The Kremlin
The Kremlin is the symbol of first
Russian and later Soviet power and authority. Its crenellated red brick walls
and 20 towers were built at the end of the 15th century, when a host of Italian
builders arrived in Moscow at the invitation of Ivan III the Great. Of the most
important towers, the Saviour (Spasskaya) Tower leading to Red Square was built
in 1491 by Pietro Solario, who designed most of the main towers; its belfry was
added in 1624-25. The chimes of its clock are broadcast by radio as a time signal
to the whole nation. Also on the Red Square front is the St. Nicholas
(Nikolskaya) Tower, built originally in 1491 and rebuilt in 1806. The two other
principal gate towers--the Trinity (Troitskaya) Tower, with a bridge and outer
barbican (the Kutafya Tower), and the Borovitskaya Tower--lie on the western
wall.
Within the Kremlin walls is one of
the most striking and beautiful architectural ensembles in the world: a
combination of churches and palaces, which are open to the public and are among
the city's most popular tourist attractions, and the highest offices of the
state, which are surrounded by strict security. Around the central Cathedral
Square (Sobornaya Ploshchad) are grouped three magnificent cathedrals, superb
examples of Russian church architecture at its height in the late 15th and
early 16th centuries. These and the other churches in the Kremlin ceased
functioning as places of worship after the Revolution and are now museums. The
white stone Cathedral of the Assumption (Uspensky Sobor) is the oldest, built
in 1475-79 in the Italianate-Byzantine style. Its pure, simple, and beautifully
proportioned lines and elegant arches are crowned by five golden domes. The
Orthodox metropolitans and patriarchs of the 14th to the 18th century are
buried there. Across the square is the Cathedral of the Annunciation
(Blagoveshchensky Sobor), built in 1484-89 by craftsmen from Pskov; though
burned in 1547, it was rebuilt in 1562-64. Its cluster of chapels is topped by
golden roofs and domes. Inside are a number of early 15th-century icons
attributed to Theophanes the Greek and to Andrey Rublyov, considered by many to
be the greatest of all Russian icon painters. The third cathedral, the
Archangel (Arkhangelsky), was rebuilt in 1505-08; in it are buried the princes
of Moscow and tsars of Russia (except Boris Godunov) up to the founding of St.
Petersburg.
Just off the square stands the
splendid, soaring white bell tower of Ivan the Great; built in the 16th century
and damaged in 1812, it was restored a few years later. At its foot is the
enormous Tsar Bell (Tsar-Kolokol), cast in 1733-35 but never rung. Nearby is
the Tsar Cannon (Tsar-Pushka), cast in 1586. Beside the gun are located the
mid-17th-century Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles (Sobor Dvenadtsati Apostolov)
and the adjoining Patriarchal Palace.
On the west of Cathedral Square is a
group of palaces of various periods; the Palace of Facets (Granovitaya
Palata)--so called from the exterior finish of faceted, white stone
squares--was built in 1487-91. Behind it is the Terem Palace of 1635-36, which
incorporates several older churches, including the Resurrection of Lazarus
(Voskreseniye Lazarya), dating from 1393. Both became part of the Kremlin Great
Palace, built as a royal residence in 1838-49 and formerly used for sessions of
the Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R.; its long, yellow-washed facade dominates
the riverfront. It is connected to the Armoury Palace (Oruzheynaya Palata),
built in 1844-51 and now the Armoury Museum, housing a large collection of
treasures of the tsars. Along the northeast wall of the Kremlin are the Arsenal
(1702-36), the former Senate building (1776-88), and the School for Red
Commanders (1932-34). The only other Soviet-period building within the Kremlin
is the Palace of Congresses (1960-61), with a vast auditorium used for
political gatherings and as a theatre.
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