Since ancient times, the white-stone capital of Russia has been famous for God's temples, announcing the surrounding lands with the sound of their bells. Many of them have witnessed the most important events in the history of the state and are today priceless architectural monuments. There are different opinions about which church is the oldest in Moscow, but most researchers give the palm to the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, which is also its oldest, fully preserved temple structure.
The ancient predecessor of the current cathedral
The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - the forerunner of the now existing Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin - was built and consecrated in 1326, when the Grand Duke Ivan Kalita sat on the Russian throne. It can hardly be called the very first church in Moscow, since by that time the Mother See was already the administrative and spiritual center of the state, and Orthodoxy became the basis of the whole life of the then society. Nevertheless, it occupies a strong place in Russian history, since it was founded by the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Peter, on the occasion of the transfer of his throne from Vladimir to Moscow.
Having stood for less than half a century, the temple was badly damaged in the fire that swept the Kremlin in 1470. The damage was so great that the question arose of its complete restructuring. In addition, the erection of a new magnificent structure on the site of the conflagration was also required by the changed political status of Moscow, which had become the administrative center of the Russian state.
Start of construction of a new temple
For such a pious deed, all the monasteries were subject to special taxes, and voluntary donations were accepted from other citizens, including clergy and laity. It is known that the largest amounts were contributed by members of the princely family and representatives of the eminent merchants. So, five and a half centuries ago, the whole world raised funds for the construction of the building, which is now considered the oldest operating church in Moscow.
The management of the construction, begun in 1472, was entrusted to two eminent merchants - Vasily Ermolin and Ivan Vladimirov, and the Pskov architects Myshkin and Krivtsov took over the development of the project. A temporary wooden church was built inside the church under construction, famous for the wedding of the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III and his bride Sophia Paleolog, who came from a Byzantine imperial family.
Collapse of an unfinished building
According to the annals, the construction of this oldest church in Moscow could not do without unfortunate incidents, the main of which was its collapse caused by the earthquake that occurred in Moscow on May 20, 1474. As a result of a natural disaster, which is a very rare occurrence in this seismically prosperous area, the walls collapsed, which, according to a contemporary, have been erected to the “upper chambers”, that is, almost to the roof. Having studied the drawings and sketches of the building that have been preserved to this day, experts came to the conclusion that the fault of the architects who did not ensure the sufficient strength of the structure, as well as the low quality of the mortar, was the fault.
Moscow brainchild of an Italian architect
Not wanting to take any more risks, entrusting the work to domestic craftsmen, the Grand Duke wrote from Italy a more reliable specialist - the experienced architect Fioravanti Aristotle (the portrait is given above) and entrusted him with the revision of the project and the control over its implementation. Unlike his scandalous predecessors, the Italian did not rely on Russian chance, and, after making all the necessary calculations, provided his brainchild with a fair margin of safety, thanks to which the oldest church in Moscow has survived to the present day, having subsequently undergone only minor changes.
For the construction of the walls of the cathedral, reinforced inside with iron screeds, white stone blocks were used, which gave them reliability and beauty. The head drums, pillars and vaults were bricked, and the facades were divided by vertical ledges, as required by the architectural canons of that era.
The ceremonial consecration of the temple took place in August 1479, after which finishing work began, including wall painting, entrusted to the outstanding icon painter Dionysius and his students. Subsequently, his works were supplemented with frescoes of other famous masters, thanks to this the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, which is considered the oldest church in Moscow today, is a repository of priceless samples of ancient Russian painting.
Subsequent restoration and restoration work
In 1547, the Assumption Cathedral was again engulfed in fire and received many injuries. His recovery began immediately. Like more than two centuries ago, the funds necessary for carrying out work were collected by the whole world. Having completed the restoration, the roof of the temple was covered with gilded copper sheets, giving the building sophistication and grandeur, and inside, four icons of the ancient letter sent from Veliky Novgorod were added to the images that were previously available. So the oldest church in Moscow took shape familiar to all of us.
In 1624, at the behest of the first sovereign of the Romanov family — Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich — the vaults of the Assumption Cathedral, which were dangerously covered with cracks, were dismantled and laid out again to reinforce the danger of collapse, reinforced with iron reinforcement and supplemented with special supporting arches. Some changes were also made to the design of the roof and the gutter system.
Events of the 18th and 19th centuries
The fires, which are a real disaster for all Russian cities, did not spare either residential buildings or temple buildings. One of them, which happened in Moscow in 1737, again damaged the walls of the Assumption Cathedral and destroyed a significant part of the internal painting. Having ascended the throne three years later, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, who was known for her deep piety, ordered her restoration to begin immediately.
As for the frescoes affected by the fire, their restoration was already carried out under Catherine II on the orders of her closest associate and favorite - Prince Grigory Potemkin. They also transferred many precious church utensils to the temple. During the invasion of the Napoleonic troops, the building of the oldest church in Moscow was not damaged, but a large number of gold and silver items were stolen from it, and many icons of historical and artistic value were removed.
Restoration of the frescoes of the cathedral
An important milestone in the history of the Assumption Cathedral was 1910, when members of the state commission decided to open and renew the most ancient sections of the mural, which remained for a long time without restoration. The oldest church in Moscow in those days became the place of hard work of a large group of domestic and foreign experts, led by the chief master of the imperial court, Prince Shirinsky-Shakhamametov.
During the events of October 1917, the Assumption Cathedral was significantly damaged by artillery fire of the Red Guards, who fired at the cadets who shelled behind the Kremlin walls. Despite this, in April of the following year the Easter service was held in it, after which it was closed for many years and eventually turned into a museum. Thanks to this, the study of frescoes continued and was interrupted only during the years of World War II.
The temple, which became a museum
Despite the fundamental changes that have occurred in the life of the country during the years of perestroika, and the ensuing return of the church to its values, the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, which is by far the oldest church in Moscow, still retains the status of a museum. Only in the days of the great Orthodox holidays with the permission of the authorities and the blessing of the patriarch, services are held in its walls. Having become the tomb of many Russian autocrats over many centuries, it is rightfully considered one of the most valuable historical and architectural monuments.