Under the sovereign of all Russia, the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III Vasilievich, rapid construction began on the territory of the Kremlin. Skilled Italian architects arrived in Russia at the invitation of the prince for the construction of various buildings, including temples. However, the three-domed Annunciation Cathedral was erected by Russian masters from Pskov - Krivtsov and Myshkin, who worked on its creation from 1484 to 1489.
The history of the creation of the Kremlin Cathedral of the Annunciation
The Cathedral is called the Annunciation Cathedral, because after the completion of its construction, Metropolitan Gerontius consecrated it in honor of the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. It was not erected from scratch. Previously, there was a wooden church built by the son of Alexander Nevsky, Prince Andrey, in his yard. Later it was replaced by a stone temple. It was notable for the fact that the painting in it was done by the icon painter Andrei Rublev. After this temple, there was another stone one, and only then the now standing Annunciation Cathedral was built. But after the completion of the construction it looked different, because after Ivan III, each subsequent prince made his own contribution to the decoration of the cathedral.
So, in 1508, Prince Vasily III Ivanovich ordered to gilt the top and overlay the icons of the cathedral with silver and gold, and paint the walls.
Under Ivan IV the Terrible, the three-domed cathedral became nine-domed: the tsar added four small churches in the corners, added two domes and covered all the domes with gilded copper sheets. Therefore, the magnificent Cathedral of the Annunciation began to be called also "Golden Domed". Traditionally, nine chapters symbolize the image of the Mother of God. The modern look of the cathedral took shape precisely in the era of Ivan IV Vasilievich. In the future, the temple was restored, covered with paintings and decorated in every possible way, which did not have a particular effect on the external contours of the cathedral.
So Fyodor Ioanovich installed a golden cross on the central head of the temple. Subsequently, Napoleon Bonaparte was looking for this cross in the Kremlin churches, but in the end, instead, he dumped the gilded one from the bell tower of Ivan the Great.
The care of the rulers about the Annunciation Cathedral is due to the fact that it was the first house church. First for the grand dukes, and then for the kings. Here they prayed, baptized children, got married. Therefore, for the convenience of the transition of members of the ruler's family from the living quarters to the temple, one of the walls of the cathedral was made adjacent to the sovereign's chambers.
The foundation on which the cathedral stands is a high ancient basement from the 14th century. Presumably, the sovereign's treasury was kept in it.
In the revolutionary November 1917, the cathedral came under artillery fire. Then the "Grozny" porch was damaged by the shell.
"Grozny" porch of the Annunciation Cathedral
From the side of the Moskva River (from the south), a covered porch adorned with white stone carvings adjoins the cathedral. According to legend, once the suspicious Ivan the Terrible saw a comet from this porch, which, as it seemed to him, was in the shape of a cross. He decided that this was a sign from above, which predicts his imminent demise. A short time after this heavenly phenomenon, Ivan the Terrible died on March 28, 1584.
From this porch, the sovereigns scattered alms and went to the neighboring Archangel Cathedral through a small garden, into which the porch opened.
Interior of the Annunciation Cathedral
The stone portals of the temple are framed by double columns. At the beginning of the 16th century, the entrances were decorated with carvings by Italian craftsmen, and at the end of the 19th century - with paintings.
The inner walls of the cathedral are covered with frescoes attributed to the brush of the sons of Dionysius and dated to 1508. But in the early 1980s, a complete disclosure of the painting was made, and after that it was suggested that the paintings were made after a major fire in 1547 in Moscow. In addition to biblical and festive scenes, surprisingly, the frescoes depict pagan sages who lived before Christ.
In addition to the walls, attention is drawn to the unusual floor, made of small silicon tiles with pieces of agate and jasper. There is an interesting legend: the floor tiles were brought from Rostov the Great by the direction of Ivan the Terrible, and they came there from Byzantium. In fact, the floor covering was created a hundred years later - in the middle of the 17th century, and not in the middle of the 16th.
Icons
The high iconostasis consists of six rows and contains about one hundred outstanding icons, mainly of the XIV-XVII centuries. The bottom row, according to tradition, is called local, it is the only one that goes to the neighboring, north and south, walls of the cathedral. Above him is a pyadnichny. The third is deesis. The fourth is festive. Above him is the prophetic. The topmost, sixth row is the forefather. The icons of the Deesis and the festive series are considered to be the oldest surviving icons.
In the Annunciation Cathedral there was a list of the icon of the Donskoy Mother of God, which, according to legend, Sergius of Radonezh blessed Dmitry Donskoy for the Battle of Kulikovo. Before the icon in 1552, Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible prayed earnestly, who planned a campaign against Kazan. Since 1930, the icon, supposedly painted by Theophanes the Greek, has been kept in the Tretyakov Gallery.
The current state of the cathedral
Divine services in the cathedral took place until the Soviet government from Petrograd moved to the Kremlin from Petrograd in March 1918. On July 20, 1955, a museum was opened in the cathedral, and since 1993, annual services have been resumed on the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos and on special occasions.
An archaeological exhibition is now organized in the basement of the cathedral. She tells about the history of Borovitsky Hill. Here you can see the treasures found in the 19-20 centuries in the Kremlin. A virtual tour of the exposition "Treasures and Antiquities of the Moscow Kremlin" can be found on the official website of the Kremlin museums.
How to get to the Kremlin Cathedral of the Annunciation
The cathedral can be accessed during the opening hours of the Moscow Kremlin museums from 9:30 to 18:00 hours. Ticket offices open half an hour earlier and close an hour before closing. Day off - Thursday.
Ticket offices are located in the Alexander Garden. It is most convenient to get to them on foot from the Borovitskaya metro stations, the Biblioteka im. Lenin "and" Alexander Garden ".
You can order excursions at the bureau, which is open seven days a week from 9:00 to 17:00 hours:
8 495 695-41-46
8 495 697-03-49
It is possible to purchase tickets online
