The Kremlin

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In the centre of the capital city, the majestic architectural grouping which is the Kremlin stands at the top of Borovitski hill. The gleaming domes of the churches and cathedrals, the elegant outline of the white stone palaces, encircled by some impressive crenellated walls, flanked by pointed towers, are the archetypal picture of Russia, of its greatness and glory. There stands the heart of Russia, the source of much of its history and its artistic traditions. It is, for the Orthodox Slav world, a place almost as sacred as Mecca for Muslims, a museum-city once as mysterious and secret as the Forbidden City in Beijing. You walk in through Troiskaia Tower, on Manege Square, the steeple of which used to be topped with the two-headed imperial eagle, but which now is ornamented with a gigantic ruby red star. To the right as you walk in, stands the imposing glass and steel cube of the convention centre built under Brezhnev, whereas to the left, the ochre façade building of the Arsenal boasts its 800 bronze canons taken from Napoleon's troops. Past the Senate and the building of the Supreme Soviet, beyond the Palace of the Patriarchs, the Twelve Apostle's church and the Prince of Canons, begins the religious heart of the Kremlin, a dazzling succession of gilded or multi-coloured domes and cupolas, beaming with the reflection of the sun. The most magnificent grouping of palaces and churches is organized, then, around Cathedral Square. Ivan the Great's Bell Tower attracts the eye right away because of its beauty and height, it is Moscow's highest building and used to be a watch tower; you could see for up to 20 miles out, from the top. At the foot of the bell tower, the famous Great-Bell or Tsar Bell (Tsar Kolokol) rests on a white stone pedestal. It is the greatest bell ever cast: it weighs 202 tons and is 20 ft high and 22 ft in diameter. The Cathedral of the Assumption (Ouspenski sobor), also known as Dormition, is the oldest place of worship on Cathedral Square, built very quickly from 1475 to 1479. In the mind of Ivan III, it had to be the main sanctuary of the whole of Russia. The Dormition Cathedral stands out by it strictness and the imposing size of its shapes, supposed to symbolize the almighty power of the Russian State. Do not miss the magnificent interior decoration: sumptuous wall paintings on gold backgrounds, a five row grandiose iconostas, gigantic chandeliers, objects of worship and priceless icons. After the Dormition started, in 1484, the building of the Cathedral of the Annunciation began (Blagovechtchenski sobor). The master-builders, come all the way from Pskov, built it on the old base of a stone church from the beginning of the 15th century. Inside, the walls painted by Theodose date from 1508. It was meant to illustrate the idea that the sovereigns of Muscovy were the heirs of the emperors of Byzantium. The main feature of the Cathedral of the Annunciation is its iconostas, one of the oldest in Russia. Opposite the Cathedral of the Annunciation stands the five dome Saint Michael the Archangel's cathedral, sepulchre of the tsars of Russia. It gets its unexpected aspect for a Russian church from the abundance of white stone decorative patterns and from its Venetian Renaissance style. Its frescoes illustrate the battles of Russian history and present the effigies of the great princes of Muscovy and of the first tsars of Russia buried there. The necropolis shelters 56 tombs amongst which Ivan the Terrible's sepulchre. Between the Great Palace of the Kremlin and the Borovitski gate stands the Kremlin Armoury (Oroujeinaia palata). It is the country's oldest and largest museum of decorative arts. Originally built as a weapon store, it became Russia's largest armoury in the middle of the 16th century. At the beginning of the 18th century, it was transformed into a treasury for the great princes and tsars and held then the great valuables of the Kremlin. Now a museum, this vast building on two levels displays some 3,000 works of Russian and Western art, including a fabulous collection of weapons, gold and silver objects, jewels, decorated fabrics and embroidered costumes. Two rooms are dedicated to the jewels of the reserves of the Treasure of Russia: diamonds, of which there is a one of a kind, rare gems, gold nuggets, Fabergé eggs.
On the western side of Cathedral square stands the Palace of Facets (Granovitaia palata), one of the oldest secular buildings of the Kremlin. Erected in 1491 by Pietro Antonio Solari, it owes its name to its exterior decoration, precisely the facet carved stone façade. The heirs to the throne of Russia were proclaimed at the Palace of Facets, which was also the banquet place for the weddings and crowning ceremonies of the tsars.