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 ceremonies 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
The architectural ensemble of 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.
Annunciation 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.
Archangel Cathedral 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.
To the east of the Terem Palace there are 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. Rus' at that time was divided into separate principalities, so it could not resist the invasion in 1238 Tatar-Mongol yoke. Moscow was devastated and the Kremlin was burned.
During the reign of Ivan Kalita Principality of Moscow The Kremlin was strengthened and 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 everything 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 Egotov, 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 Placing 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 UNESCO World Heritage List in 1990 as one of the outstanding historical monuments of the planet.
Address: Russia, Moscow
Start of construction: 1482
Completion of construction: 1495
Number of towers: 20
Wall length: 2500 m.
Main attractions: Spasskaya Tower, Assumption Cathedral, Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, Annunciation Cathedral, Archangel Cathedral, Faceted Chamber, Terem Palace, Arsenal, Armory Chamber, Tsar Cannon, Tsar Bell
Coordinates: 55°45"03.0"N 37°36"59.3"E
Object of cultural heritage of the Russian Federation
In the very heart of Moscow, on Borovitsky Hill, the majestic Kremlin ensemble rises. It has long become a symbol not only of the capital, but of all of Russia. History itself decreed that an ordinary village of Krivichi, located in the middle of the forest, eventually turned into the capital of a mighty Russian state.
The Kremlin from a bird's eye view
Kremlin or Detinets in ancient Rus' called the central, fortified part of the city with a fortress wall, loopholes and towers. The first Moscow Kremlin, built in 1156 by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky, was a wooden fortress surrounded by a moat and rampart. During the reign of Ivan I, nicknamed Kalita (money bag), oak walls and towers were erected in Moscow and the first stone building was laid - the Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady.
View of the Kremlin walls from the Kremlin embankment
In 1367, Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy surrounded the Kremlin with a powerful fortress wall made of white limestone. Since then, the capital has received the nickname “White Stone Moscow”. Large-scale construction began under Ivan III, who united a significant part of the Russian lands around Moscow and built a residence worthy of the “Sovereign of All Rus'” in the Kremlin.
Ivan III invited architects from Milan to build fortifications. It was in 1485 - 1495 that the existing walls and towers of the Kremlin were built. The top of the walls is crowned with 1045 battlements in the shape of “ swallowtail" - they have the same appearance as the teeth of Italian castles. At the turn of the 15th - 16th centuries, the Moscow Kremlin turned into an impregnable massive fortress, lined with red brick.
View of the Kremlin from the Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge
In 1516, a ditch was dug along the fortifications overlooking Red Square. After the Time of Troubles, the towers were decorated with tents, giving the Kremlin a modern look.
The miraculous return of the shrine of the Moscow Kremlin
The main one of the 20 towers of the Moscow Kremlin is rightfully considered Spasskaya, created by the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari. The Spassky Gate has long been the main entrance to the Kremlin, and the chimes placed in the tower's tent are known as the main clock of the country. The top of the tower is crowned with a luminous ruby star, but after the collapse of the USSR there are increasingly calls to remove the star and erect a double-headed eagle in its place. The tower got its name from the icon of the Savior of Smolensk over the gate.
View of the Kremlin from the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge
The icon was revered by saints, so men, passing through the gate, in front of the image of the Savior had to take off their headdress. Legend has it that when Napoleon was passing through the Spassky Gate, a gust of wind tore the cocked hat off his head. But the bad omens did not end there: the French tried to steal the gilded robe that adorned the image of the Savior of Smolensk, but the ladder attached to the gate overturned, and the shrine remained unharmed.
During the years of Soviet power, the icon was removed from the tower. For more than 70 years, the shrine was considered lost, until in 2010, restorers discovered a metal mesh hiding the image of Christ under a layer of plaster. On August 28, 2010, on the feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, Patriarch Kirill solemnly consecrated the newly found icon above the gates of the Spasskaya Tower.
Beklemishevskaya Tower
Legends and myths of the Kremlin
From time immemorial, the Moscow Kremlin was not only a symbol of the unlimited power of the sovereign, but also a place about which legends were written. Over the long history of the Kremlin churches and towers, so many legends have been created that would be enough for a whole book.
The most famous legends tell about secret dungeons and underground passages. It is believed that they were invented by Italian architects who designed and built the Kremlin walls and towers. Many underground rooms have been preserved under the former Chudov Monastery, which until the 1930s was located in the eastern part of the Kremlin Hill. These are transitions interior spaces temples and long galleries. Today, some of them are flooded with groundwater.
Eternal flame at the walls of the Kremlin
There are rumors among Muscovites that previously branched underground passages led outside from each of the Kremlin towers. The same secret passages connected all the royal palaces. When builders began digging a large foundation pit for the State Kremlin Palace in the 1960s, they discovered three underground passages dating back to the 16th century. The dungeons were so wide that you could drive a cart through them.
Underground passages were found during every major reconstruction. Most often, voids, gaps and labyrinths were walled up or simply filled with concrete for safety reasons.
Spasskaya Tower
One of the secrets of the Moscow Kremlin is also connected with its dungeons. For several centuries now, historians and archaeologists have been struggling with the mystery of the disappearance of the library of Ivan IV the Terrible, which is also called Liberia. The Russian sovereign inherited a unique collection of ancient books and manuscripts from his grandmother Sophia Paleologus, who received these books as a dowry.
In historical documents there is an inventory of the library, consisting of 800 volumes, but the collection itself disappeared without a trace. Some researchers are convinced that it burned down in a fire or disappeared during the Time of Troubles. But many are sure that the library is intact and hidden in one of the Kremlin dungeons.
View of the Assumption, Annunciation Cathedrals and Cathedral Square
The discovery of books in storage facilities located underground was not an accident. When Sophia Paleologus arrived in the city in 1472, she saw the terrible consequences of the fire that raged in Moscow two years earlier. Realizing that the library she brought could easily perish in a fire, Sophia ordered a spacious basement, which was located under the Kremlin Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, to be equipped for storage. After this, the valuable Liberia was always kept in dungeons.
View of Cathedral Square and Ivan the Great Bell Tower
Cathedrals of the Moscow Kremlin - “altars of Russia”
Today the Moscow Kremlin is both the place of work of the President of the Russian Federation and a historical and cultural museum. The historical center of the Kremlin is represented by Cathedral Square with three cathedrals— Uspensky, Arkhangelsk and Blagoveshchensky. An old proverb says: “The Kremlin rises above Moscow, and above the Kremlin there is only the sky.” That is why all the people honored the tsar’s decrees, which he proclaimed in the Assumption Cathedral.
This temple can rightfully be called the “altar of Russia.” In the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, kings were crowned kings, the next head of the Russian church was elected, and in the tombs of the temple the relics of Moscow saints found eternal rest. The Archangel Cathedral, from 1340 until the 18th century, served as the tomb of Moscow princes and kings.
Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin
Under its arches on white stone slabs in in strict order gravestones installed. The Annunciation Cathedral was the personal house of prayer for the Moscow princes: here they were baptized, confessed, and got married. According to legend, the grand ducal treasury was kept in the basement of this temple. The Cathedral Square is surrounded by the Ivan the Great Bell Tower, Faceted and Patriarchal Chambers. Meetings of the Boyar Duma and Zemsky Sobors, and the office of the Holy Synod was located in the Patriarchal Palace.
Sights of the Moscow Kremlin
The younger buildings of the Kremlin include the Grand Kremlin Palace, built in the mid-19th century by order of Emperor Nicholas I. Today, the ceremonial residence of the President of Russia is located within its walls.
© Picturesque reconstruction by Apollinary Vasnetsov
Who was Keremli or how did an Azerbaijani build the Moscow Kremlin?
15:09 12.05.2016
The Moscow Kremlin is the heart and pride of the Russian capital. Since the 13th century. The Kremlin was regularly destroyed and rebuilt. The symbol of the revival of Kremlin construction was the construction of the walls of the white-stone Kremlin under Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy. According to information from Azerbaijani historians, the architect of the Moscow Kremlin, built in 1367, was Azerbaijani Alis Subkhan oglu Keremli.
The Moscow Kremlin is a symbol of the Russian capital - the heart and pride of the city. The first chronicle mention of Moscow dates back to 1147. In 1156, the first wooden fortifications were built on the territory of the modern Kremlin. For those times it was a typical average Russian fortress. Since 1238, since the time Mongol invasion The Kremlin was regularly destroyed and rebuilt.
The symbol of the revival of Kremlin construction in Rus' was the construction of the walls of the white stone Moscow Kremlin, which began in 1367 during the reign of Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy. History has known the names of Kremlin architects since the 15th century, but who built the fortress under Dmitry Ivanovich still remained a mystery. According to information from Azerbaijani historians, the architect of the Moscow Kremlin, built in 1367, was Azerbaijani Alis Subkhan oglu Keremli.
“On January 5, 1367, on a frosty drizzly day early in the morning in Shamakhi, 10 horsemen dressed in long gray sheepskin coats, black fur hats, long red boots and 7 henna-colored (red) horses loaded with bags of gifts. The travelers brought a written request from the Grand Duke of Moscow Dmitry Ivanovich and honored the ruler with gifts: sable furs, famous Vladimir sheepskin coats, Czech crystal vases and sets of porcelain dishes. Boyar I.A. Baratynsky, who arrived from the Russian palace at the state karate, with the ardor characteristic of Cossacks, began to acquaint the head of state with the contents of the letter he had brought. The ambassador of the Khanate to the Moscow Principality, Gafur Bek, who arrived along with the Russian caravan, served as a translator. Known as best architect and the chief architect of the Shirvan region and all of Azerbaijan, Alis Subkhan oglu Keremli Shirvani, was invited to Moscow for a grandiose construction work.
At first, Sheikh Ibrahim did not want to let his beloved master go, but taking into account the written princely guarantee for his personal safety and the consent of the architect himself, he agreed. Having received the blessing for the journey, the famous master began to prepare for the journey. The architect Alis Bey was known in the Middle East, the Caucasus, Persia, India and, of course, in his native Azerbaijan. On the 10th of the same month, Russian ambassadors and the architect Alis Keremli went to Moscow. In the same year, a week before Novruz, an agreement was signed between Prince Dmitry Donskoy and the chief architect. According to the document, there were no restrictions on labor, financial support, territorial changes, control, instructions and amendments to the project of the chief architect were excluded; he was given complete freedom and the title of boyar.
This enormous construction work was supposed to be completed in 4 years. On the island, washed by the Moscow River and its tributary Yauza, an internal city, fortress walls with numerous surrounding towers, citadels and gates were to be built. Finally, on March 25, on the day of good news (“Good News, that is, the Virgin Mary from the Holy Spirit - God, Russians also call it “Blagoveshchensk”), the first hewn black stones were laid in the foundation of the building. The internal and external fortress walls erected from trees were demolished by order of the architect. Architect Alis Bek surprised everyone by using egg white in plaster for the first time in Rus' raw egg. A year later construction external walls the fortress with citadels, five towers and five gates was almost completed. The ditches dug and filled with water in front of the walls erected before Alis Bek from trees were filled with earth and stones, well buried, that is, they were canceled as inappropriate for the new addition project. The upper parts of the outer walls were decorated with projections in the form of elbows, and this only greatly increased their splendor. The total length of the fortress walls is 3.4 minars, the thickness is 1.2 arshins, and the height is 5.7 arshins. At the beginning of the work it was erected wooden fence around the construction site in order to prevent contamination of adjacent areas and to prevent construction workers from being distracted by onlookers. Enclosing a building with a fence was an innovation on Russian soil.
A workforce of 1,500 people lived separately in comfortable and insulated houses, were provided with 2 meals a day hot food, they had one day off a week. The cooks were young women and girls. Alis bek chose workers from the poorest families in the city. Masters received one ten gold coins per month. Prizes and other benefits were used when paying. Free lunches and dinners lifted everyone's spirits. Such a salary was a large sum for those times. At the construction site, following the results of one year, there was never a dispute regarding the distribution of labor; discipline was maintained high level. Alis Bey promised everyone that after the completion of the work, all the houses, along with the property inside, would be donated to those living there. Muscovites loved him madly. After all, the city’s population was fed by construction. People construction site called it “Keremlinsky row”.
This is the picture that emerged when the towers were named: the main tower as Spassk (Spas), while others went down in history as Trinity, Nikolai, Borovitsa and E. Keremli. Despite the sharp protests of the Azeri Turk master, as a result of the request of the 16-year-old niece of Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Anna Khanymgyzy, who was madly in love with the master and did not hide her feelings, followed him in construction and in everyday life, as well as the working collective, the 5th tower was named “Keremli”, and this on documents brought immortality to our compatriot. Later, in August 1556, after Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible occupied the city of Kazan, out of envy, by special decree, he renamed the Keremli tower to “Vodovzvod”. Until the end of the last era, according to official documents, Russians, world society, Muscovites, travelers, this tower, in general, this unsurpassed art with all the elements, the construction temple was called either “Keremli”, then “Kremlin” or briefly as “Kremlin”. Thus, the name “Kremlin” was completely stabilized.
The great architect, based on his design in a courtyard of 175 hectares, also built a princely palace, a meeting place, other buildings, as well as a network of secret catacombs. Exactly 4 years later, on March 25, Good News Day, the grand opening of a large building took place. AND Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich, and the Muscovites, as well as various guests invited from foreign representatives, were delighted. Anna Khanum was the most happy. Snuggled up to Alis-bek, she could not hide her tears of happiness. Over the course of 4 years, Alis Bey visited his family only once in Shamakhi. In the agreement with the Grand Duke, it was decided that the architect would return to his homeland, come to Moscow on the last day of spring, receive his salary and take part in a ceremonial feast organized in his honor. Alis bek left for Shirvan. On the first day of summer, at the edge of the forest at the beginning of the current Volokolamsk road - then at the 9th kilometer of the Moscow-Smolensk road, a ceremony opened for our master to see off to his homeland. It became clear that due to illness Dmitry Ivanovich would not be present.
Most of the boyars, a group of the Grand Duke's cooks and the palace musicians were here. On June 22, 1371, in order to hide the secret, during the “ikindi” (prayer ritual), the Cossack ataman, treacherously hitting him in the back with a sword, separated the head of our compatriot from the body. He was buried there. Not tired of caring for his grave, Anna Khanymgyz, despite the fact that her love was unrequited, unable to bear his loss, cut her hair bald and went to the Penza monastery. The Russian side did not attach importance to either the agreement or the promised word, thereby choosing the path of betrayal, but also chose silence, that the creator of the Kremlin is our son. Not taking into account the minor signs concerning this truth in the historical novel of the Russian writer Borodin “Dmitry Donskoy”, Russian sources, especially the multi-volume book “History” Russian Empire“I. Karamzin also remained silent. Time passed, and according to the project of 49-year-old Alis bey Keremli, who was killed at that time, kremlins were created in Suzdal, Smolensk, Novgorod, Kazan and Prague.”
The Moscow Kremlin, which we can admire today, was built by Italians from red brick in 1485–1495 by order of the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III Vasilyevich. It was not plastered or painted, so the original color of the walls and towers was red.
Fortresses with similar architecture can be found in Europe, for example in Verona and Milan. The most characteristic element, the battlements on the wall in the form of a swallowtail or the letter M, was considered a symbol of imperial power. The pope's opponents, the Ghibellines, had it in their fortresses. The Guelphs, who recognized papal authority above secular ones, built castles with rectangular battlements, so in those days it was possible to distinguish the owner’s belonging to one or another clan.
In medieval Italy, the question of which power is more important - secular or spiritual - was very relevant. In the literal sense, many copies were broken. Since the Milanese architects carried out the order of the representative secular power, they considered that the imperial sign would be closer to the Russian ruler.
Moscow white stone
It is quite possible that the phrase “White stone Moscow” appeared back in the 14th century under Dmitry Donskoy, when the most important sections of the wall and tower of the originally wooden fortress were replaced with stone ones. White stone fortifications twice saved the city from enemy invasion. In the 15th century, these walls were dismantled or used as foundations during the construction of the brick fortifications that we see today.
In the 18th century, following the fashion trends of the time, the color of the walls and towers was changed, and the brick was whitewashed. This happened not only in Moscow, almost all fortresses in Russian cities painted in white. Napoleon in 1812 saw the Kremlin white. After the fires it was repaired and painted white again.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Moscow Kremlin remained formally white, that is, it was whitewashed for various events, but most of the time its walls looked shabby, covered with a “noble urban patina.” Even after the events of 1917, he remained white; this did not bother the Bolsheviks at all.
When did the Kremlin turn red?
In June 1941, it was decided to disguise the Kremlin as residential areas. Windows of houses were painted on the walls, the mausoleum was covered with a plywood cap in the form of an ordinary city building. By the way, everything was done efficiently - German air raids did not cause any damage.
For the 800th anniversary of Moscow, in 1947, the Kremlin was restored, and the walls and towers, by order of Joseph Stalin, were painted red, which harmonized well with the spirit of that era. Since then, the color of the walls of the Moscow Kremlin has been maintained red, periodically tinted to make it look elegant.
His Majesty – the Moscow Kremlin. Part 1. History.
What can be compared with this Kremlin, which, surrounded by battlements, flaunting the golden domes of cathedrals, reclines on a high mountain, like crown of sovereignty on the forehead of the formidable ruler?.. He is the altar of Russia, on it many sacrifices worthy of the fatherland should be and are already being performed... No, it is impossible to describe neither the Kremlin, nor its battlements, nor its dark passages, nor its magnificent palaces... You have to see, see... you have to feel everything that they say to the heart and imagination!..,
- M.Yu. Lermontov.
Moscow has stood on Russian soil for nine centuries and, it seems, does not feel its ancient age at all, looking more to the future than to the past. But there is a place in Moscow where every period of its centuries-old history, every turn of its complex fate has left its indelible mark. This place is the Moscow Kremlin.
It is located in the center of a huge city on a high hill above the Moscow River. From the opposite bank of the river, the walls and towers of the Kremlin create the impression of a fence of a majestic architectural ensemble. Up close, you can feel the harsh power of this ancient citadel. The height of its walls, narrow loopholes and battle platforms, the measured pitch of the towers - everything indicates that, first of all, this is a fortress.
Upon entering the Kremlin, the impression changes. On its territory there are spacious squares and cozy squares, ceremonial palaces and golden-domed temples. Today, everything here truly breathes History - ancient cannons and bells, ancient cathedrals that have preserved so many events, so many names in memory... Everything is nearby, all together - the royal palaces and palaces of the New Age, the residence of the President of Russia and world-famous museums.
So what is the Moscow Kremlin - this amazing fortress city in the center of Moscow? A stronghold of power, the ancient spiritual center of Moscow and Russia, a treasury of its art and antiquity? It is unlikely that a comprehensive answer can be found. Apparently, there will always be something unsaid behind it, some hidden meaning and significance. Having absorbed the history of the country, becoming a witness and participant in all its most important events,
The Kremlin turned into an all-Russian national shrine and became a symbol of Moscow and all of Russia.
More than nine hundred years of history of Moscow and the Kremlin are too long term to even try to list all its main events and facts. We do not offer a detailed chronicle of events, but rather a story about the historical fate of the Moscow Kremlin, each turn of which is a milestone in the life of our country.
The Moscow Kremlin is located on Borovitsky Hill on the left bank of the Moscow River, at the confluence of the Neglinnaya River. The height of the “Kremlin coastal mountain,” as it was called in the old days, is approximately 25 meters. The area now occupied by the Kremlin was completely covered with forest in ancient times. Apparently, the ancient name of the Kremlin hill “Borovitsky” is connected with this.
Archaeologists date the first evidence of human presence on Borovitsky Hill to the end of the 2nd millennium BC new era and attribute the found monuments to the so-called Fatyanovo culture. Then there is a rather long gap in the history of the settlement of Borovitsky Hill.
The next archaeologically studied stage dates back to the 8th-3rd centuries BC. The primitive communal settlement was located in the area of modern Cathedral Square of the Kremlin. Archaeologists attribute it to the Dyakovo culture, named after the first settlement of this type, discovered near the former village of Dyakovo (near Kolomenskoye)
The settlement on Borovitsky Hill may have already had fortifications. From the northeast, as a means additional protection, two deep ravines were used. One ravine led to Neglinnaya north of the current Trinity Gate, the other cut through the southern slope between the Petrovskaya and 2nd Nameless towers of the existing Kremlin. The beginnings of both ravines were gradually connected by a ravine, artificially deepened by the first settlers of the Kremlin mountain.
In the first half of the 12th century, a Slavic settlement arose on Borovitsky Hill, where the Kremlin is located today, which gave rise to the city of Moscow. The Vyatichi probably re-inhabited the top of the hill. They also developed the periphery of the old settlement - the cape of the mountain. Both parts of the village received closed ring fortifications and, apparently, had cult centers inside: the upper one - on the site of the Assumption Cathedral, where a cemetery of the 12th century was discovered and, probably, there was a wooden temple, the lower one - “under the pine forest”, where, according to legend, in this The wooden Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist had already stood. It was here, on the headland of the hill, that the hanging seal was found Metropolitan of Kyiv the end of the 11th century is a clear evidence that the settlement was of an urban type.
Holy Blessed Prince Daniel of Moscow. Icon of the turn of the 17th-18th centuries
In the second half of the 13th century, the weakened Vladimir-Suzdal principality experienced a period of intense fragmentation. Moscow also had its own princely dynasty. Its founder was Prince Daniil - youngest son Vladimir Prince Alexander Nevsky. We do not know the exact date of Daniil's move to Moscow. The chronicle first mentions his name in connection with the Moscow events in 1283.
As a result of the invasion of the Batu hordes, Rus' found itself under the heavy burden of the Mongol-Tatar yoke, however, it retained its statehood.
The main form of dependence was the payment of tribute. In addition, the princes were forced to receive labels (letters) from the Horde for ownership of their lands. In 1243, the Vladimir prince was recognized by Batu as the eldest among the princes of North-Eastern Rus'. He began to bear the title of "great". By passing the label on the great reign of Vladimir from one prince to another, the rulers of the Horde turned it into the object of a long internecine struggle.
Ivan I Danilovich Kalita
In 1328, the son of Moscow Prince Daniil, Ivan Kalita, received the label for the great reign. Having managed to establish peaceful relations with the khan, he achieved the right to collect tribute from all Russian lands. Stopped for forty years Tatar raids to Rus'. The Moscow prince imposed a double tribute on the country, part of which he hid from the khan. Apparently, this is where his nickname “Kalita” comes from, which means “bag, money bag.”
A. Vasnetsov. The Kremlin under Ivan Kalita.
Particularly important for the history of Moscow and the Kremlin is the fact that, having received the label, Ivan Kalita did not move to the capital Vladimir, as other princes did, but remained in Moscow, expanding his principality, subjugating and purchasing other lands and cities. Under him, the head of the Russian church, Metropolitan Peter, moved from Vladimir to Moscow, whose authority was exceptionally high.
In connection with this, the Moscow Kremlin also changed its significance. From an ordinary fortified city center, it became the residence of the Grand Duke and Metropolitan. On its territory they began to erect structures not only from wood, but also from white stone. At the highest point of Borovitsky Hill in 1326-1327, the Assumption Cathedral was built - the main temple of the principality, in 1329 - the church-bell tower of St. John Climacus, in 1330 - the Cathedral of the Savior on Bor, and in 1333 - the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael, in which Ivan Kalita and his descendants were buried.
These first white-stone churches in Moscow determined the spatial composition of the Kremlin center, which in its main features remains the same today. Under Ivan Kalita, Moscow is actively growing, and his residence on Borovitsky Hill is beginning to be perceived as separate, main part cities. And, apparently, it is no coincidence that it first appears in the Resurrection Chronicle under the year 1331. given name- Kremlin.
Cathedral of the Transfiguration on Bor in the Moscow Kremlin
In 1339-1340, Ivan Kalita built a new, larger fortress “in a single oak” from oak logs, that is, only from oak. The Resurrection Chronicle notes the very rapid completion of construction: in November they laid the groundwork and “finished the same winter for the spring in the great fast.” It is known that the Kremlin was expanded towards the floor (towards modern Red Square).
Giacomo Quarenghi. View of Cathedral Square in the Moscow Kremlin. 1797
Dying, Kalita drew up a spiritual letter (will). He transferred to his sons not only Moscow lands, but also symbols of the power of Rus' at that time - gold chains and belts, as well as precious dishes and princely clothes. Among them, the “golden cap” was mentioned for the first time, which is identified with the famous Monomakh cap - the main crown of Russian sovereigns. Thus, in the first half of the 14th century, the treasury of the Moscow Grand Dukes began to form in the Kremlin.
Kalita's policy was continued by his descendants. She achieved particular success during the reign of his grandson, Dmitry Donskoy.
Dmitry Donskoy. Portrait from the Tsar's title book, 1672.
In 1365, the Kremlin suffered severely from another fire. The young prince Dmitry Ivanovich decides to build stone fortifications on Borovitsky Hill. Throughout the winter of 1367, limestone was transported on sleighs from the village of Myachkovo, which was located 30 versts from Moscow, and in the spring they began construction work. As a result, walls and towers rose in the center of Moscow, becoming the first white-stone fortress of North-Eastern Rus'.
Construction of the first stone Kremlin in Moscow. Miniature of the Front Chronicle Vault. XVI century.
The walls, surrounded by a natural water barrier and a moat on the side of Red Square, according to researchers, were high and jagged, with fences, that is, wooden shutters, placed between the teeth. Probably, the white-stone Kremlin had 8 or 9 towers and 5 of them were travel towers. Moreover, three passage towers led towards Red Square.
Tombstones in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin (in the center is the tombstone of Dmitry Donskoy)
The territory of the Kremlin was further enlarged due to the floor part of the hill and especially due to the hem, since the southern part of the wall was lowered from the edge of the hill to its base along the Moscow River.
The capture and destruction of Moscow by the Horde Khan Tokhtamysh. Miniature of the Front Chronicle. XVI century.
Prince Dmitry annexed to Moscow a whole series principalities, and in relations with the Golden Horde he switched to an open struggle for liberation from the yoke - he stopped paying tribute to the Horde. In response, Khan Mamai set out on a large campaign against Rus'.
Defense of Moscow from Tokhtamysh in 1382. Painting by A. M. Vasnetsov
On September 8, 1380, on the Kulikovo field, at the confluence of the Nepryadva River with the Don, the Russian squads and regiments of Khan Mamai clashed in a fierce battle. The Tatars were completely defeated. Moscow Prince Dmitry, under whose banner almost all of North-Eastern Rus' stood, received the honorary nickname “Donskoy” for this victory and went down in history as one of the greatest commanders of Ancient Rus'.
A. Nemerovsky. Sergius of Radonezh blesses Dmitry Donskoy for a feat of arms
The victory on the Kulikovo Field restored the Russian people's faith in their own strength and caused a rise in national self-awareness and culture. The territory of the Moscow principality grew significantly, the population of its capital increased, and the Kremlin treasury began to receive valuables from the treasury of appanage princes who went into the service of the Grand Duke of Moscow.
“Battle of Kulikovo” Adolf Yvon (1859)
Two years later, after the next Tatar invasion of Moscow in 1382, the payment of tribute had to be resumed, but in smaller amounts, and the growth of the power of Moscow was reflected in the spiritual charter of Dmitry Donskoy, where he for the first time passed on his title of Grand Duke by inheritance.
