Зодчество Древней Руси

KOTOpoii LlOCTHraeT CBOero anore11 B npeLteJJbHOH KpaCO'IHOH uacbnueuuocTH

position of the Robe were designed by Russians. probably masters from Pskov: they are in complete harmony with the style of Cathedral Square. Its spacious composition was set off somewhat later by the imposing vertical lines of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. These Kremlin buildings had an important influence on Russian architecture, inspiring many imitations and adaptations even in the most remote parts of the state. The 16th century saw the emergence of a new kind of church. both memorial and triumphal, an excellent example of which is the Church of the Ascention in Kolomenskoye, built in honour of the birth of Prince Ivan-later to become Tsar Ivan the Terrible. It is an excellent example o f t ent - sh a pe d construction translated into stone, where the religious function of the building is subordinated to the aim of erecting a monument of memorable grandeur. The complex variations of the triumphal church were an expression of the growth of national consciousness throughout this immense country. They are most clearly seen in the Cathedral of the Intercession in Moscow. better known as the Cathedral of St. Basil. Barma and Postnik, both Russians, designed the rhythmic ensemble of nine domes. and seem to have used the medium of stone to create a major symphony of popular rejoicing at the victory over the Kazan Tatars. It is the most brilliant and original monument of 16th-century Muscovite architecture. The consolidation of the Russian state at the beginning of the 17th century, which followed the repulsion of Polish and Lithuan ian invaders, led to renewed building and the flowering of art and architecture. In the Kremlin the stone buildings for the grand princes (Terems-Palace of Chambers) were built, while the towers of the Kremlin walls were decorated with tall brick steeples covered with tiles and topped with gilded weather vanes. All this new building greatly enhanced the decorative appearance of the Kremlin. strengthening its impact as the heart of the capital. The intricate and striking composition of the Terems. with its extensive use of figured brick-work, carved white stone and coloured tiles, was to inspire many later stone palaces. The idea of elaborately decorated exteriors was also applied extensively to religious buildings, predominantly the small parish church without pillars. Towards the end of the 17th century. with technical skill de veloping rapidly, Muscovite monumental architecture widened in scope-in a social as well as material sense. Multistoreyed churches of unprecedented magnificence appeared. The most important of these were decorated in a somewhat extravagant baroque style. One example of this is the Church of the Inter cession in Fili. near Moscow. in the former village, which at that time belonged to the Naryshkin family: it gave its name to the new style, which became known as Naryshkin, or Moscow baroque. This period also saw the construction of ornamental super structures on the towers of the Novodevichy, Donskoi and Holy

IN THE 14th CENTURY MOSCOW, THEN A SMALL TOWN, became the Grand Prince's capital. It was only then that stone was introduced as a building material. In the early stages extensive use was made of architectural traditions inherited from the older cultural centres of Russia. Comparatively few examples of this period remain, however. The album includes photographs of the simple, elegant interior of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, built in the Moscow Kremlin at the end of the 14th cen tury, and the I 5th-century cathedral in the Andronikov Monastery. In both the structural device of recessive rows of corbeled arches for the support of cupola drums has been applied, reminiscent of the Pyatnitski Church in distant Chernigov. The major buildings of Muscovy date from the end of the 15th century when Russia, having conclusively beaten the Tatars, began to emerge as an independent power of considerable im portance. Its new capital, however, was not nearly imposing enough. The tasks of reconstructing the fortified centre (the Kremlin) and of building the main palaces and cathedrals attracted Italian craftsmen as well as Russians. As the projects were being put into effect, there emerged dis tinctive features which were to characterise Russian architecture during the establishment of a strong, centralised Russian state. Within the Kremlin walls we can clearly trace the attempts to solve the major problems of planning. This was to become an important characteristic of Russian architecture. The central point of the Kremlin was to be the spacious Cathe dral Square, with all the most important buildings facing on to it, to symbolise the unity of spiritual and temporal power throughout the country. First among these buildings is the I 5th-century Cathedral of the Assumption, built according to the plans of Aristotle Fioravante and based on the model of its namesake in Vladimir. Scene of Grand Princes' coronations and the buri a l pl ac e of Pa tr ia r c h s a nd Me t r o p o lit a n s of Moscow, this great c ath ed ral pr o du c e s a n overw h e l m i n g impression of simp l i ci ty and grandeur. Two other Italian architects. Marco Ruffo and Pietr'antonio Solario. supervised the construction of the Faceted Hall (Grano vitaya Palace). designed for official receptions. In the south-west corner of the square a magnificent royal pantheon, the Cathedral of the Archangel, was built under the supervision of Alevisio Novi: here the traditional proportions of the Russian five-domed church are combined with classical motifs in exterior decoration. The Cathedral of the Annunciation and the tiny Church of the De

56