Description of the attraction
Among the oldest civil buildings and structures in the capital of the Russian Federation, the Faceted Chamber is one of the most famous. It is located on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin and is included in the list of objects of cultural heritage of the peoples of the Russian Federation.
The history of the construction of the Faceted Chamber
Until the 80s of the 15th century, on the site of the Faceted Chamber, there was ancient princely gridnitsa - a large room where the squad was located. The building could easily accommodate up to 400 people, and therefore the grill was often used for feasts and receptions on the occasion of large holidays.
In 1487 the architect Marco Ruffo, born in Italy and working in Russia, laid the foundation stone for the new building. It was supposed to be the venue for ceremonial receptions, meetings and gala dinners hosted by the royal family. The customer was the king Ivan III … Another architect of Italian origin was finishing work on the construction of the Faceted Chamber - Pietro Antonio Solari … At the same time, the architect worked on the construction of the largest towers of the Moscow Kremlin.
The Faceted Chamber got its name due to the special decoration of the eastern facade. This wall has outside faceted rustic, which in the old days was often called diamond. Rust is faced with rectangular stones that fit tightly to each other and have a roughly hewn front side. The protruding parts of the stones give the building a massive and durable look and provide sound and thermal insulation. This method of facade decoration is typical for buildings built in the Renaissance era in Italy.
Construction lasted four years, and in 1491 year Pietro Antonio Solari reported to the tsar on the completion of the work. Next to the Faceted Chamber was erected Middle Golden Chamber … There were several ways to get here from Cathedral Square:
- The main porch was called Red … It is located at the southern wall of the Faceted Chamber, and in the old days, during the holidays or with the announcement of important decrees, the king solemnly entered it.
- Along the middle staircase, named at the end of the 17th century Golden lattice, one could enter the vestibule of the Middle Golden Chamber. So, diplomatic representatives of states where they professed non-Christian religions entered the royal palace.
- You could also get to the Faceted Chamber from Cathedral Square through the porch of the Annunciation Cathedral, which is only a few meters away from the chamber.
The first reconstruction and major renovation of the Faceted Chamber took place in 1684, when the arched windows were cut and replaced with full-fledged window openings, a new portal was added opposite the entrance from the vestibule, a carved ornament was added to the platbands and seven additional windows were cut through the western and southern facades. The head of the construction team that carried out the reconstruction of the building was Osip Startsev, who is called one of the most talented Russian architects who worked in the Moscow Baroque style.
The Palace of Facets in the 18th-20th centuries
New emperors were crowned in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin until the end of the 19th century. Each such ceremony was accompanied by festive feast, which took place in the Faceted Chamber. Usually on such days, the building was additionally decorated, for which precious things and attire came from the Treasury Order. The House celebrated the victory at Poltava in 1709 and the signing of a peace treaty with Sweden in 1721.
Trinity fire of 1737 caused significant damage to the Faceted Chamber. The fire destroyed the roof and floor in the entryway, and the white stone carvings were badly damaged. Restoration work continued in 1753, when the Red Porch was rebuilt, retaining its original appearance.
The next work began before the coronation Alexander III … Then the lighting system was replaced in the ward by installing bronze chandeliers and sconces. They were created in the style of Novgorod lamps of the 15th century. The paintings on the walls and ceiling, darkened by time and partially lost in the fire, were restored by an artel of painters, discharged from the village Palekh.
The revolutionary changes also affected the Moscow Kremlin. The Faceted Chamber was transferred the Kremlin commandant's office … It was to become the venue for various protocol events. In the 60s of the twentieth century, restoration measures were carried out in the chamber, as a result of which a portal of white stone decorated with carvings reappeared on the western wall, and the central pillar was re-decorated with reliefs. The murals were cleaned up and partially renovated, cracks in the masonry were filled in and covered with fresh plaster, and the lost gilding was applied to the walls and pillar.
What to see in the Faceted Chamber
The two-storey building of the chamber consists of basement bottom and square throne room - On the second floor. The area of the upper hall is 495 sq. m. Its cross vaults converge together in the center and flow into the central pillar, richly decorated with stucco. The height of the vaults reaches nine meters. During the day, the chamber is illuminated by natural light pouring through eighteen windows. In the evening in the Faceted Chamber light up bronze chandeliersmade in the 18th century.
Along the western wall adjoin the throne room Holy canopy, and opposite the throne place is the hiding place. You can enter the Faceted Chamber from Cathedral Square through the Red Porch.
The stone staircase that led to the main passage to the Faceted Chamber was named Red porch … In the 17th century, there were guards on it, who guarded the entrance to the royal palace. There were utility rooms under the porch. The staircase consisted of 32 steps hewn out of white stone and covered with iron. On each of the three areas of the Red Porch, gilded figures of lions were placed, and the stairwells were accompanied by railings. The porch was protected from rain and snow by a roof in the form of tents made of copper plates.
The original Red Porch, built together with the main building of the chamber, was dismantled and rebuilt in connection with construction and repair work on Cathedral Square in 1753 and 1841. The staircase was finally dismantled in 1934. Then instead of the Red Porch appeared canteen for delegates to congresses of the CPSU and deputies sitting in the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The dining room was adjacent to the southern wall and existed until the early 90s of the last century, when it was dismantled. In 1994, the Red Porch was rebuilt using a model of the chamber stored in Museum of architecture, and drawings, which, luckily, were made before the demolition of the stairs. Double-headed eagles are installed above the side pediments of the restored Red Porch, and stone lions on the platforms, as before.
Holy canopy in front of the entrance to the main building of the Faceted Chamber were added in the 30s-40s of the 19th century, when the Grand Kremlin Palace was erected in the Kremlin. The main hall of the vestibule was painted in 1846-1847 Fedor Zavyalov, Russian historical painter and professor at the Imperial Academy of Arts.
From a cache opposite the throne seat, the queen watched the ceremonies taking place in the Faceted Chamber. The hiding place window was covered with bars and covered with a curtain, the walls were decorated with expensive fabrics, and the window sills were made of marble.
Murals of the Faceted Chamber
Undoubtedly, the most important treasures preserved in the Faceted Chamber are its wall paintings … The first frescoes appeared in the chamber in the 16th century, and continued to paint the royal ceremonial guest dining room Simon Ushakov … This happened in 1668, when the master was already a mature and accomplished artist. Semyon Ushakov was a very talented icon painter and became famous for his desire to absorb new trends and master many painting techniques and techniques. Ushakov embraced Western art and actively invented new compositions, striving to give the depicted figures character and dynamism.
In the first third of the 18th century, the wall paintings of the Faceted Chamber were destroyed by order of the emperor Peter I … On the ceilings, the frescoes were simply whitewashed, on the vaults they were painted over, and into the walls of the Faceted Chamber they were pulled from the inside with a velvet cloth of crimson color, on which two-headed eagles were embroidered in gold.
Thanks to the inventory compiled in the 17th century by Simon Ushakov, information about the paintings was preserved, which made it possible to return the lost frescoes in 1881. Work carried out brothers Belousov - icon painters from Palekh:
- The portal at the main entrance is decorated with pilasters decorated with carvings in the form of floral ornaments and heraldic animals. In the composition, the oldest image of a two-headed eagle in the building stands out.
- The vaults and slopes of the vaults are filled with cosmogonic plots.
- The central pillar, on which the four cross vaults of the chamber rest, is decorated with images of dolphins in the central part. The frieze ribbon contains the coat of arms of Russia and images of various animals.
- On the lunettes located above the windows of the southern wall, you can see scenes from the Old Testament written, as well as portraits of Fyodor Ioannovich and Solomon and a scene of the wedding to the kingdom of Vladimir Monomakh.
- The slopes of the window openings introduce the viewer to the representatives of the princely family of Rurikovich - only 24 portraits.
The source for the plots of the frescoes for Simon Ushakov was the Bible and the monuments of ancient Russian writing, called Chronographs. They appeared for the first time in the 15th century and were chronicles, the authors of which tried to systematize historical information and available data. The Chronograph usually summarized biblical events and contained an essay on world history.
On a note:
- The nearest metro stations are Borovitskaya, Aleksandrovsky Sad, Lenin Library, Arbatskaya.
- Official website: www.kreml.ru
- Opening hours: From May 15 to September 30 - every day except Thursday, from 9:30 to 18:00. Ticket offices are open from 9:00 to 17:00. from October 1 to May 14 - every day, except Thursday, from 10:00 to 17:00. Ticket offices are open from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. The Armory and Observation Deck of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower operate on a separate schedule.
- Tickets: on sale near the Kutafya Tower in the Alexander Garden. The cost of a ticket to Cathedral Square, to the Kremlin cathedrals: for adult visitors - 500 rubles. For Russian students and pensioners upon presentation of the relevant documents - 250 rubles. Children under 16 years old - free. Tickets to the Armory and Ivan the Great Bell Tower are purchased separately from the general ticket.
