The history of the Russian state is full of events of various kinds. The most significant left their mark not only in the annals, but also in the monuments of architecture and art, studying which you can go through all the milestones in the formation of our Motherland. Until today, people's interest in the life and life of emperors and tsars of the Romanov dynasty is indestructible. The period of their reign is surrounded by luxury, splendor of palaces with beautiful gardens and magnificent fountains. The beginning was laid in the 17th century, when the young Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov moved to live in the royal chambers of the Moscow Kremlin. They were not as magnificent as they are today, and were not always the place of actual residence of crowned persons, but at the present stage they are a monument to the greatness of Russian rulers.
Romanovs
The Time of Troubles brought many shocks and hardships to Russia, without a firm ruling hand of the monarch, the country was torn apart by contradictions. The history of the Romanovs as kings begins in 1613, when the Zemsky Sobor nominates the most suitable candidate for the throne. Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, from the point of view of many contemporaries, was the most acceptable candidate. He came fromrich boyars, was a relative of the last tsar from the Rurik dynasty, who left no direct heirs, and was a person who did not participate in the race for power, that is, he remained neutral. The age of the future sovereign was also taken into account, which made it quite easy to manipulate him to achieve political goals. In fact, the young tsar was intimidated by the persecution and disgrace of Boris Godunov, at the age of 16 he was a sickly and weak-willed person who obeyed the will of his mother and father unquestioningly. From the moment of his election, Mikhail Fedorovich moved to the royal chambers, which were rebuilt almost anew during his reign. Many buildings erected for Ivan III were actually destroyed at that time. In the 17th century, the Moscow Kremlin was the royal palace, which became the center of the entire political and economic life of the state.
Royal Chambers
Everyone understands and represents the life and life of the royal family differently. All Russian people are sure that the person ruling the country should occupy the royal chambers. The meaning of the word and its definition is always in superlatives. This is not just housing for a group of people - it is the largest, highest, beautifully decorated room where the sovereign works and rests. There is some truth in this: the royal palace should reflect the greatness of the entire state, be its hallmark, since it is it that serves as a place for receiving foreign envoys. In the 17th century, the Moscow Kremlin was a city within a city. Hundreds of people live and work there.numerous houses of the court nobility, churches, monasteries, ministries. Such a number of people need to be supplied with everything necessary and to maintain a huge administrative apparatus in working order, therefore, the royal chambers are adjacent to workshops, kitchens, stables, cellars and even gardens and orchards. Of course, the Kremlin perimeter was guarded with special care, it was impossible for a simple passer-by to get through, and the petitioners who came from all over the country patiently waited for their turn outside its walls. If we proceed from the literal translation, then residential, high (2-3 floors), stone structures were called only the royal chambers. The meaning of the word in Russian, in relation to the territory of the Moscow Kremlin, covers not one room, but a large territory with expanded functionality, which is divided into separate sectors used for their intended purpose. For example, the Terem Palace served as a bedchamber, altar room, various outbuildings and had its own church and temple. Each type of premises had its own name and purpose: the Faceted Chamber, the Patriarch's, etc.
Terem Palace
Russian architects of the 17th century. (Konstantinov, Ogurtsov, Ushakov, Shaturin) created a unique pearl in its originality in the ensemble of the entire Moscow Kremlin. The Terem Palace was built using the surviving fragments of the previous building, which explains the stepped structure of the building. In the future, this style was often used in the history of the development of Russian architecture. Exterior decoration of the palacelooks great: white-stone architraves, multi-colored tiles with elements of heraldic drawings, decorative pilasters, unique decorative carving attracts special attention. The second floor of the Terem Palace is reserved for the royal chambers. Photos of modern (restored) interiors are not able to convey the richness of the decoration of the rooms. The walls and vaults of each chamber are designed in the same color and painted with decorative ornaments. In 1636, construction work in the Terem Palace was completed, but later other premises were added to it, which did not spoil the general appearance of the building. In the year of completion of work on the male half of the palace, the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands (Verkhospassky Cathedral) was created, separated from the Terem Palace by a gilded lattice. The most ancient building of the complex is the Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God (in Senya), dating back to the XIV century. It was rebuilt several times, but has survived to this day. All churches - Resurrection of the Word, Catherine and Crucifixion - harmoniously fit into the ensemble of the Terem Palace. Unique icons made on silk fabric and inimitable murals give the places of worship an original look.
Golden-domed tower
The highest part of the Terem Palace, which offers an amazing view of Moscow, was built for the children of Mikhail Fedorovich - they were supposed to study there. Teremok is located above the throne chamber of the sovereign. The room is spacious, bright, with benches placed along the walls. It also served for meetings of the Boyar Duma, and sometimes was used as the royal office. Teremok bythe perimeter is surrounded by open galleries for walking: from the end of the building these are large full-fledged platforms, and the long side is narrow passages, which are equipped only with low parapets. From here, the whole building, as well as the entire ancient city, could be seen at a glance. The golden-domed tower was built in 1637; it is a unique creation of Russian architects. The room is very richly decorated, but at the same time it is cozy and warm, large windows let in a lot of light, colored mica stones created a bizarre play of different colors. The cornice of the roof is decorated with an openwork metal lattice, window casings are covered with skillful white stone carving (as in the "adult" part of the chambers), which is different on each window. Birds, flowers, animals, various fruits and fairy-tale characters adorn the reliefs, symbolizing the diversity and richness of the surrounding world. The western portal, open for viewing, is decorated with a plaque that contains an inscription about the belonging of the choir data to the sovereign's children - Tsarevich Alexei Mikhailovich and Ivan Mikhailovich. Between the text and along the edges of the relief, a drawing is applied to awaken interest in learning and playing in the indicated room. The image, from the point of view of a modern person, looks naive and unpretentious, but the skill of its creators is difficult to overestimate. You can describe the Golden-Domed Tower endlessly, and the main theses will be: bright, warm, lively, magnificent.
Turret
Probably, during the construction of the tower, the architects meant the physical elevation of the sovereign above his lands. The king looked atthe city from its highest point (if we do not take into account the bell tower of Ivan the Great), that is, it was between God and people, which allowed him to assess the situation and make decisions on a large scale. For the inquisitive Tsarevich Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, this height seemed to be fully mastered. Therefore, a “watch tower” was attached to the tower from the eastern part. The level of the floor of this small structure coincided with the roof of the highest point of the Terem Palace. Construction was carried out later, which is why the eastern portal of the tower was inaccessible to the review, although it was originally decorated as beautifully as the western one. The turret offered the best view, but probably the princes liked to be higher than their father and all the noble boyars who occupied their room for a short time. It was possible to get there in two ways: through the Golden-Domed Tower, which was connected by a white stone staircase to the vestibule of the turret, forming a passage from the eastern portal, or directly from the lower chambers. In this case, the visitor got into a small vestibule next to the tower and from there through the open space reached the entrance hall, from which he could climb into the room we are considering.
Patriarchal chambers
The housewarming was celebrated in the middle of 1655, the whole Romanov family came to it. Patriarch Nikon wished that his premises were designed in the most saturated colors. The chambers were built in a more classical, "simple" style, but this is significantly offset by the richness of the building's decor and the riot of colors of the Temple of the Twelve adjoining from the east. Apostles. The third floor with small rooms was completed only by the end of the 17th century. Several white-stone porches, allowing access to open galleries, gilded openwork skates, magnificent frescoes gave the Patriarch's Chambers a solemn look. The gilded splendor was especially set off by the pink color in which Nikon ordered the walls of his apartment to be painted. The modern look of the chambers leaves a feeling of some understatement, perhaps the project was not fully implemented.
Fun Palace
Romanov Chambers, with all their splendor and spaciousness, could not accommodate the whole family. Therefore, in 1651 - by order of the new Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich - the construction of a new building began on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin, which was intended for the residence of the wife's father (father-in-law) I. D. Miloslavsky. It is worth noting the amazing feature of the building - it became the first Moscow "skyscraper", because it consisted of four floors. Already in the middle of the 17th century, there was a shortage of building space. Inside the first floor there was a through passage 30 meters long. Above the living rooms, for the convenience of the owner, the Church of the Praise of the Virgin with belfries was built, the altar of which was carried outside the palace with the help of brackets. It hung over the Kremlin street, thus, all church canons were observed. Miloslavsky lived in this house for 16 years, after which the palace was transferred to the state treasury. It received the name "Funny" later, in 1672, under Fyodor Alexandrovich Romanov, when the sovereign's sisters moved into it. The premises were used foramusements of the royal court (fun): the first theatrical performances were staged here, hence its name. For the convenience of the royal family, Teremnoy and Poteshny Palace were connected by closed passages.
Zaryadye in Moscow
One of the most ancient districts of Moscow, which runs between Varvarskaya Street and the river, is a historical monument only by its location. On this site there are unique buildings of Russian architecture - churches, temples and cathedrals, built in the XIV-XVIII centuries. But Zaryadye in Moscow received the greatest tourist popularity as the birthplace of the Romanov family, Russian tsars. The name of the territory comes from the word "row", meaning the shopping malls that stretched to Red Square. Unfortunately, the monument has not survived to this day in its original form, only the chambers remain. The remaining elements of the house and yard can be judged from the surviving descriptions of the life of the boyar family. According to legend, the first Russian tsar from the Romanov dynasty was born in the house on Varvarka, which his grandfather had built in his time. During the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the chambers were devastated by archers on the orders of the tsar, and subsequently suffered many times from fires and all kinds of redevelopment for monasteries and churches. The museum was organized on this site only at the direction of Alexander II, in the middle of the 19th century. The history of the Romanovs began here. According to the structure of the premises, the chambers had a fairly standard appearance of the houses of that time. The underground part was occupied by cellars and storerooms, there was alsocookery or kitchen. Living quarters were located higher: a library, an office, a room for older children to study were intended for men. The female half of the house was more spacious, with bright rooms for needlework, and the boyar daughters were engaged in spinning and sewing along with the maids. Jewelry, dishes, furniture, sewing, household items that have survived to this day are striking in their simplicity and sophistication of decoration. The Romanovs' chambers in Zaryadye are called "the old sovereign's court".
Royal Chamber Gatchina
Later buildings, erected by order of the royal family, continue to amaze with their size and splendor. Only from the 18th-19th centuries they were called not royal chambers, but palaces. For example, Gatchina. This palace was built at the direction of Catherine II for her favorite Grigory Orlov. This place and the project of the future complex were chosen by them jointly, the construction was officially completed in 1781, although the disgraced count entered it earlier. In 1883, after the death of Orlov, Catherine bought the palace from his heirs for Paul I. Each of the Romanov family improved this ensemble for their own needs and rebuilt it taking into account new technological achievements of mankind. Currently, this monument of architecture and history is in a state of restoration. The palace suffered greatly at the hands of the Nazis during the Great Patriotic War, some of the exhibits were taken to Germany.
Tsarskoye Selo
Starting with Peter I, everyoneRussian emperors left their mark on the history of the formation of the modern image of the city of Pushkin, or rather, its unique architectural and park objects. Before the Bolsheviks came to power, this place was known as Tsarskoye Selo. The Alexander Palace, as well as the Catherine Palace, together with the territories and building complexes adjacent to them, are real works of art! On the territory of the modern museum, all directions of artistic styles are found - from the luxury of Russian baroque to classicism and more modern trends of the 20th century. The Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo allows you to feel the spirit of several eras of the reign of the Romanov dynasty. Catherine the Great, Elizabeth, Alexander I - all left their mark on the development of the external appearance and internal content of the palace. No less important for the integrity of perception is the park area adjacent to the ensemble, which was created individually for each structure. The era of the reign of Alexander I, Nicholas II (the last Russian emperor) is associated with the Alexander (New Tsarskoye Selo) Palace. From a historical and architectural point of view, these objects are no less important than the Kremlin Palace. Photographs, video materials, constant excursions to all the places of stay of the Romanovs' house are in constant demand both within our country and among many foreigners.
