The Amusing Palace is part of the Kremlin buildings. This building is interesting because it was the first boyar estate in the area. The fact is that the main space here was built up with royal houses, utility rooms. Therefore, the appearance of a residential estate here can be considered as a very remarkable event from an architectural point of view.
Location
The amusing palace is located between two Kremlin walls. It is located in a rather narrow area. However, the skill of the unknown architect was manifested in the fact that he managed to place not only a residential building, but also a garden, a porch and some outbuildings on a fairly small area. The estate is located between the Commandant and Trinity towers. This location testified to the special disposition of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich towards its owner - his father-in-law, I. Miloslavsky. The amusing palace was built in 1651. The peculiarity of its location was that it was located in the center of the site with a front door in the south and a utility yard in the north. After the death of the original owner, the palace went to the king and was connected to his dwelling through various passages. This building is interesting because it was built of stone, which wasa rarity for the time in question.
Architecture
The building is square in cross-section, however, it is divided by a passage in the middle. Its buildings are interconnected by a special travel arch. It is interesting in that it became one of the stages of stone construction in the capital, which was just beginning at the time in question. The facade was divided by floor, which also testifies to the high level of architecture. The Amusing Palace is notable for the fact that it is decorated with white stone decor - an art that has been known since the times of Ancient Russia and became quite widespread later. Living rooms are arranged according to the principle of enfilade, which makes this building related to the famous Terem royal tower. But the Poteshny Palace of the Moscow Kremlin is especially famous for the fact that it houses the house church of the Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos. This temple is harmoniously inscribed in the volume of the main building. The church is in the east facade. On the western side is a flat platform with hanging gardens that served as a porch.
Further destiny
The amusing palace in the Kremlin, originally a living quarters, later turned into a place for theatrical performances for the royal family, from where it got its name. Then the princesses lived here. However, under Emperor Peter I, it lost its purpose: the new ruler, who moved the main cultural center to St. Petersburg, placed the Police Order here. At the beginning of the 19th centuryhere was the headquarters of the commandant of Moscow.
In the same century, a plan was drawn up to rebuild the palace. The architect I. Egotov decided to remake the eastern facade and make it the main one in the building. Therefore, a new, additional northern facade was added to the palace, and the interiors were decorated in the then popular pseudo-Gothic style. Unfortunately, the house church, which was the best part of the whole structure, was abolished. A new element was an attached balcony on pillars in the form of egg-pods. However, in the second half of the same century, N. Shokhin tried to restore the building to its original appearance, but his project was only a weak attempt to stylize the old look of the building.
Today
The foundation of the Amusing Palace was an important stage in the architectural construction of the capital. It was one of the most interesting architectural structures of its time. For some time the building served as an apartment for Stalin. Today, the Kremlin services are located here.
In the early 2000s, restoration work was carried out in the building, during which the facades of the church were restored, as well as some elements of the interior decoration. During the work, a unique find was discovered - a rare example of white stone carving with a theme that is generally not typical for the 17th century. The drawing contained images of fantastic creatures and tournaments. The significance of the monument lies in the fact that it is an excellent example of a boyar residential estate, which is quitewell preserved to this day.
