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THE CATHEDRAL OF THE
DORMITION
IN MOSCOW KREMLIN
The cathedral of the Dormition (1475-1479) stands on the site of the first
stone cathedral which was built by Ivan Kalita in 1326-1327 and which in its
turn replaced the churches that were even older-the 12-th century wooden and
the 13-th century stone ones. It was the largest building of its period in
Russia and one of the most perfect examples of the 15-th century
architecture.
It amazed contemporaries by its solemn monumentality, austerity
and unusual design.
The cathedral was built by Italian
architect Aristotle Fioravanti. Ivan III chose the cathedral of the Dormition
in Vladimir as a model for the foreign master to copy. Therefore, before he
set about building it , Fioravante made a study of the original. Copying its
shape the architect decorated the facades of his creation with a belt of
arcature and completed it with the semi-circular zakomari gables so typical of
Russian architecture. Above the zakomari gables five helmet-like domes rise
magnificently on the drums with narrow windows. They catch up the vertical
structure of the pilasters dividing the walls. But while following Vladimir
architectural tradition Fioravanti introduced into the architecture of the
cathedral much that was new: the geometrical division of the facades, the
even sizes of the zakomari gables, five, not three altar apses which protruded
only slightly from the smooth surface of the walls. A chronicler noted that
the cathedral of the Dormition was like a monolith, “like a single stone”
erected like a palace.
The cathedral of the
Dormition was the main cathedral in Russia. It was here where Russian
princes, tzars and later emperors were crowned, acts of state proclaimed and
other important ceremonies held. The cathedral also served as the burial
vault for the Moscow metropolitans and patriarchs (their tombs lie along the
walls).
The interior of the cathedral is
one great hall with four round columns in the centre. The first murals were
painted in1481 by a group of artists headed by Dionysius, the greatest master
of ancient Rus. The frescoes were superbly executed and the colours were both
rich and exquisite.
Inside the cupolas and ceiling
vaults the artists portrayed Jesus Christ, God the Father, Virgin Mary,
angels, prophets and scenes from the Bible. On the columns – figures of
saints, warriors and martyrs for the Christian faith. The principal subject of
all the paintings done in tiers of the walls is the story of Mary’s life and
the Akafist – a hymn in her honour.
A five-tier iconostasis (17
century) which is approximately 16 metres high contains a collection of icons
from the 11-th to the 17-th centuries. They are of great historical and
artistic value and include such unique works as Our Lady of Vladimir
(14 c.), Archangel Michael(12-13 c.), the Trinity(14
c.)
One of the icons installed is
that of St.George which was painted in Novgorod in the 12-th century. The
noble warrior is depicted strong and courageos. It’s the image of an ideal
defender of ancient Rus from frequent enemy interventions and feuds between
princes.
The cathedral also contains a
lot of remarkable works of applied arts. Of special interest is the Seat of
Ivan the Terrible known as the Throne of the Monomach dating back to 1551. It
is decorated with carved relief compositions which tell us the life story of
Vladimir Monomach and some historical events. Next to the Throne stands a
painted white stone seat of the Patriarch and next – a gilded wooden seat of
the tsarina.
During the Patriotic war of 1812
the cathedral was practically cleaned out by Napoleon’s troops. They took
away 325 pouds of silver (more than 5 tons) and 18 pouds of gold (288 kilos).
After the war some of the silver was returned and a large chanderlier was cast
from it. It now hangs in the centre of the hall.
Today the cathedral of the
Dormition is a great historical monument, a museum of ancient
Russian art.
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