How to get to the Kremlin
Dear readers! This article was written in 2012. We constantly monitor the changing situation in the Kremlin and, if necessary, edit the text. The last update was made in March 2019. The algorithm for purchasing tickets and entering the Kremlin has remained the same.
In order to be sure to buy tickets to the Armory, we advise you to purchase them online on the website of the Moscow Kremlin.
For those who want to save themselves from reading a tedious 1700-word article and quickly buy tickets and a tour of the Kremlin, I offer an alternative.
How to get to the Kremlin
Be careful! Many sites are misleading and misrepresenting prices for tickets to the Kremlin. Ticket prices have gone up since February 2019.
Summary of the article
- How to get to the Kremlin.
- Where to buy tickets to the Kremlin
- Where are the cash desks of the Kremlin
- Tickets to the Kremlin. How much are?
- Excursions to the Kremlin
All the aspirations of those wishing to get acquainted with cultural heritage capitals are directed to the Kremlin. What you need to know in order to view all three Kremlin components ( , ; ; ) with the least loss?
Part one. For Russian and Russian-speaking tourists.
How to get to the Kremlin. For visitors
Attention! With the onset of the warm season (since mid-April), the queues for tickets to the Kremlin have increased! On weekends, be prepared to spend 30 minutes or more at the box office! In the summer on Saturdays, due to the queue at the box office lined up long before its opening by 9 o'clock in the morning there may already be a solid tail.
- The day off is Thursday. On holidays, the Kremlin is usually open. But there are solemn events, meetings of heads of foreign states, inaugurations again. In such exceptional cases, it is closed.
- works on sessions. There are four of them - at 10, 12, 14.30 and at 16.30
– Opening hours of the Moscow Kremlin Museum-Reserve from 10 am to 5 pm winter time, from 9.30 to 18 in the summer (from mid-May to mid-September). closes at 18:00. open from 10:00 to 18:00, lunch break: from 13:00 to 14:00.
The Borovitsky gates of the Kremlin are designed for vehicles. Entrance to the Kremlin to the left of the gate through the arch.
To get to the Borovitsky Gates, you need to go from the ticket office along the road, it is shown in the picture. If you stand facing the cash registers, then to the right. The Borovitsky Gates of the Kremlin are NOT visible from the box office
In the top photo, the Borovitskaya Tower is barely visible in the distance to the left. On the way to the Borovitskaya Tower, you will pass by recently erected monument Emperor Alexander I.
The monument to Tsar Alexander I is installed in the Alexander Garden between the Commandant (pictured) and the Armory towers
At the entrance to the Borovitsky Gates, you need to present an entrance ticket to the Kremlin or the Armory and go through security.
Officers at the entrance to the Kremlin through the Borovitsky Gates will ask you to open your bags and put 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) or at the very end of the long building of the Armory. There you need to present a ticket to the territory of the Kremlin.
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 screening is carried out at the Kutafya Tower.
In the photo Kutafya tower (left), Trinity tower (right). They are connected by the Trinity Bridge. After being screened by officers of the commandant's office of the Kremlin (a procedure similar to that at an airport), visitors enter the Kremlin through the Trinity Gate. Metal detectors are very sensitive. Be prepared to put all the change out of your pockets.
Below, at the stairs, you need to present a ticket to the territory of the Kremlin or the Armory.
At the bottom of the stairs there is a lone ticket inspector who checks if those who suffer from visiting the Kremlin have them. (Shot on a weekday afternoon in the fall).
Here are diagrams to illustrate.
- You can’t enter the Kremlin with large bags and backpacks, suitcases. These things are left in the storage room near the Kutafya Tower of the Kremlin. (Water will not be taken to the storage room, take bottles with you to the Kremlin). Ladies' bags, which are sometimes quite large, can be carried. It is forbidden to carry ANY weapons into the Kremlin, including gas cartridges and penknives. Professional photo and video shooting is prohibited on the territory of the Kremlin.
Entrance to the Kremlin with luggage - bags and backpacks
ENTRY TO THE KREMLIN WITH BACKPACKS is either allowed or prohibited. It is better to take a voluminous backpack to the storage room under the Kutafya Tower. It works from 10:00 to 18:00. Lunch breaks are from 11:00 to 11:30 and from 15:30 to 16:00.
Luggage storage - to the left of the stairs. Above is the Kutafya tower.
You can learn more about the operation of the left-luggage office on the official website of the Kremlin. 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 session (the ticket office of the museum opens half an hour before the opening of the Kremlin), it is better to come early in the summer. On weekday mornings, at 9.30, the line is usually small. Sometimes it doesn't exist at all. On weekends, people gather early in the morning. In the summer, at 11 o'clock, a decent crowd is observed at the cash desks of the Kremlin. I remind you again that Saturdays in summer when the ceremony of divorce of the guard of honor is held, the queue at the cashier is very long even in the morning .
Not the longest queue at the cash desk of the Moscow Kremlin museums At the entrance to the museum, you will be subjected to a serious search, which is carried out by the Commandant's Office of the Kremlin, and passing through very sensitive metal detectors. The queue at the Borovitsky Gate takes place in the morning: from 10 to 11 and around 12 and 14 hours - people accumulate to get to the Armory at 12 or 14.30 and at
The best time to see the Kremlin on your own
General advice. In the warm season of the weekend and holiday it is better to come to the cash desks of the Kremlin early. But if possible, go to the Kremlin in WEEKDAY day. Most the best time to visit the Kremlin - the second half of the day. Around 2 pm. In the morning, the Kremlin is visited by school excursion groups. Plan to visit the Armory at 16.30. In the second half weekday there is a high probability that you will fall into the Diamond Fund.
It often happens that all tickets in already sold. Then the following sign hangs at the box office:
Tickets for evening sessions at the box office run out very quickly! The ideal option is to go to the Kremlin ticket office in the Alexander Garden by 14 o'clock. Buy a ticket to visit the territory of the Kremlin. Maybe they will even sell you a ticket to the Armory and the Diamond Fund. Although, until recently, tickets to the Armory were sold only 40 minutes before the start of the session.
We will tell about separately.
Dear Sirs, if you still have questions on the topic “How to get to the Kremlin”, please re-read the article again and take a look at the comments. They have answers to many questions!
I remind you that some frequently asked questions have answers 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 to the Kremlin.
Dear Muscovites and guests of the capital! Before you get to the Kremlin, we strongly recommend that you solve technical issues using, excuse me, the toilet in the Alexander Garden. On the territory of the Kremlin there is a nanotechnological toilet with an eternal queue. There is also a toilet in the building of the Armory, but from the street, without a ticket to it, you will not get there. Therefore, we repeat once again - the optimal solution to technical problems is located in the Alexander Garden opposite the Kremlin ticket office.
We talked about the rules for passing inspection at the entrance to the Kremlin in a publication.
We recommend you a service where in a couple of minutes you can book any excursion to the Kremlin. We offer two of them:
Our travel articles
There are additional publications to this article, where we talked in detail about
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and
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Author's excursions
The architecture of the Moscow Kremlin allows you to get a complete picture of how the center of the Russian capital was originally arranged. includes temples, squares, chambers, buildings. Today, all these are sights, which guests and tourists come to see from all over Russia and from abroad.
Kremlin construction
The architecture of the Moscow Kremlin was formed at the end of the 15th century. The main towers and walls were built in 1485-1495. Red brick and white stone with lime mortar were used. It is worth noting that local craftsmen were not sufficiently qualified for such work. Therefore, foreign experts were invited. Ivan III hired architects from Italy to build the Moscow Kremlin.
However, some towers were nevertheless erected by Russian masters. The fact is that their shape resembles characteristic wooden structures. As you know, at that time carpentry in Russia reached its perfection, which was facilitated by the universal material itself, and work was constantly required, since periodically large fires destroyed all buildings. To avoid this, stone was used in the construction of the Moscow Kremlin.
Assumption Cathedral
One of the main buildings of this architectural ensemble- Assumption Cathedral. It was erected on the site of the first stone cathedral in Ivan Kalita in the first half of the 14th century. The architecture of the Moscow Kremlin is largely determined by this building.
The cathedral began to be erected in 1475. A similar religious building in Vladimir of the 12th century was taken as a model. Thus, in Once again the continuity of Moscow in relation to Vladimir, which was previously considered one of the main cities of Russia, was emphasized.
For the next 400 years it was the main temple in Russia. It was here that all the rulers were crowned to the kingdom. The main entrance is on the side Cathedral Square. The entrance to this one is, as it were, guarded by the Archangel Michael, whose figure is depicted above the arch. Still higher is the Virgin and Child.
The iconostasis, which we can see today in the Assumption Cathedral, was completed by the icon painters of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in the middle of the 17th century.
During the Patriotic War of 1812, the buildings of the Moscow Kremlin were looted and devastated. This cathedral was no exception. Part of the loot from the French was later recaptured by the Russian Cossacks.
Blagoveshchensky cathedral
The architecture of the Moscow Kremlin cannot be imagined without the Cathedral of the Annunciation. It is located in the southwestern part of Cathedral Square. It was built at the end of the 15th century. The work was carried out by Pskov masters.
During the reign of Ivan the Terrible, a porch with a high porch made of white stone was added.
This Kremlin was built in the traditions of early Moscow architecture. Today, the murals of the cathedral, which appeared at the beginning of the 16th century, are of great interest. The main merit belongs to the artel of artists, which was led by Theodosius and his son Dionysius. Lots of stories about the Apocalypse. You can also find secular motifs. For example, Russian princes and Byzantine emperors.
The floor of this cathedral is unique. It was laid out with a special tile of precious agate jasper.
Cathedral of the Archangel
This cathedral within the walls of the Moscow Kremlin appeared at the beginning of the 16th century. It was erected by the invited Italian architect Aleviz Novy. At the same time, he followed the traditions of Russian architecture. The features of the Italian Renaissance are visible only in the rich decoration of the temple.
Its construction was carried out on the site of the ancient Archangel Cathedral, which was erected by Ivan Kalita in the 14th century, in memory of the deliverance of the capital from general famine. It was dismantled due to tightness, making room for a more spacious temple.
The cathedral is crowned with five domes. The central one is gilded, and the side ones are simply painted with silver paint. Carved white stone portals are made in the style of the Italian Renaissance.
During the capture of the capital by Napoleon, a wine warehouse was located here. The French set up a kitchen on the altar, and stole all the valuables.
Church of the Deposition of the Robe
The small church, built by domestic craftsmen at the end of the 15th century, is also noteworthy. It appeared on the site of the old wooden church of the Deposition of the Robe, which was built after the Tatars retreated from Moscow.
In 1451, they came close to the city, but did not storm it, but retreated, leaving behind all the loot. The Orthodox Church gave this a religious significance, considering it a miracle. In reality, the Tatars retreated due to political differences between the military leaders.
The new church was seriously damaged by fire in 1737. It was restored by the architect Michurin.
Armouries
The chambers of the Moscow Kremlin today are of great interest to tourists. The first mention of the valuables that are today in the Armory can be found in 1339. Even during the time of Ivan Kalita, the formation of princely treasures began. Among them were jewelry, dishes, church vessels, expensive clothes and weapons.
At the end of the 15th century, one of the centers of Russian art crafts was located here. In addition, gifts from foreign embassies were brought here. Pearls, ceremonial horse harness.
By 1485, the treasury had grown so much that it was decided to build a separate two-story stone building between the Annunciation and Archangel Cathedrals. It was called the Treasury.
Faceted Chamber
The Faceted Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin is one of the few parts of the palace that have been preserved since the time of Ivan III. This was his grand throne room. This is the oldest civil stone building in Moscow.
It was built in 4 years masters with the help of invited Italians - Pietro Solari and Marco Ruffo.
The chamber is a square hall in which they rely on a pillar in the center of the room. The hall, 9 meters high, is illuminated by well-placed 18 windows, as well as by four massive chandeliers. total area The Faceted Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin is almost 500 square meters.
At the end of the 16th century, its walls were painted with church and biblical scenes. For centuries, the most important events in the history of the Russian state were celebrated here. Foreign embassies and delegations were received here, the Zemsky Sobor met. The victories of Russian weapons were regularly celebrated in the Palace of Facets. For example, Ivan the Terrible and Peter I celebrated the victory at Poltava over the Swedes.
the Red Square
The Red Square of the Moscow Kremlin appeared in the 15th century. Today it is one of the symbols not only of the capital, but also of the country, its calling card.
It was laid by Ivan III, who ordered to demolish all the wooden buildings around the Kremlin. Since they seriously threatened him with a fire. This place, by his order, was taken under trade. Therefore, Red Square was originally called Torg. True, this did not last long.
Already in the 16th century it was renamed Troitskaya. Due to the nearby Church of the Holy Trinity. Later, St. Basil's Cathedral appeared in its place. Judging by the documents, in the 17th century the square was called Pozhar. At the same time, one should not forget an interesting toponymic feature Ancient Russia. At that time, the same object could have several official names at the same time.
Red Square officially became known as such only in the 19th century. Although in some documents this name is found as early as the 17th century. The meaning of this name, according to Vladimir Dahl's dictionary, is that our ancestors used the word "red" to mean beautiful, excellent.
Over the centuries, on the example of Red Square, one can trace how the Moscow Kremlin has changed. In the XV century, it appeared here with the famous towers - the Senate, Spasskaya and Nikolskaya. In the XVI century St. Basil's Cathedral and the Place of execution. In the 19th century - Historical Museum, Upper trading rows, which are now called GUM, a monument to Minin and Pozharsky. The 20th century brought the Mausoleum and the necropolis near the Kremlin wall to Red Square.
St. Basil's Cathedral
This temple was built in the middle of the 16th century. It was erected in honor of the capture of Kazan by Russian troops. The building is a grandiose structure of 9 pillars that rise above the basement, connected by a gallery. The composition is united by a central pillar, which is crowned with tents with a decorative cupola at the top. Many specially come to Moscow to see this temple with their own eyes.
The central tent is surrounded by eight pillars. All the others end with onion-shaped heads.
From the side of the Spasskaya Tower, two porches lead to the terrace of the temple. From there you can get to the bypass gallery. Tourists and residents of the capital are still impressed by the coloring of the temple, even though it was made several centuries ago. St. Basil's Cathedral was painted by real masters. They used exclusively natural colors in combination with white stone and red brick. Of the latter, the smallest details are made. The bright painting was made in the 17th century. When later extensions appeared, they placed a bell tower and a chapel of the temple in the northeast. The names of the architects who built this iconic religious building have come down to our time. Their names were Posnik and Barma.
ARCHITECTURE OF MOSCOW IN THE XIVXVII CENTURIES Rus in the 14th century The western lands were occupied by Lithuania. Monasteries played a huge role in that period, becoming not only defensive, but also economic centers. Around the monasteries and new cities there was a unification of the lands and a number of centers began to fight for primacy. The sharpest struggle in n. 14th century unfolded between Moscow and Tver. In 1273, Nevsky's son Daniel became the first independent prince of Moscow. Under him, Kolomna and Pereyaslavl were annexed to Moscow.
Moscow is 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… A. Vasnetsov. Moscow Kremlin under Ivan Kalita.
... and his grandson Dmitry Donskoy (13501389) erected a white-stone Kremlin on the site of a wooden one. Moscow Kremlin under Dmitry Donskoy. A. Vasnetsov.
By the end of the XV century, Russia was freed 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. It became the Moscow Kremlin. Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra near Moscow.
THE MOSCOW KREMLIN "As the whole earth gazes at the sun with a billion eyes. So the thoughts of the best people crowd around the Kremlin." At the invitation of Ivan III, craftsmen from Pskov, Tver, and Rostov came to Moscow, but the Italians, the Fryazins, supervised the work. Construction began in 1485. White walls were overlaid with red brick, Battlements and a roof were added to the walls, The Kremlin became 18 towers with several floors, corner towers - round (3), travel (there are 6 of them) with archers (only one remained - Kutafya). The Kremlin was surrounded by a moat (35 m wide, 12 deep) already in the next century lost its defensive significance
Kremlin buildings
The Moscow Kremlin has 20 towers and they are all different, no two are the same. Each tower has its own name and its own history.
Assumption Cathedral The cathedral was under construction for almost five years (14751479). Its construction was led by the Italian architect and engineer Aristotle Fioravanti. As a model during the construction, the Assumption Cathedral in the city of Vladimir was taken. Russian princes and tsars were crowned in this cathedral.
Cathedral of the Annunciation The cathedral was built by unknown Pskov masters in 1484-1489. on the site of the cathedral of the same name in 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 Grand Dukes.
The Cathedral of the Archangel It was built (15051508) by the Italian architect Aleviz Fryazin Novy, a native of Venice. The rulers of the Muscovite state, tsars and their sons were buried in the cathedral. There are 55 headstones in the cathedral.
Belfry of Ivan the Great and Church of the Ascension It was built in 1505-1508. It is located on the Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin. At the base of the bell tower 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. In total, there are 34 bells in the bell tower. In the old days, royal decrees were read at the bell tower - loudly, "in all Ivanovo", as they said then.
The Faceted Chamber was built by Italian architects Mark Fryazin and Pier Antonio Solari in 1487-1491.
Customer: Vel. book. Ivan III Material: brick, white stone cladding Function: front hall of the prince's palace Description: a one-pillar chamber, square in plan, covered with four cross vaults. t t a a, k k v v a d r r a a t n a i v v p l l a n n e, n p e r r e k k krr y y t a y a t h e f t y r r r m i y k k The chamber was part of the ensemble of the Grand Duke's palace, connected with 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 Customer: Ivan the Terrible Material: brick, white stone, glazed ceramics Semantics: votive church in honor of the capture of Kazan Type: ensemble of a hipped-roof (and eight pillar-shaped churches; the central volume is a hipped-roof church.
NEW TRENDS IN RUSSIAN ART OF THE XVI CENTURY In this century, especially in its second half: 1) iconographic canons are collapsing; 2) the love for decorative elaboration of details in architecture reaches its apogee; 3) there is a convergence of religious and civil construction, which is acquiring an unprecedented scope; 4) there is a process of "secularization" of art, that is, liberation from church influence. In the 16th century, Moscow acquired a leading role not only in the whole of Russian culture (in architecture, icon painting, and arts and crafts). Moscow retains its leading position until the beginning of the 18th century, when the capital is transferred to St. Petersburg. In the workshops of the Moscow Kremlin in the XVII-VII centuries. the best craftsmen, invited from all over Russia and from abroad, worked.
Back in 1147, Yuri Dolgoruky, Prince of Kiev and Rostov-Suzdal, founded Moscow. The city was surrounded by wooden walls - this is how the construction of the Kremlin, the future main attraction of Moscow, began. Also, a shaft 8 meters high was built around the wall.
Unfortunately, the Moscow Kremlin, together with the city itself, did not last long - in the winter of 1237, Batu Khan plundered and burned all the wooden buildings.
But Moscow is being rebuilt, and along with it, its fortress. Ivan Kalita in 1339-1340 erected powerful defensive fortifications, and in the Kremlin itself he built white-stone cathedrals, the chambers of princes and his own mansions. Moscow becomes the main city among other Russian cities.
After 20 years, Prince Dmitry Donskoy encloses the fortress with white stone walls. From here came the famous expression - "Moscow white stone."
By the beginning of the 16th century, the Kremlin was not directly recognizable - Prince Ivan III laid the foundations of the new Kremlin - built the famous towers, erected the Assumption, Annunciation and Archangel Cathedrals. Finally, he built himself new magnificent chambers. Thanks to the efforts of Russian and Italian workers, the most formidable and powerful fortress appeared in Europe - the Moscow Kremlin. In addition, it was not made of white stone - Ivan IV the Terrible built brick walls, making the Kremlin the famous red color.
During the Time of Troubles, the history of Moscow, and with it the history of the Kremlin, could have ended. The Poles captured the city and barricaded themselves in the Kremlin. The royal treasury was devastated, buildings were burned, and churches were defiled.
But the enemy was driven out, and the Kremlin again began to be built anew. By the 17th century, it had become a place where kings and future emperors sat, and by the 18th century, European ideas were added to it. In the Kremlin were erected Winter Palace, the Armory Chamber, the building of the Apartments, which formed a new Palace Square. And although the capital of Russia was moved to St. Petersburg, the Moscow Kremlin still remained almost the main attraction of the country.
In 1917 thunder struck - the Great October Revolution captured Russia. The first Soviet government met in the Kremlin, and it was closed to the public. The monasteries were demolished and a new building, the Military School, was built in their place.
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the Kremlin disappeared from all enemy maps and radars - the main fortress of the country was hidden with the help of huge shields, the stars were turned off, and the entire structure was covered with dark paint. Only after 4 years will it shine again with its lights.
In 10 years, in 1955, the Kremlin will be opened again for the visit. In another 6 years, the State Kremlin Palace will be built there. And in 1991 - the museum-reserve "Moscow Kremlin".
Today, the Kremlin, along with Red Square, are the main places for tourists to visit. In addition, the President of the Russian Federation works and lives in it.
The Kremlin is not a unique building, almost every city has its own Kremlin, because this word means “fortress, city”. Novgorod, Pskov, Kazan and many others. But it was the Moscow Kremlin that became the symbol of Russia and one of the most picturesque and colorful buildings in its history.
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 (1475-79) built by the architect Aristotle Fioravanti - the burial place of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs, the place of weddings and coronations of grand dukes, then kings and emperors. Pskov craftsmen erected the Church of the Deposition of the Robe (1484-88) and the Cathedral of the Annunciation (1484-89) - house church Moscow sovereigns. In 1505-08, the Archangel Cathedral was built - the tomb of Russian princes and tsars (before Ivan V Alekseevich). The Stone Sovereign's Palace (on the site of the modern Grand Kremlin Palace) with the Palace of Facets (1487-91) completed the design of the western side of 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 of red brick with internal backfilling of cobblestone and white stone on lime mortar. The Kremlin became one of the most powerful fortresses in Europe.
SIGN ABOVE THE GATES OF THE SPASSKAYA TOWER
“In the summer of 6999 (1491) July, by the grace of God, this archer was made by the command of John Vasilyevich, the sovereign and autocrat of all Russia and the Grand Duke of Volodimir and Moscow and Novgorod and Pskov and Tver and Yugra and Vyatka and Perm and Bulgarian and others in the 30th summer of the state him, and Peter Antony Solario from the city of Mediolan (Milan - ed.) did.
ARCHITECTS OF THE NEW ENSEMBLE OF THE MOSCOW KREMLIN
To bring to life 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 build and as Ivan Kalita called them in the 30s of the XIV century, but they even look the way they did during the reign of Ivan III...
On the advice of the "Greek Sophia", the prince invited architects from Italy. The first to arrive from Bologna in 1474 was Aristotle Fioravanti with his son Andrew.
The Italian architect was 58 years old at that time, and he had already entered the history of Italy as the author of palaces, fortresses and fortifications for many Italian dukes and even for the Hungarian king, as a man who moved a huge bell tower from place to place. In Bologna, Fioravanti was about to start building the Palazzo del Podesta, the model of which 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, endowed with enormous powers, and the 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 made of brick. And the Italian first built a brick factory on the Yauza River. The bricks obtained at this factory according to the recipe of Fioravanti himself were unusually strong. They were narrower and more authentic than usual, and therefore they became called "Aristotelian".
Having created the general scheme of the Kremlin fortress and its center - Cathedral Square, the Italian led the construction of the Assumption Cathedral - the main cathedral of Moscow Russia. The temple was supposed to carry a huge "preaching" meaning, it was to announce to the world the birth of a new state, and therefore it was necessary to embody the truly national character of culture in it. Aristotle began to get acquainted with examples of Russian architecture in Vladimir, in the north of Russia, and when, after four years of work, the five-domed cathedral was ready, he struck the imagination of his contemporaries. He looked “like a single stone”, and with this feeling of a monolith he inspired the idea of the solidity of the whole 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, unknown to us so far, rebuilt the Annunciation Cathedral - the house church of the royal court. In the basement of this cathedral, a new Treasury yard was made - the Treasury, the deep white stone cellars of which existed for three centuries. The Treasury was built by another Italian - Marco Ruffo, whose name we associate with another remarkable building of the Kremlin - the Faceted Chamber - the ceremonial throne room of the future Russian tsars. For the XV century, the Faceted Chamber is a unique creation: a hall of 500 square meters, the vaults of which rest on only one central pillar.
Marco Ruffo just laid 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 is Solari who owns the main engineering solution of the Faceted Chamber, later named so for the tetrahedral stones with which it is lined. Both architects simultaneously built the stone sovereign's palace.
It remains only to 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. New fortress walls 2235 meters long had a height of 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.
The Kremlin's towers became the centers of defense of the Kremlin. The first was erected in the very middle of the wall facing the Moscow River. It was built under the guidance of the Italian master Anton Fryazin in 1485. Since there was a secret spring under the tower, they called it Taynitskaya.
After that, a new tower is built almost every year: Beklemishevskaya (Marco Ruffo), Vodovzvodnaya (Anton Fryazin), Borovitskaya, Konstantin-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 royal decree in the image of the Savior of Smolensk, written above the gate of the tower in memory of the liberation by Russian troops the city of Smolensk). The Spasskaya Tower became the main front entrance to the Kremlin...
In 1494 Aleviz Fryazin (Milanese) came to Moscow. For ten years he built stone chambers that became part of the Terem Palace of the Kremlin. He erected both the Kremlin walls and towers along the Neglinnaya River. He also owns the main hydraulic structures of Moscow in those years: the dams on the Neglinnaya and the 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 Bakhchisaray, where he built a palace for the khan. The creations of the new architect were already seen by Vasily III. It was under him that the Venetian built eleven churches (which have not survived to this day) and the cathedral, which even now serves as an adornment of the Moscow Kremlin, the Archangel Cathedral, designed in the best traditions of ancient Russian architecture. It is felt that its creator was under the great influence of original Russian culture.
Then, in 1505-1508, the famous bell tower "Ivan the Great" 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 in 1475 - the year of laying 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 were created in thirty (!) years.
