The Kremlin
St. Basil’s, a true Moscow landmark,
is located on Red Square, and is surely recognized everywhere around the world.
Ivan the Terrible built the church in 1561.
The original idea was to have a main chapel surrounded by seven others,
but it ended up with nine chapels.
Legend says that the eyes of the builder were gouged out so nothing so
beautiful could ever be built again. (I’ve heard that story in other places also.)
The interior is now a museum. Except for the Kremlin, St. Basil’s is the oldest
building on the square.
The symbolic, historic, and
geographic heart of Moscow is at the 69-acre Kremlin and Red Squar. In the 17th
century krasny meant beautiful, but
over time the meaning has come to mean red. The Kremlin is a north-pointing
triangle with sides 2460 feet long. Red Square lies along the east side while the
Moscow River flows past on the south side. From here, Moscow spreads out in
four distinctive rings of development, each area having its own collection of
monasteries, museums, and elegant buildings. Most of the city’s sights are
within the first circle, an area easily covered on foot.
The
Kremlin not only represented the political power of the country from czars to
Soviet prime ministers, but in earlier centuries it also was the religious
heart of the Russian Orthodox Church. An air of mystery and intrigue surrounds the
Kremlin, which has its roots in the fortified stronghold that defined medieval
towns. Kremlin translates to the citadel. Its 12th century wooden construction marked the birth of
Moscow. Fortified walls, over a mile in
circumference, 65-feet high and 20-feet thick make it virtually impregnable.
The current Kremlin dates to the 15th century and the reign of Czar
Ivan III. The red brick Kremlin wall has 20 towers, the highest 264 feet high,
and five massive gates. In addition, the halls, palaces, and six cathedrals, the grave of Josef Stalin and urns along the
Kremlin wall holding ashes of other famous Russians are impressive.
This is where government decrees were read, and where czar opponents
were slaughtered. It is also where potatoes and vodka were bartered and where
Soviet leaders dutifully tributed their subjects during government sham
pageants. Cobblestones cover the 70,000 square meter expanse. The Kremlin Wall
is bordered by St. Basil’s Cathedral, the GUM department store and the red
brick State historical Museum. Lenin’s mausoleum is in front of the Kremlin
Wall. Historical artifacts are housed in the
multi-spired museum, built in the late 1800s over the site of the original 1755
Moscow University. The tower clock chimes every 15 minutes and every three hours plays music.
Over the centuries Moscow’s Kremlin has been witness to many tragic
and famous events. Enemy guns have rattled its walls and celebrations and revolts have
taken place. Now, the Kremlin is one of the largest museums in the world with
its art and architecture being national treasures.
The
Spasskaya Tower, built in 1491, is considered to be the most beautiful and
harmonious tower of the Kremlin.
Trade Square (Torgovaya) was its first name. In the 16th century the
name became Trinity Square after the church by the same name. In Russia the
same area may have several different names, and by the 19th century the square
officially became Red Square. Stalin opened the Kremlin to the public in 1953.
A
description of its many buildings in the next post.
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