The Moscow Kremlin is the center of Russia and the citadel of power. For more than 5 centuries, these walls have reliably hidden state secrets and protected their main bearers. The Kremlin is shown on Russian and world channels several times a day. This medieval fortress, unlike anything else, has long become a symbol of Russia.
Only the footage we are provided with is basically the same. The Kremlin is the strictly guarded active residence of the president of our country. There are no trifles in security, which is why all Kremlin filming is so strictly regulated. By the way, don’t forget to take a tour of the Kremlin.
To see a different Kremlin, try to imagine its towers without tents, limit the height to only the wide, non-tapering part and you will immediately see a completely different Moscow Kremlin - a powerful, squat, medieval, European fortress.
This is how it was built at the end of the 15th century on the site of the old white-stone Kremlin by the Italians Pietro Fryazin, Anton Fryazin and Alois Fryazin. They all received the same surname, although they were not relatives. “Fryazin” means foreigner in Old Church Slavonic.
They built the fortress in accordance with all the latest achievements of fortification and military science of that time. Along the battlements of the walls there is a battle platform with a width of 2 to 4.5 meters.
Each tooth has a loophole, which can only be reached by standing on something else. The view from here is limited. The height of each battlement is 2-2.5 meters; the distance between them was covered with wooden shields during the battle. There are a total of 1145 battlements on the walls of the Moscow Kremlin.
The Moscow Kremlin is a great fortress located near the Moscow River, in the heart of Russia - in Moscow. The citadel is equipped with 20 towers, each with its own unique appearance and 5 passage gates. The Kremlin is like a ray of light carried through the rich history of the formation of Russia.
These ancient walls are witnesses to all the numerous events that happened to the state, starting from the moment of its construction. The fortress began its journey in 1331, although the word “Kremlin” was mentioned earlier.
Moscow Kremlin, infographics. Source: www.culture.rf. For a detailed view, open the image in a new browser tab.
Moscow Kremlin under different rulers
Moscow Kremlin under Ivan Kalita
In 1339-1340 Moscow Prince Ivan Danilovich, nicknamed Kalita (“money bag”), built an impressive oak citadel on Borovitsky Hill, with walls ranging from 2 to 6 m thick and no less than 7 m high. Ivan Kalita built a powerful fortress with a formidable appearance, but it stood less three decades and burned down during a terrible fire in the summer of 1365.
Moscow Kremlin under Dmitry Donskoy
The tasks of defending Moscow urgently required the creation of a more reliable fortress: the Moscow principality was in danger from the Golden Horde, Lithuania and the rival Russian principalities of Tver and Ryazan. The then reigning 16-year-old grandson of Ivan Kalita, Dmitry (aka Dmitry Donskoy), decided to build a fortress of stone - the Kremlin.
Construction of the stone fortress began in 1367, and the stone was mined nearby, in the village of Myachkovo. The construction was completed in a short time - in just one year. Dmitry Donskoy made the Kremlin a white-stone fortress, which enemies tried to storm more than once, but were never able to.
What does the word "Kremlin" mean?
One of the first mentions of the word “Kremlin” appears in the Resurrection Chronicle in a report about a fire in 1331. According to historians, it could have arisen from the ancient Russian word “kremnik,” which meant a fortress built of oak. According to another point of view, it is based on the word “krom” or “krom”, which means boundary, border.
The first victory of the Moscow Kremlin
Almost immediately after the construction of the Moscow Kremlin, Moscow was besieged by the Lithuanian prince Olgerd in 1368, and then in 1370. The Lithuanians stood at the white stone walls for three days and three nights, but the fortifications turned out to be impregnable. This instilled confidence in the young Moscow ruler and allowed him to later challenge the powerful Golden Horde Khan Mamai.
In 1380, feeling reliable rears behind them, the Russian army under the leadership of Prince Dmitry ventured on a decisive operation. Having left their hometown far to the south, to the upper reaches of the Don, they met Mamai’s army and defeated it on the Kulikovo field.
Thus, for the first time, Krom became a stronghold not only of the Moscow principality, but of all of Rus'. And Dmitry received the nickname Donskoy. For 100 years after the Battle of Kulikovo, the white-stone citadel united the Russian lands, becoming the main center of Rus'.
Moscow Kremlin under Ivan 3
The current dark red appearance of the Moscow Kremlin owes its birth to Prince Ivan III Vasilyevich. Started by him in 1485-1495. the grandiose construction was not a simple reconstruction of the dilapidated defensive fortifications of Dmitry Donskoy. The white stone fortress is being replaced by a red brick fortress.
The towers are pushed outward in order to fire along the walls. To quickly move the defenders, a system of secret underground passages was created. Completing the system of impregnable defense, the Kremlin was made into an island. On both sides it already had natural barriers - the Moscow and Neglinnaya rivers.
They also dug a ditch on the third side, where Red Square is now, approximately 30-35 meters wide and 12 m deep. Contemporaries called the Moscow Kremlin an outstanding military engineering structure. Moreover, the Kremlin is the only European fortress that has never been taken by storm.
The special role of the Moscow Kremlin as a new grand-ducal residence and the main fortress of the state determined the nature of its engineering and technical appearance. Built from red brick, it retained the layout features of the ancient Russian detinets, and in its outlines the already established shape of an irregular triangle.
At the same time, the Italians made it extremely functional and very similar to many fortresses in Europe. What Muscovites came up with in the 17th century turned the Kremlin into a unique architectural monument. The Russians just built on stone tents, which turned the fortress into a light, skyward structure, which has no equal in the world, and the corner towers took on the appearance as if our ancestors knew that it was Russia that would send the first man into space.
Architects of the Moscow Kremlin
The construction was supervised by Italian architects. Memorial plaques installed on the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin indicate that it was built in the “30th summer” of the reign of Ivan Vasilyevich. The Grand Duke celebrated the anniversary of his state activities with the construction of the most powerful entrance front tower. In particular, Spasskaya and Borovitskaya were designed by Pietro Solari.
In 1485, under the leadership of Antonio Gilardi, the powerful Taynitskaya Tower was built. In 1487, another Italian architect, Marco Ruffo, began to build Beklemishevskaya, and later Sviblova (Vodovzvodnaya) appeared on the opposite side. These three structures set the direction and rhythm for all subsequent construction.
The Italian origin of the main architects of the Moscow Kremlin is not accidental. At that time, it was Italy that came to the fore in the theory and practice of fortification construction. Design features indicate that its creators were familiar with the engineering ideas of such outstanding representatives of the Italian Renaissance as Leonardo da Vinci, Leon Battista Alberti, and Filippo Brunelleschi. In addition, it was the Italian architectural school that “gave” Stalin’s skyscrapers in Moscow.
By the beginning of the 1490s, four more blind towers appeared (Blagoveshchenskaya, 1st and 2nd Nameless and Petrovskaya). All of them, as a rule, repeated the line of the old fortifications. The work was carried out gradually, in such a way that there were no open areas in the fortress through which the enemy could suddenly attack.
In the 1490s, the construction was curated by the Italian Pietro Solari (aka Pyotr Fryazin), with whom his compatriots Antonio Gilardi (aka Anton Fryazin) and Aloisio da Carcano (Aleviz Fryazin) worked. 1490-1495 The Moscow Kremlin was replenished with the following towers: Konstantino-Eleninskaya, Spasskaya, Nikolskaya, Senate, Corner Arsenalnaya and Nabatnaya.
Secret passages in the Moscow Kremlin
In case of danger, the Kremlin defenders had the opportunity to quickly move through secret underground passages. In addition, internal passages were built in the walls, connecting all the towers. The Kremlin defenders could thus concentrate, if necessary, on a dangerous section of the front or retreat in the event of a superiority of enemy forces.
Long underground tunnels were also dug, thanks to which it was possible to observe the enemy in the event of a siege, as well as to make surprise attacks on the enemy. Several underground tunnels went beyond the Kremlin.
Some towers had more than just a defensive function. For example, Tainitskaya hid a secret passage from the fortress to the Moscow River. Wells were made in Beklemishevskaya, Vodovzvodnaya and Arsenalnaya, with the help of which water could be delivered if the city was under siege. The well in Arsenalnaya has survived to this day.
Within two years, Kolymazhnaya (Komendantskaya) and Granenaya (Srednyaya Arsenalnaya) fortresses rose in orderly ranks, and in 1495 the construction of Trinity began. The construction was led by Aleviz Fryazin.
Chronology of events
| Of the year | Event |
| 1156 | The first wooden citadel was erected on Borovitsky Hill |
| 1238 | The troops of Khan Batu marched through Moscow, as a result, most of the buildings were burned. In 1293, the city was once again ravaged by the Mongol-Tatar troops of Duden |
| 1339-1340 | Ivan Kalita built mighty oak walls around the Kremlin. From 2 to 6 m in thickness and up to 7 m in height |
| 1367-1368 | Dmitry Donskoy built a white stone fortress. The white stone Kremlin shone for more than 100 years. Since then, Moscow began to be called “white stone” |
| 1485-1495 | Ivan III the Great built a red brick citadel. The Moscow Kremlin is equipped with 17 towers, the height of the walls is 5-19 m, and the thickness is 3.5-6.5 m |
| 1534-1538 | A new ring of fortress defensive walls was built, called Kitay-Gorod. From the south, the walls of Kitai-Gorod adjoined the walls of the Kremlin at the Beklemishevskaya Tower, from the north – to the Corner Arsenalnaya |
| 1586-1587 | Boris Godunov surrounded Moscow with two more rows of fortress walls, called the Tsar City, and later the White City. They covered the area between modern central squares and the Boulevard Ring |
| 1591 | Another ring of fortifications, 14 miles long, was built around Moscow, covering the territory between the Boulevard and Garden Rings. Construction was completed within one year. The new fortress was named Skorodoma. So Moscow was enclosed in four rings of walls, which had a total of 120 towers |
All towers of the Moscow Kremlin
Everyone has already heard that the Kremlin was white. Many articles have already been written about this, but people still manage to argue. But when did they start whitewashing it, and when did they stop? On this issue, statements in all articles diverge, as do the thoughts in people’s heads. Some write that whitewashing began in the 18th century, others that at the beginning of the 17th century, and still others are trying to provide evidence that the Kremlin walls were not whitewashed at all. The phrase is widely circulated that the Kremlin was white until 1947, and then suddenly Stalin ordered it to be repainted red. Was it so? Let's finally dot the i's, fortunately there are enough sources, both picturesque and photographic.
We understand the colors of the Kremlin: red, white, when and why ->
So, the current Kremlin was built by the Italians at the end of the 15th century, and, of course, they did not whitewash it. The fortress retained the natural color of red brick; there are several similar ones in Italy, the closest analogue being the Sforza Castle in Milan. And whitewashing fortifications in those days was dangerous: when a cannonball hits a wall, the brick is damaged, the whitewash crumbles, and a vulnerable spot is clearly visible, where you should aim again to quickly destroy the wall.
So, one of the first images of the Kremlin, where its color is clearly visible, is the icon of Simon Ushakov “Praise to the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Tree of the Russian State. It was written in 1668, and the Kremlin is red.
The whitewashing of the Kremlin was first mentioned in written sources in 1680.
The historian Bartenev, in the book “The Moscow Kremlin in the Old Time and Now” writes: “In a memorandum submitted on July 7, 1680 to the Tsar, it is said that the Kremlin fortifications “were not whitewashed”, and the Spassky Gate “were painted in ink and white in brick". The note asked: should the Kremlin walls be whitewashed, left as is, or painted “in brick” like the Spassky Gate? The Tsar ordered the Kremlin to be whitewashed with lime..."
So, at least since the 1680s, our main fortress has been whitewashed.
1766 Painting by P. Balabin based on an engraving by M. Makhaev. The Kremlin here is clearly white.
1797, Gerard Delabarte.
1819, artist Maxim Vorobyov.
In 1826, the French writer and playwright Francois Anselot came to Moscow; in his memoirs he described the white Kremlin: “With this we will leave the Kremlin, my dear Xavier; but, looking back at this ancient citadel again, we will regret that, while correcting the destruction caused by the explosion, the builders removed from the walls the centuries-old patina that gave them so much grandeur. The white paint that hides the cracks gives the Kremlin an appearance of youth that belies its shape and obliterates its past.”
1830s, artist Rauch.
1842, daguerreotype of Lerebourg, the first documentary image of the Kremlin.
1850, Joseph Andreas Weiss.
1852, one of the very first photographs of Moscow, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior is under construction, and the walls of the Kremlin are whitewashed.
1856, preparations for the coronation of Alexander II. For this event, the whitewash was renewed in some places, and the structures on the Vodovzvodnaya Tower were given a frame for illumination.
The same year, 1856, view in the opposite direction, the one closest to us is the Taynitskaya tower with the archery facing the embankment.
Photo from 1860.
Photo from 1866.
1866-67.
1879, artist Pyotr Vereshchagin.
1880, painting from the English school of painting. The Kremlin is still white. Based on all the previous images, we conclude that the Kremlin wall along the river was whitewashed in the 18th century, and remained white until the 1880s.
1880s, Konstantin-Eleninskaya tower of the Kremlin from the inside. The whitewash is gradually crumbling, revealing the red brick walls.
1884, wall along the Alexander Garden. The whitewash was very crumbling, only the teeth were renewed.
1897, artist Nesterov. The walls are already closer to red than to white.
1909, peeling walls with remains of whitewash.
The same year, 1909, the whitewash on the Vodovzvodnaya Tower is still holding up well. Most likely it was whitewashed for the last time later than the rest of the walls. From several previous photographs it is clear that the walls and most of the towers were last whitewashed in the 1880s.
1911 Grotto in the Alexander Garden and the Middle Arsenal Tower.
S. Vinogradov. Moscow Kremlin 1910s. 
1911, artist Yuon. In reality, the walls were, of course, a dirtier shade, the whitewash stains more obvious than in the picture, but the overall color scheme was already red.
1914, Konstantin Korovin.
The colorful and shabby Kremlin in a photograph from the 1920s.
Kremlin. Chromolithograph from the collection of the US Library of Congress, 1890.
And the whitewash on the Vodovzvodnaya Tower was still in place, mid-1930s.
But then the war began, and in June 1941, the commandant of the Kremlin, Major General Nikolai Spiridonov, proposed repainting all the walls and towers of the Kremlin - for camouflage. A fantastic project for that time was developed by the group of academician Boris Iofan: walls of houses and black holes in windows were painted on white walls, artificial streets were built on Red Square, and the empty Mausoleum (Lenin’s body was evacuated from Moscow on July 3, 1941) was covered with a plywood cap , depicting a house. And the Kremlin naturally disappeared - the disguise confused all the cards for the fascist pilots.
“Disguised” Red Square: instead of the Mausoleum, a cozy house appeared. 1941-1942.
"Disguised" Kremlin: houses and windows are painted on the walls. 1942
During the restoration of the Kremlin walls and towers in 1947 - for the celebration of the 800th anniversary of Moscow. Then the idea arose in Stalin’s head to repaint the Kremlin red: A red flag on the red Kremlin on Red Square - so that everything would sound in unison and ideologically correct.
Kremlin workers carry out this instruction of Comrade Stalin to this day.
Late 1940s, the Kremlin after restoration for the 800th anniversary of Moscow. Here the tower is clearly red, with white details.
And two more color photographs from the 1950s. Somewhere they touched up the paint, somewhere they left peeling walls. There was no total repainting in red.
1950s These two photos are taken from here: http://humus.livejournal.com/4115131.html
Spasskaya Tower
But on the other hand, everything turned out to be not so simple. Some towers stand out from the general chronology of whitewashing.
1778, Red Square in a painting by Friedrich Hilferding. The Spasskaya Tower is red with white details, but the walls of the Kremlin are whitewashed.
1801, watercolor by Fyodor Alekseev. Even with all the diversity of the picturesque range, it is clear that the Spasskaya Tower was still whitewashed at the end of the 18th century.
And after the fire of 1812, the color red was returned again. This is a painting by English masters, 1823. The walls are invariably white.
1855, artist Shukhvostov. If you look closely, you can see that the colors of the wall and the tower are different, the tower is darker and redder.
View of the Kremlin from Zamoskvorechye, painting by an unknown artist, mid-19th century. Here the Spasskaya Tower is whitewashed again, most likely for the celebrations of the coronation of Alexander II in 1856.
Photograph from the early 1860s. The tower is white.
Another photograph from the early to mid 1860s. The whitewash of the tower is crumbling in some places.
Late 1860s. And then suddenly the tower was painted red again.
1870s. The tower is red.
1880s. The red paint is peeling off, and here and there you can see newly painted areas and patches. After 1856, the Spasskaya Tower was never whitewashed again.
Nikolskaya Tower
1780s, Friedrich Hilferding. The Nikolskaya Tower is still without a Gothic top, decorated with early classical decor, red, with white details. In 1806-07, the tower was built on, in 1812 it was undermined by the French, almost half destroyed, and restored at the end of the 1810s.
1823, fresh Nikolskaya Tower after restoration, red.
1883, white tower. Perhaps they whitewashed it together with Spasskaya for the coronation of Alexander II. And the whitewash was renewed for the coronation of Alexander III in 1883.
1912 The White Tower remained until the revolution.
1925 The tower is already red with white details. It became red as a result of restoration in 1918, after revolutionary damage.
Red Square, Parade of athletes, 1932. Pay attention to the Kremlin walls, freshly whitewashed for the holiday
Trinity Tower
1860s. The tower is white.
In the watercolor of the English school of painting from 1880, the tower is gray, the color given by spoiled whitewash.
And in 1883 the tower was already red. Painted or cleaned of whitewash, most likely for the coronation of Alexander III.
Let's summarize. According to documentary sources, the Kremlin was first whitewashed in 1680; in the 18th and 19th centuries it was white, with the exception of the Spasskaya, Nikolskaya and Trinity towers in certain periods. The walls were last whitewashed in the early 1880s; at the beginning of the 20th century, the whitewash was updated only on the Nikolskaya Tower, and possibly also on Vodovzvodnaya. Since then, the whitewash gradually crumbled and was washed away, and by 1947 the Kremlin naturally took on the ideologically correct red color; in some places it was tinted during restoration.
Kremlin walls today
photo: Ilya Varlamov
Today, in some places the Kremlin retains the natural color of red brick, perhaps with light tinting. These are bricks from the 19th century, the result of another restoration.
Wall from the river side. Here you can clearly see that the bricks are painted red. Photo from Ilya Varlamov's blog
All old photos, unless otherwise noted, are taken from https://pastvu.com/
Alexander Ivanov worked on the publication.
On November 25, 1339, Ivan Kalita erected the oak walls of the Moscow fortress. It was during this period that the Kremlin became the political center of the feudal state, the residence of the grand dukes and metropolitans.
Today the Moscow Kremlin is one of the most striking cultural assets of the Russian capital. RG has collected five little-known and interesting facts about him.
1. The Moscow Kremlin is the largest fortress in the entire territory of Russia, as well as the largest active fortress in Europe today.
There have been larger structures in world history, but only this one has been preserved quite well and still performs its functions.
The total length of the Kremlin walls is 2235 meters, they form an irregular triangle. Along them there are 20 towers, of which the highest is Troitskaya, together with the star it has a height of 80 m.
2. The secret of the absolutely accurate time of the Kremlin chimes now lies underground: the chimes are connected by cable to the control clock of the Sternberg Moscow Astronomical Institute.
In the mid-19th century, chimes were installed on the Spasskaya Tower, performing the “March of the Preobrazhensky Regiment” by Dmitry Bortnyansky. This melody sounded until 1917. In 1920, the music of the International was selected for the chimes.
Under Yeltsin, the chimes played Glinka, and now they play Alexandrov, the anthem of the Russian Federation.
3. During the Great Patriotic War, or more precisely, in 1941, the Kremlin began to be camouflaged: all the ancient buildings were stylized as ordinary houses, the green roofs were painted over, dark paint was applied to the gilded domes, the crosses were removed, and the stars on the towers were covered up. Windows and doors were painted on the Kremlin walls, and the battlements were covered with plywood, simulating the roofs of houses.
Interestingly, during the Great Patriotic War the Kremlin was virtually undamaged, despite the massive bombings that hit Moscow in 1941 and 1942. The authorities evacuated the treasures of the Armory Chamber, and in the event of the surrender of the capital to German troops, a plan was envisaged for mining the main buildings of the complex.
4. In 1935, the Kremlin lost its double-headed eagles, and it was decided to install Soviet symbols in their place. In 1937, luminous ruby stars were installed on the Spasskaya, Borovitskaya, Nikolskaya, Troitskaya and Vodovzvodnaya towers.
The Kremlin stars can withstand the maximum pressure of hurricane winds, each up to approximately 1200 kg. The weight of each star reaches one ton. During windy days, the stars rotate, changing their position so that their side faces the wind.
5. Almost until the end of the 19th century, Moscow was “white stone”. Following the established tradition, the Kremlin red-brick walls were whitewashed for almost four centuries. At the same time, they were worried not only about the memory of the white stone Kremlin of Dmitry Donskoy, but also about the safety of the brick. This can be confirmed by numerous descriptions and images.
Today, the walls of the Kremlin are regularly tinted so that the red brick color is always saturated.
The Moscow Kremlin is the main attraction of the city. Getting there is quite easy. There are several metro stations, from which you can walk to the Kremlin. The Alexandrovsky Sad station will take you, as you can easily guess, straight to the Alexandrovsky Garden. The Kutafya Tower will already be visible there, where they sell tickets to the Kremlin and to the Armory Chamber. You can also go to the metro station. Library named after IN AND. Lenin. In this case, the Kutafya Tower will be visible across the road. The stations Ploshchad Revolyutsii and Kitai-Gorod will take you to Red Square, but from different sides. The first is from the side of the State Historical Museum, the second is from the side. You can also get off at Okhotny Ryad - if you want to stroll along the shopping row of the same name. Just be prepared for unusual prices)).
About prices for the Kremlin museums. A visit to the Kremlin is not a cheap pleasure. An hour and a half visit to – will cost 700 rubles, – 500 rubles, a walk around with inspection – 500 rubles. For more information about museums and some nuances about visiting them that you should know, see the links.
The Kremlin is called not only the walls with towers, as some people think, but also everything that is located inside it. Outside the walls on the ground of the Moscow Kremlin there are cathedrals and squares, palaces and museums. This summer on Cathedral Square every Saturday at 12:00 the Kremlin Regiment shows its skills. If I manage to escape to the Kremlin, I will write about it.
History of the Moscow Kremlin.
The word “Kremlin” is very ancient. The Kremlin or Detinets in Rus' was the name given to the fortified part in the center of the city, in other words, a fortress. In the old days, times were different. It happened that Russian cities were attacked by countless enemy forces. That’s when the city’s residents gathered under the protection of their Kremlin. The old and young took refuge behind its powerful walls, and those who could hold weapons in their hands defended themselves from enemies from the walls of the Kremlin.
The first settlement on the site of the Kremlin arose approximately 4,000 years ago. Archaeologists have established this. Shards of clay pots, stone axes and flint arrowheads were found here. These things were once used by ancient settlers.
The location for the construction of the Kremlin was not chosen by chance. The Kremlin was built on a high hill, surrounded on two sides by rivers: the Moskva River and the Neglinnaya. The high location of the Kremlin made it possible to spot enemies from a greater distance, and the rivers served as a natural barrier in their path.
Initially the Kremlin was wooden. An earthen rampart was built around its walls for greater reliability. The remains of these fortifications were discovered during construction work in our time.
It is known that the first wooden walls on the site of the Kremlin were built in 1156 by order of Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. This data was preserved in ancient chronicles. At the beginning of the 14th century, Ivan Kalita began to rule the city. In ancient Rus', a kalyta was a money bag. The prince was so nicknamed because he accumulated great wealth and always carried a small bag of money with him. Prince Kalita decided to decorate and strengthen his city. He ordered the construction of new walls for the Kremlin. They were cut down from strong oak trunks, so thick that you couldn’t wrap your arms around them.
Under the next ruler of Moscow, Dmitry Donskoy, the Kremlin had other walls built - stone ones. Stone craftsmen from all over the area were gathered to Moscow. And in 1367 they got to work. People worked without interruption, and soon Borovitsky Hill was surrounded by a powerful stone wall, 2 or even 3 meters thick. It was built from limestone, which was mined in quarries near Moscow near the village of Myachkovo. The Kremlin so impressed its contemporaries with the beauty of its white walls that from then on Moscow began to be called white-stone.
Prince Dmitry was a very brave man. He always fought in the forefront and it was he who led the fight against the conquerors from the Golden Horde. In 1380, his army completely defeated the army of Khan Mamai on the Kulikovo field, not far from the Don River. This battle was nicknamed Kulikovskaya, and the prince has since received the nickname Donskoy.
The white stone Kremlin stood for more than 100 years. During this time, a lot has changed. Russian lands united into one strong state. Moscow became its capital. This happened under the Moscow Prince Ivan III. From that time on, he began to be called the Grand Duke of All Rus', and historians call him “the collector of the Russian land.”
Ivan III gathered the best Russian masters and invited Aristotle Fearovanti, Antonio Solario and other famous architects from distant Italy. And now, under the leadership of Italian architects, new construction began on Borovitsky Hill. In order not to leave the city without a fortress, the builders erected a new Kremlin in parts: they dismantled a section of the old white stone wall and quickly built a new one in its place - out of brick. There was quite a lot of clay suitable for its production in the vicinity of Moscow. However, clay is a soft material. To make the brick hard, it was fired in special kilns.
Over the years of construction, Russian masters stopped treating Italian architects as strangers, and even changed their names in the Russian way. So Antonio became Anton, and the complex Italian surname was replaced by the nickname Fryazin. Our ancestors called the overseas lands Fryazhsky, and those who came from there were called Fryazin.
It took 10 years to build the new Kremlin. The fortress was defended on both sides by rivers, and at the beginning of the 16th century. A wide ditch was dug on the third side of the Kremlin. He connected two rivers. Now the Kremlin was protected on all sides by water barriers. they were erected one after another, equipped with diversion archers for greater defensive capability. Along with the renovation of the fortress walls, the construction of such famous ones as Uspensky, Arkhangelsky and Blagoveshchensky took place.
After the crowning of the Romanov kingdom, the construction of the Kremlin began at an accelerated pace. The Filaret belfry was built next to the bell tower of Ivan the Great, Teremnaya, Poteshny Palaces, Patriarchal Chambers and the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles. Under Peter I, the Arsenal building was erected. But after the capital was moved to St. Petersburg, they stopped building new buildings.
During the reign of Catherine II, a number of ancient buildings and part of the southern wall were demolished for the construction of a new palace. But soon the work was canceled, according to the official version due to lack of funding, according to the unofficial version - due to negative public opinion. In 1776-87. The Senate building was built
During Napoleon's invasion, the Kremlin suffered enormous damage. Churches were desecrated and looted, and part of the walls, towers and buildings were blown up during the retreat. In 1816-19. Restoration work was carried out in the Kremlin. By 1917 There were 31 churches in the Kremlin.
During the October Revolution, the Kremlin was bombed. In 1918, the government of the RSFSR moved to the Senate building. Under Soviet rule, the Kremlin Palace of Congresses was built on the territory of the Kremlin, stars were installed on the towers, they were placed on pedestals, and the walls and structures of the Kremlin were repeatedly restored.
Even in kindergarten, children hear about white-stone Moscow. This name is a traditional epithet of the capital. But then the children get older and in history lessons learn that the city received its name because of its main fortress - the Kremlin. And they have natural questions about where this strange color blindness came from? The Kremlin is red, not white!
In reality there is no error. It’s just a beautiful epithet that appeared a long time ago, when the Kremlin was truly bright.
What is the Kremlin?
In medieval Rus', this word was used to describe the central fortress of the city, the last and main stronghold of defense. The main (or only) city temple was usually located on its territory, and the city ruler (prince or governor) lived.
In the event of an attack (and they happened very often in those days), not only the population of an unprotected or poorly protected urban settlement, but also the peasants of nearby villages were hiding behind the walls of the Kremlin. Strong walls gave hope of repelling an attack or waiting for help while withstanding a siege.
Not first
For a very long time, fortifications from stone were not built in Rus'. They built it from wood - it was faster and easier. Therefore, the white stone Kremlin in Moscow was not really the first - before it there was a wooden fortress. There is chronicle evidence of the construction of a wooden fortress in the city by the founder of Moscow, Prince Yuri Dolgoruky (by the way, a lover of war). This fact dates back 9 years after the first mention of Moscow in a written source.
Later, the wooden Kremlin was repeatedly restored and rebuilt. The reason is clear - wooden walls provided good protection from direct attack by enemies, but were powerless against fire. And Rus' had just entered turbulent times - it all started with princely strife, and then the Tatars came. The last time the wooden fortress was rebuilt was by the famous Ivan Kalita. He built it from oak and significantly increased the area. But it still didn't help.
All Saints Fire
Even a Tatar attack was not required - Ivan Kalita's Kremlin was destroyed by a domestic fire. This was a terrible scourge of wooden medieval cities - with any fire they could burn out completely. This time, the Church of All Saints was the first to catch fire (hence the name of the fire). This happened in 1365.
At this time, young Dmitry Ivanovich (not yet Donskoy then) reigned in Moscow. He sought to pursue an independent policy, but understood that with a “naked” capital it would be a hopeless matter. Therefore, he hastened to begin construction of a new fortress and, at the same time, made sure that it burned worse.
White stone
Rus' already knew stone construction. But in many regions, strictly speaking, it was not stone, but brick - clay plinth was used. But in the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, even before the Mongol invasion, a tradition of building from limestone arose. Because of its light color it was called “white stone”. You had to know how to work with it, but in principle limestone was easy to work with. It was possible to cut blocks of the required size from it.
There was a limestone deposit not far from Moscow in the village of Myachkovo, 30 km from the capital. This variety is now called Myachkovsky limestone. The historian and writer I.E. Zabelin assumed that it was this stone that the builders of Dmitry Ivanovich’s Kremlin should have used.
The big problem was the delivery of stone, and the prince did not want to start construction until all the necessary material was at hand. Transportation was carried out along the Moscow River, partly by water, but mostly by ice in winter.
Unprecedented Kremlin
The construction of the white stone Kremlin in Moscow took two years (1367-68). He is often mentioned in sources, but our contemporaries do not know exactly what he looked like. There are no accurate images, and one has to rely on descriptions and archaeological research data.
Under Prince Dmitry, the Kremlin area was approaching the current one - he ordered the construction of new walls at a decent distance from the old ones. The walls were theoretically up to 3 m thick and had numerous loopholes, which were closed during an attack with wooden shields to better protect the soldiers. A significant part of the walls stretched along the Moscow River and Neglinnaya (they served as additional protection). Where such protection was lacking, a ditch was dug (its traces were discovered by archaeologists). A stone bridge was thrown across Neglinnaya - the first in Moscow (now the Trinity Bridge stands there).
Historian M.I. Tikhomirov believes that initially the walls were thick, but rather low. They were built up gradually. This was a common practice in medieval towns and castles. There is a version that initially not the entire Kremlin was made of stone - those less dangerous from the point of view of a possible assault remained wooden. Over time, this omission was also eliminated.
The white stone Kremlin in Moscow (the year of construction began - 1367) stood for 150 years. Prince Ivan III, famous for putting an end to the Mongol yoke, planned to build a new fortress. The white walls were gradually dismantled, and others were built in their place. The material this time is red brick. This is how the modern Kremlin appeared.
Some lime blocks were left in the new wall as rubble. They were later discovered by scientists and were thus convinced that the first stone Kremlin in Moscow was indeed white.
Miracles of Belokamennaya
Striving for the unification and strengthening of Rus', Dmitry Ivanovich sought to make the Kremlin not only a fortress, but also a kind of center of gravity, which would symbolize Russian greatness. Therefore, the prince built not only walls, but also stone churches in the Kremlin monasteries. As a result, Moscow became one of the most “stony” Russian cities, and the Kremlin itself became the most powerful European fortress.
Dmitry's heirs sought to continue his endeavor and increase the number of Kremlin miracles. Thus, at the turn of the 14th-15th centuries, the first tower clock in Rus' appeared in the Kremlin. White stone began to be used not only for construction, but also for decoration. In the middle of the 15th century, a Russian sculptor made two bas-reliefs from limestone. One of them depicted the coat of arms of Moscow (with St. George the Victorious), the second - St. Dmitry of Thessalonica (heavenly patron of Dmitry Ivanovich). They were fixed on the Frolovskaya (today Spasskaya) tower: the first in 1446 on the outside above the gate, the second in 1466 in the same way, but on the inside.
Adventures of the Fortress
Despite its relatively short life, the first white-stone Kremlin in Moscow managed to serve the Motherland well. Its construction was barely completed when in 1368 the army of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Olgerd appeared under the walls of Moscow. The Lithuanians left without a sip - the fortress stood. In 1370, Olgerd tried again - with the same result.
But the white Kremlin was unexpectedly sidelined by the very event that glorified its builder for centuries. In 1380, Dmitry Ivanovich led the army of the united Russian principalities against the Golden Horde, and on the Kulikovo field near the Don for the first time inflicted a crushing defeat on the enemy. For this victory, the prince was awarded the honorary nickname Donskoy. But the angry Mongols were not yet defeated at all. In 1382, Khan Tokhtamysh, who replaced the Temnik Mamai defeated by Dmitry, took advantage of Dmitry’s absence and attacked Moscow. The city fell and was completely burned.
It was here that Dmitry’s foresight showed itself - the white stone Kremlin in Moscow (completion date - 1368) survived! It only had to be repaired, but not rebuilt.
The power of tradition
Although Prince Ivan used a different material for construction, he clearly had respect for the fortress built by his famous grandfather. The Kremlin remained white until the end of the 19th century! Although it was completed and restored several times. Even after the “Time of Troubles” and the Patriotic War of 1812, the walls stubbornly continued to be whitewashed!
That is why the epithet “white stone” is so firmly attached to Moscow - it was formed not over 150 years, but much longer! The walls were painted white primarily to show respect for Dmitry Donskoy, and then out of habit.
You may notice that St. Basil's Cathedral, which is in close proximity to the Kremlin, is mostly red. You can guess that this made a striking contrast. In addition, there was a tradition in the architecture of Rus' - to build temples from plinth, and its color resembles modern red brick. Russian churches began to be whitewashed much later. And not everywhere (having visited the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, you can be convinced that its walls were not originally white - fragments of masonry were deliberately left unpainted on the walls of buildings). Thanks to this, churches were strikingly different from secular buildings (houses then were wooden or resembled Ukrainian huts). In the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, white churches were built (for example, the Intercession on the Nerl), but this was not an immutable rule.
Creations of the masters
Although none of the figures of modern times saw the first Kremlin, it aroused their interest. Some tried to “invent” Dmitry Donskoy’s Kremlin and depict the results of their thoughts on canvas. The most interesting version belongs to the artist A. Vasnetsov. The whitewashed Kremlin of later eras was often drawn and described. One can suspect that not all the witnesses knew that before the fortress was different - really white.
Back to white
Nowadays the red walls of the Kremlin are tinted with red paint for showiness in the same way as they used to be whitewashed. But in recent years, proposals have increasingly been heard to repaint the Kremlin white again. They say this will be more in keeping with the historical spirit of Moscow.
Besides the fact that it doesn’t hurt to think about how much paint it will require and how much the work will cost, you need to remember two more things. Firstly, the current Kremlin was not born white-stone. Repainting will not restore the real fortress of Dmitry Donskoy. And secondly, the Kremlin and Red Square are a monument of world significance and are under the protection of UNESCO.