The Kremlin

Cap of Monomakh

The fist Moscow Kremlin (fortress) was built in 1372. The current Kremlin is from the time of Ivan the Great, 1485 who unified Russia and freed them from the Mongols. The Kremlin has 1 1/2 miles of walls with 12 towers. We started our vist in the Armory. Here are the treasures of the Czars and noble families: liturgical vestments made of canvas, embroidered with gold thread and outlines in river pearls. Next were the imperial thrones made of simple wood underneath. Ivan the Terrible's throne in veneered in carved ivory and has been the coronation throne ever since. The throne of the early years of Peter the Great when he shared power with his brother Ivan is interesting since it has 2 seats in front and a screen with a seat behind it for the "power behind the throne", the regent Sophia. Numerous crowns were on display including the sable-trimmed Cap of Monomakh, as asian-style crown used since the 13th century for the Czar's coronation. The next room is filled with court carriages, five from the time of Elizabeth I plus the sled she used to get to Moscow from St. Petersburg to be crowned. Also interesting were some small carriages with mica windows used by Peter the Great as a child. Another room had an icon cover of gold with 2 large emeralds which the Spaniards took from the image of the Inca God. This icon cover was from Our Lady of Vladimyr in the Church of the Assumption. There were also a number of bible covers, the most impressive was for Catherine the Great, gold with over 1000 cators of diamonds, enamel portraits of the evangelists in the corners and in the center an enamal of Christ, whose face is the likeness of Catherine. We ended our tour with the Faberge Easter Eggs. Two were made each year for the royal family, each one contained a surprise. Ten of the 54 known eggs are here. For example one of the eggs celebrates the opening of the Transiberian Railway and inside was a miniature train.

Transiberian Railroad Egg

After leaving the Armory we had our biggest surprize of the day, Cathedral Square. Most impressive is Cathedral of the Assumption (Dormition), built by the Italian architect, Fiorvanti in 1475-79. This is the coronation church, covered with frescoes inside. Here we also ahve 3 pews: a small one for the Czar's wife, one for the Patriarch, and the Czar's with beautiful scenes carved in wood from the time of Ivan the Terrible. Around the square we also see the Cathedral of the Annunciation, the Palace of the Facets, the 11 domed Church of the palace, the Church of the Depositions of the Virgin's Robe, the Cathedral of the 12 Apostles, Ivan the Great belfry and bell tower, and the Cathedral of Michael, the Archangel, the burial spot of the early Czars.

The Churches of the Kremlin

Around the corner is the Czar bell, (200T) cast in the 1730s. As it was being carved and polished a fire broke out in the scaffolding and the bell cracked from the heat. Then comes the Czar cannon, the largest caliber in the world, but it has never been shot. We ended our tour with the office of the President of Russia. The Kremlin definately was not what I expected - more churches than government buildings.

In the evening we attended the Russia National Show in one of the large hotels. While there was lots of good dancing, it reminded me of Lord of the Dance with it pre-recorded music, which sometimes was Russian music with a beat.