Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
136
Crown of Monomakh (Shapka Monomakha)
A key reason to visit the Kremlin early in your trip is to view the Crown of
Monomakh
(Shapka Monomakha).
Once you've seen this unusual crown, you'll
recognize its likeness on many of your other stops: in the shape of church
cupolas, in paintings of medieval Russia in Tretyakov Gallery, in frescoes in
any Orthodox cathedral, even in modern fur hats on display at Russian
designer boutiques. The crown was made of eight triangles of gold joined to
form a cone; studded with red, blue, and green gems; topped with a cross;
and trimmed with a brim of sable. The shape recalls the hats worn by central
Asian khans, and reflects Russia's cross-continental geography. According to
legend, the crown was presented to Prince Vladimir Monomakh of Kiev
(1053-1125) by his grandfather, Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX. Though
most historians say the existing crown wasn't made until much later (around
the 14th c.), it still came to symbolize Russia's claim to the heritage of Byzan-
tium. It was used in coronations at least as far back as the 1400s, until Peter
the Great introduced more Western-style crowns in the 1700s. The Crown of
Monomakh remained a key Kremlin treasure, and Peter and his successors
continued to use the orb and scepter symbolizing the czar's dominion over
the earth. All three are on display at the Armory Museum in the Kremlin.
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Bell (see below). Continue to the
Cathedral of the Archangel Michael,
also built in
1505. Italian architect Alevisio Novi introduced the Corinthian capitals and Venetian
shell scallops in the gables. The cathedral holds the tombs of Russia's rulers from Ivan I
(1328-41) to Tsar Ivan V (1682-96), Peter the Great's predecessor. The interior of the
church is fittingly somber, its hall of coffins surrounded by small shrines. The
Cathedral
of the Annunciation
was built in 1482, and was where the czars were christened and
married. Its tiers of tented gables and
kokoshniki
(pointed arches) are reflective of early
Moscow architecture. Faded frescoes line the stone walls and columns from marbled floor
to painted ceiling, their enormous faces and curved figures gazing over the central cham-
ber. Renowned icon painter Andrei Rublev is buried here. Next door is the reconstructed
Red Staircase
mounted by centuries of czars after coronation. Also from these stairs, a
young Peter the Great watched relatives impaled during an uprising that prompted him
to flee Moscow to found his own capital. Tucked in the corner is the small
Church of
the Deposition of the Robe,
built in a more traditional style of the late 15th century,
with narrow windows and stained glass, the latter a rarity in Russian churches. It's now a
museum of wooden figures and church relics. Behind it you see the layered cluster of 11
domes that top
Terem Palace,
the oldest structure in today's Kremlin and the quarters of
Russia's rulers until Peter the Great.
The most prominent building on the square is the
Cathedral of the Assumption
,
a white limestone building with scalloped arches topped by almost chunky golden
domes. Started in 1475 by Italian architect Aristotle Fiorovanti, this church is the most
tourist-friendly of the cathedrals on the square, with detailed English labels on icons and
architectural details, and plenty of room for groups. The church is light and spacious,
unlike any of the other churches on the square—or indeed of this period. Czars were
