.ru/visit-to-kremlin/ticket-prices/kamera-khraneniya1/

When is the best time to visit the Kremlin?

If you want to see the Kremlin in the morning and buy tickets for a 10-hour show (the museum's ticket office opens half an hour before the Kremlin opens), in the summer it is better to come early. On weekday mornings at 9.30 am the queue is usually small. Sometimes it’s not there at all. On weekends, people gather early in the morning. In the summer at 11 o'clock, there is a decent crowd at the Kremlin ticket office. I remind you once again that in the summer on Saturdays when the guard of honor ceremony takes place, The line at the cash register is very long even in the morning .


Not the longest line at the ticket office of the Moscow Kremlin museums

Upon entering the museum, you will be subject to a serious search carried out by the Kremlin Commandant's Office and passage through very sensitive metal detectors. There is a queue at the Borovitsky Gate in the morning: from 10 to 11 and around 12 and 14 o’clock - people gather to get into the Armory Chamber at 12 or 14.30 and at

The best time to explore the Kremlin on your own

General advice. During the warm season, weekends and holiday It’s better to come to the Kremlin ticket office early. But if possible, go to the Kremlin in WEEKDAY day. The most best time to visit the Kremlin – afternoon. Around 2 p.m. Schoolchildren visit the Kremlin in the morning excursion groups. Plan to visit the Armory at 4:30 p.m. In the second half weekday there is a high chance that you will end up in Diamond fund.

It often happens that all tickets in already sold. Then at the cash registers there is a sign like this:


Tickets for evening sessions run out very quickly at the box office!

The ideal option is to go to the Kremlin ticket office in the Alexander Garden around 2 p.m. Buy a ticket to visit the Kremlin territory. Maybe they will even sell you a ticket to the Armory Chamber and the Diamond Fund. Although, until recently, tickets to the Armory were sold only 40 minutes before the start of the show.

We'll tell you about it separately.

Dear sirs, if you still have questions on the topic “How to get to the Kremlin,” please re-read the article again and look at the comments. They have answers to many questions!
Let me remind you that some frequently asked questions are answered in a separate publication (comments to it are still open, if you have any questions, ask, we will try to answer). I hope that the article will help you get into the Kremlin.

Dear Muscovites and guests of the capital! Before entering the Kremlin, we strongly recommend that you resolve technical issues using, excuse me, the toilet in the Alexander Garden. On the territory of the Kremlin there is a nanotech toilet with an eternal queue. There is also a toilet in the Armory building, but you can’t get there from the street without a ticket. Therefore, we repeat again - the optimal solution technical problems located in the Alexander Garden opposite the Kremlin ticket office.

We described the rules for undergoing security checks at the entrance to the Kremlin in the publication.
We recommend you a service where in a couple of minutes you can book any excursion to the Kremlin. Let's offer two of them:

Our articles to help travelers

There are additional publications for this article, where we talked in detail about
,
And
.

Author's excursions

On high hill The city center has long been located at the confluence of the Neglinnaya and Moscow Rivers. However appearance the fortress wall did not correspond to the power of the state. By the end of the 15th century, the walls made of white stone (limestone) had become dilapidated, and the appearance of artillery required fundamentally new system– fortification. The invited Italians began to build new fortifications ( Mark Fryazin...). The new Kremlin wall is more than 2 km long, has 18 towers, and forms an irregular triangle in plan. At the corners of the walls, 3 round towers were placed; hiding places were built in them - wells; in places where important roads approached, 6 quadrangular passage towers with gates were erected; in front of them were towers - archers with rising gratings; bridges across the ditch were lowered from the gates of the archers on chains. The remaining towers were blind, that is, not passable. The towers were topped with wooden tents with watchtowers, in some towers bells or alarms were placed, along the perimeter the wall was decorated with battlements, the height of which reached 2.5 m, the height of the walls was about 19 m, and the thickness was 6.5 m. underground passages. The tower was made of red brick, and the base of the walls remained white stone. In terms of beauty and inaccessibility, the Kremlin was among the best fortresses of its era.

In the 17th century, the monumental style was replaced by a picturesque decorative style, the shapes of buildings became more complex, the walls were covered with multi-colored ornaments, carvings, and brick patterns. After the liberation of Moscow from Polish invaders in 1612, the Kremlin was restored. A stone tent covered with tiles rose above the Frolovskaya Tower (now the Spasskaya Tower - the main entrance to the Kremlin). The Spasskaya Tower has a lower quadrangle (square in plan), which is completed by a belt of arches with a white stone pattern; in the arches there are statues (blockheads) above the arcature belt - turrets, pyramids, sculptures of strange animals. At the corners of the quadrangle
gilded weather vanes, on the lower quadrangle there is another two-tiered smaller clock on it - a chime (English watchmaker Christopher Galovey). The second quadrangle turns into an octagon, which ends with a stone gazebo with keeled arches (currant pattern). There are chimes in the gazebos. The architecture of this tower combines features of Western European Gothic and Russian Middle Ages. The tower was renamed in 1658, thanks to the inscription above the gate, the image of Christ.

Temples of the Moscow Kremlin

Assumption Cathedral 1472 The main temple of the Kremlin, because it was where kings were crowned. The cathedral was supposed to be larger in size than all existing churches in Rus'. 2 years after the start of work, the northern wall collapsed. Construction was continued by Alberti Fioravanti, a master from Bologna, (region of Italy), nicknamed Aristotle in Rus'. The master connected the blocks of white stone (limestone) with iron clamps. After 4 years, construction was completed.

Characteristics of the cathedral: smooth walls are dissected by wide blades (flat protrusions), the belt on the facade consists of columns and arches, narrow slit-like windows, the entrances are decorated with picturesque portals, 5 altar apses, the walls are crowned with zakomaras (to emphasize the national character), five domes. The cathedral was built in the likeness of the Vladimir Assumption Cathedral.

Annunciation Cathedral (Golden-Domed). Also called the prince's house church. Here, artistic techniques of various architectural schools are used - Vladimir, Pskov, Novgorod.

Characteristics of the temple: high basement (lower floor), the cathedral has the shape of a cube, 3 apses, keel-shaped zakomaras, 9 domes, the roof repeats the outlines of the gilded zakomaras.


Cathedral of the Archangel. Family tomb of the family of the Grand Dukes. Master – Aleviz Novy (Italian). He built the temple in the traditions of Russian architecture in the Italian style.

Characteristics of the cathedral: a six-pillar temple crowned with 5 domes, the facade is divided by a cornice into 2 horizontal parts, and Russian blades are replaced with pilasters ending in capitals, the zakomari are separated by another cornice, and shells are placed inside them.

The Faceted Chamber is the throne room. The word chamber comes from the Italian palazzo, and the name comes from the decoration of the facade with cut stone.

The plan is a square with one column in the center, on which 4 arches rest. In ancient times it had a hipped roof.

Ivanovo Bell Tower. The bell tower received its name from the Church of St. John located at its base. The bell tower is a pillar of two octahedrons placed one on top of the other and a chapter crowning them. Each tier ends with arched openings through which the bells are visible. The bell tower unites everything architectural ensemble Kremlin.

At the turn of the 16th – 17th centuries, another tier was added, and overall height The bell tower was 81 m. Later, a quadrangular belfry with a powerful head for heavy bells and a Filaret extension with a tent and pyramids were added to the bell tower.

Tent architecture 16th century

The reign of Vasily 3. The temple became a monument associated with the birth of the heir of John 4 (Ivan the Terrible) Ascension in Kolomenskoye. The symbolism of the temple speaks of two events: 1 – heavenly, the ascension of the Son of God to the Father; 2 – earthly, the birth of the heir to the Moscow throne. The powerful foundation of the temple grows from an intricacy of galleries. The multifaceted pointed base ends with triple pointed kokoshniks. And above them rises a tent. The edges of the tent are intertwined with garlands that look like strings of pearls. Its top is covered with a small cupola with a gilded cross.

St. Basil's Cathedral (Pokrovsky). 1555 – 1561 Named after the famous Moscow holy fool, buried in 1552 near the walls of the Trinity Church, which originally stood on this site. The idea of ​​building a temple was born in memory of the capture of Kazan in 1552. According to one version, the temple was built by masters Barma and Postnik. The distinctive feature of this temple is its multi-side chapel. ( Side chapel- this is an extension to the church where worship can take place). The composition of the temple: around the central, highest pillar, on the cardinal points, there are 4 large temples, and 4 small ones diagonally. Tower-shaped volumes start from the ground itself and are perceived as independent volumes, at the same time they form a complex pyramidal composition, which is distinguished by artistic unity and dynamism. Most researchers see in this temple the embodiment of the symbolic image of Jerusalem. The interiors are like dark labyrinths, and the viewer’s main attention is focused on its external monumental appearance. In addition to the complexity of the silhouette, the volumes are decorated machismos(mounted bainitsa, attributes of fortress architecture). The facades are decorated panels(frame, recess), lucarnes(window openings) and multi-tiered kokoshniks. The original color scheme was more restrained. In the 17th century, the cathedral was decorated: individual architectural details were painted, complex patterns and multicolors appeared, the walls of the cathedral (inside and outside) were painted with ornaments. The architecture of the cathedral acquired the image of a marvelous garden, a fantasy of paradise.

This design of temples with a high silhouette but small internal space was very suitable for the construction of monument temples. In the 17th century, architecture became more and more elegant. From the main floor, the tent turns into a decorative detail.

Merchant architecture

The 17th century began with a terrible famine, cholera, then robberies and robberies, turmoil began: the invasion of the Poles and Swedes, the death of Boris Godunov, the murder of False Dmitry and the emergence of new impostors. Therefore, until the 20s of the 17th century there was no construction. The builders have lost their art.


In the 30s of the 17th century, architects took a new path. Moscow became an example of new architecture Trinity Church in Nikitki, placed in the courtyard of the merchant Nikitnikov.

The church is small in size, elegant: against the red background of brick walls, white stone details (platbands, columns, rows of kokoshniks, etc.) stand out. Compared to ancient temples, the church is striking in its liveliness and diversity; one gets the feeling that it is growing and developing like a tree. The church is not symmetrical, which creates a feeling of dynamics. They went there to pray not to the God they feared, but to the one who helped man in his earthly affairs. The architecture is joyful, does not elevate a person, but does not frighten him either.

Patriarch Nikon saw in the pattern an inappropriate deviation from the original samples. Nikon forbade the construction of tented churches. All buildings of this time were distinguished by severity and severity, reaching the point of asceticism. However, the tsar was dissatisfied with the patriarch's claims to the supreme power of the state. The gap between them led to exile and the deposition of the patriarch. Patterned architecture continued its march across the country.

In 2/half 15th century Moscow State significantly strengthens and gradually annexes the Yaroslavl, Rostov, Ryazan, Tver principalities, Novgorod and Pskov. In 1480, Muscovite Rus' was finally freed from the Monogol-Tatar yoke and in the 1550s. annexes the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates with lands along the entire Volga. The borders of Russia reach the Urals.
The socio-political system of the country is also changing - it is acquiring the features of a single centralized state, headed by a sovereign hereditary monarch. The central government influences all spheres of the country’s life - military, judicial, cultural, etc.
The idea of ​​“Moscow is the third Rome” arose, which asserted the continuity of power of the Moscow princes from the Byzantine emperors and was intended to strengthen the autocracy. The unification of all northeastern Russian lands within a single state led to widespread construction activity. Particular attention was paid to Moscow, which attracted numerous craftsmen from other cities.

Under Ivan 3 in 1485-1516. new ones are being built brick walls of the Moscow Kremlin. The work was supervised by Italian masters Marco Fryazin, Pietro Antonio Solari, Aleviz. Ivan 3 sought to use the latest European fortification achievements, but the entire ensemble of walls and towers was based on original Russian traditions. The builders almost completely preserved the location of the walls erected under D. Donskoy, and also preserved the center of the Kremlin with a group of cathedrals and princely palace. The Kremlin, built from brick, became more majestic and solemn. The walls and towers became taller and more representative (the tower tents were erected in the 17th century). In the 15th century The Kremlin occupied an area of ​​27 hectares and had the shape of a triangle. The height of the walls ranged from 6 to 17 m, thickness - from 3 to 5 m. The corners and walls were fortified with 18 towers, somewhat protruding from the thickness of the walls. The distance between the towers was determined by the range of flanking fire from 2 adjacent towers.
The main high-rise emphasis of the Kremlin has become pillar of Ivan the Great- a bell tower, 81 m high, from the height of which you can see the surroundings at 24-30 km. The first floors were built in 1505-1508. architect Bon Fryazin. In 1600, presumably under the leadership of Fyodor Kon, the remaining floors were completed. The internal staircase of the tower has 329 steps, and the pyramidal foundation of the bell tower is almost 10 m deep. The bell tower is considered a masterpiece of Muscovite Rus' architecture of the 16th century. Next to the Ivan the Great Bell Tower there is the Assumption Belfry and Filaret's Annex.
Assumption Cathedral - the central building of the Kremlin. Its construction began back in 1472 by Moscow architects Myshkin and Krivtsov, but the almost finished building collapsed. Pskov craftsmen refused to build the cathedral, then Ivan III invited the architect and engineer Aristotle Fiorovanti from Bologna.

Assumption Cathedral
Fiorovanti took the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir as a model, significantly reworking and changing the prototype. The 5-domed white stone church with five apses that he built is distinguished by clarity and great clarity of divisions. The composition of the facade is based on the proportions of the golden section. Despite its large size, the cathedral is compact. The powerful five-domed structure of the Assumption Cathedral becomes an example for Russian churches of the 16th and 17th centuries. The interior space of the cathedral, divided into three naves, is distinguished by greater unity and spaciousness due to the relative thinness of the pillars, as well as the small thickness of the walls. Not far from the Assumption Cathedral, Pskov craftsmen built Blagoveshchensky cathedral(1484 - 1489). It makes a festive impression thanks to 9 gilded onion domes, an abundance of decorative details (arcature frieze of the apses, decoration of windows and drums of the domes), as well as the bizarre rhythm of the keel-shaped completions of the facades. A. Rublev and F. Grek worked on the paintings of the Annunciation Cathedral, and they also created some of the icons of its iconostasis.
The Annunciation Cathedral harmonizes well with Chamber of Facets, which was built by Pietro Antonio Solari and Mark Fryazin in 1487-1491. The two-story building consisted of two rooms: a vestibule and a main hall on the 2nd floor. The main hall had an area of ​​approx. 500 m2 and was the largest hall in Moscow Rus' at that time. It was covered with a system of 4 cross vaults resting on a powerful square pillar in the center. The walls and vaults of the Chamber of Facets were painted with frescoes, and the white stone floor was covered with flat carvings. There were benches along the walls, and in the right corner of the entrance was the throne of the Grand Duke. The Faceted Chamber received its name from the faceted rustication with which its eastern part is lined.
The third cathedral, defining the Kremlin ensemble - Arkhangelsk(Archangel Michael), was erected by Aleviz the New in 1505-1508. It is based on a traditional composition typical of an ancient Russian temple having a cubic shape, topped with five domes. Aleviz, in the design of the facades, used Renaissance details that organically combine with native Russian forms. The cathedral has a pronounced floor-to-floor division of the facades with cornices; Corinthian pilasters are used instead of blades. The zakomars were decorated with shells, a favorite motif in Venetian architecture, and received a decorative function.

ARCHITECTURE OF MOSCOW IN THE XIV-XVII CENTURIES Russia in the 14th century Western lands were captured by Lithuania. Monasteries were of great importance in that period, becoming not only defensive, but also economic centers. The unification of lands took place around monasteries and new cities, and a number of centers began to fight for primacy. The most intense struggle in the The 14th century unfolded between Moscow and Tver. In 1273, Nevsky's son Daniil became the first independent prince of Moscow. Under him, Kolomna and Pereyaslavl were annexed to Moscow.

Moscow was first mentioned in the chronicle of 1147. The ancient Kremlin of Yuri Dolgoruky occupied less than half of the current Kremlin. Under Ivan Kalita (13041340), the old wooden walls of the Kremlin were replaced with oak ones... A. Vasnetsov. Moscow Kremlin under Ivan Kalita.

... and his grandson Dmitry Donskoy (13501389) erected a white stone Kremlin in place of the wooden one. Moscow Kremlin under Dmitry Donskoy. A. Vasnetsov.

By the end of the 15th century, Rus' freed itself from the yoke of the Golden Horde. The Moscow principality united many Russian lands. Moscow became its capital. Ivan III (14401505) needed a new residence. The Moscow Kremlin became it. Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius near Moscow.

MOSCOW KREMLIN “As the whole earth looks at the sun with a billion eyes So thoughts best people are crowding around the Kremlin." At the invitation of Ivan III, craftsmen from Pskov, Tver, and Rostov came to Moscow, but the work was supervised by Italians - “Fryazins”. Construction began in 1485. The white walls were lined with red brick, battlements and roofing were added to the walls, the Kremlin now had 18 towers with several floors, corner towers - round (3), passageways (6 of them) with archers (only one has survived - Kutafya). The Kremlin was surrounded by a ditch (35 m wide, 12 m deep) which lost its defensive significance already in the next century

Kremlin buildings

The Moscow Kremlin has 20 towers and they are all different, no two are alike. Each tower has its own name and its own history.

Assumption Cathedral The cathedral took almost five years to build (14751479). Its construction was supervised by the Italian architect and engineer Aristotle Fioravanti. The Assumption Cathedral in the city of Vladimir was taken as a model for construction. Russian princes and tsars were crowned in this cathedral.

Annunciation Cathedral The cathedral was built by unknown Pskov masters in 1484-1489. on the site of the cathedral of the same name from the second half of the 14th century. The cathedral received its final completion in 1560-1570. under Ivan the Terrible. The temple served as the home church of the great princes.

Archangel Cathedral Its construction was supervised (1505-1508) by the Italian architect Aleviz Fryazin Novy, a native of Venice. The rulers of the Moscow state, tsars, and their sons were buried in the cathedral. There are a total of 55 tombstones in the cathedral.

The Bell Tower of Ivan the Great and the Church of the Ascension were built in 1505-1508. Located on Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin. At the base of the bell tower there is a church. After the superstructure to a height of 81 m in 1600 it was the most tall building Moscow until the beginning of the 18th century. There are a total of 34 bells in the bell tower. In the old days, the royal decrees were read at the bell tower - loudly, “in the whole of Ivanovo,” as they said then.

The Faceted Chamber was built by Italian architects Mark Fryazin and Pier Antonio Solari in 1487-1491.

Customer: led. book Ivan III Material: brick, white stone cladding Function: state hall of the prince's palace Description: single-pillar chamber, square in plan, covered with four cross vaults. t t a a, k k v a a d d r r a t t n n a a i am in v p p l a a n e, p p e e r e e k k r r The chamber was part of the ensemble of the Grand Duke's palace, connected to it by open passages. Feature of the risalit (edges of masonry) on the facade

Intercession Cathedral or St. Basil's Cathedral (15551561) Architect: Barma Postnik Client: Ivan the Terrible Material: brick, white stone, glazed ceramics Semantics: votive temple in honor of the capture of Kazan Type: ensemble of a tent-roofed (and eight pillar-shaped churches; the central volume is a tent-roofed church.

NEW TRENDS IN RUSSIAN ART OF THE 16TH CENTURY In this century, especially in its second half: 1) iconographic canons are collapsing; 2) the love for decorative detailing in architecture reaches its apogee; 3) there is a convergence of religious and civil construction, which is acquiring unprecedented scope; 4) there is a process of “secularization” of art, that is, liberation from church influence. In the 16th century, Moscow acquired leading importance not only in all Russian culture (in architecture, icon painting, and decorative and applied arts). Moscow retained its leading position until the beginning of the 18th century, when the capital was moved to St. Petersburg. In the workshops of the Moscow Kremlin in the XVI-XVII centuries. The best masters, invited from all over Russia and from abroad, worked.