The Armory, located on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin, is one of the museums that are known all over the world. From 1960 to the present, it has been a member of the State Kremlin Museums.
Armory history
Once upon a time, gunsmiths worked in this chamber - the best masters of their craft. They made light, comfortable and very high quality weapons. This is where the name of the chamber comes from.
The Armory was first mentioned in a chronicle dating back to the 16th century. It tells about a fire in which the entire "armory chamber" with all military weapons burned down. Under Tsar Ivan III, it became known as the Great Treasury and was located in a building located between the Archangel and Annunciation Cathedrals.
During the time of Peter the Great, valuables and "curious things" began to be kept here. Another fire destroyed a significant part of the weapons and trophies, including those that came after the Battle of Poltava. And the Tsar's treasury has survived.
After the fire, the Armory was transferred from one building to another several times. The building that houses the museum today was erected in 1851. The author of the project is Konstantin Ton.
Armory exhibits
Over the course of several centuries, the museum has been replenished with various items: valuable gifts, interesting finds, trophies. In the halls of the Armory, you can see the ceremonial clothes of the tsars, the clothes of the ministers of the Russian Orthodox Church, unique silver and gold items.
One of the most widely known museum relics is the Monomakh hat. It is adorned with precious stones and sable fur. It was this hat that was crowned with the reign of all the great Russian princes before Peter I.
In the spacious halls of the museum, there is the famous double throne, on which 10-year-old Peter (future Peter I) and 15-year-old Ivan V were crowned. The exclusivity of this throne lies in the fact that it contains a small door to a secret room. It could contain those who told the brothers what is preferable to say. Of particular interest is the throne of Ivan IV, better known as Ivan the Terrible. Its royal seat is skillfully finished with ivory plates.
The Armory has a significant collection of weapons and ceremonial horse decorations. Here you can see a model of a knight on horseback, completely clad in armor. In total, the museum has almost 4,000 exhibits, the high value of which has brought the cultural institution worldwide fame. D. Likhachev called the Armory Chamber not just a museum, but a materialized memory of our people, a treasury of Russia.
