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The Cathedral of
Annunciation, masterpiece of old Russian architecture,
stands on the crest of Borovitsky Hill, in South part of
Cathedral Square. It is originally built as the domestic
church of grand princes and tsars and part of the tsar's
personal quarters. The Cathedral was connected to tsar's
palace and Archangel Cathedral by passages. This church
was to be used to celebrate various family events, such as
weddings and baptisms, name-day celebrations...
The history of Cathedral of Annunciation dates back many
centuries. Remains of the old foundation show that a stone
church of Annunciation stood on the site at the end of
14th century. In 1416, second, bigger cathedral was built
on its extant basement. The present tall and slender
Cathedral was erected in 1484-1489, by Pscov masons, to
replace the dilapidated cathedral of the early 15th
century. Originally, the cathedral had three domes and was
surrounded by galleries on all sides.
In the second half of 16th century, during the reign of
Ivan the Terrible, the cathedral was rebuilt and 4 small
single-domed side-chapels, were erected on the vaulted
gallery roofs; two more domes were also added on the rear
side of cathedral. Cathedral, now, had 9 domes, which, as
with the roof, were gilded. The porch was also rebuilt,
taller and in white stone, and flight of steps was added
to it on South side.
The rebuilding of the porch was associated with the 4th
marriage of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, who was put under
penance by the Church. Therefore, by church rules, he
could not attend services in the church, but had to stand
in the porch. The extant porch is actually part of the
1489 cathedral. One could go from the tsar's palace to the
treasury standing between Archangel Cathedral and
Cathedral of Annunciation, then to Archangel Cathedral and
go down to the palace's gardens.
In 16th century, Italian stone-carvers renovated the
portals of cathedral, giving them their present
appearance. Tall doors were covered with copper plate
inlaid with gold and decorated with themes from Bible. The
refined beauty of Golden Gates seem to invite the visitor
in to view cathedral's resplendent interior. The floor of
cathedral is made out of agate-colored jasper of various
shades and is also impressive.
Frescoes on the cathedral walls were first mentioned by
chroniclers, in 1508. The fire of 1547, about which
sorrowful records were left in Russian chronicles, ruined
all wall paintings. Cathedral was painted again in
1547-1551. During the period from 17th to 19th centuries,
the frescoes were painted over many time.
Cathedral of Annunciation is one of very few old Russian
monuments containing almost intact monumental painting of
16th century. These genuine paintings are the work of a
group of Russian painters.
On the vaulted gallery ceiling is "The Tree of
Jesus", which depicts the biblical story of the
origin of Christ and show both his forefathers and his
disciples, the apostles; here, also, are portraits of
philosophers, historians and poets of the antique world,
as Homer, Virgil, Plato and Plutarch, seen as the
forerunner of Christ. The composition symbolizes the
prehistory and history of Christianity.
The central part of cathedral is painted mainly with
frescoes on the themes from "Apocalypse", one of
early Christian works, describing the end of mankind on
earth, The Last Judgment, and finally, the eternal triumph
of good and justice.
The pillars of cathedral are decorated with stylized
portraits of Byzantine emperor Constantine, who made
Christianity the state religion in 4th century, of his
mother Helen, and also of Kievan Princess Olga, and Prince
Vladimir, who initiated Christianity in Russia. Pillars
opposite them are painted with martyr-warriors St. George
and Dmitry Solunsky, and also the first Russian saints,
princes Boris and Gleb. The group of righteous men also
includes Russian princes, as Vladimir Monomach, Alexander
Nevsky, Ivan Kalita and Dmitry Donskoy, with his son
Vassily.
The combination of frescoes in Cathedral of Annunciation
reflects the state doctrine proclaiming Moscow "Third
Rome" and supporting Moscow Tsar's claim to be
directly connected to Byzantine emperors and Roman Emperor
Augustus. Their portraits painted on the pillars of the
cathedral emphasized the direct inheritance of power by
Moscow grand princes from the Kievan grand princes and
Byzantine emperors.
The interior of old Russian church is usually adorned with
multi-tier iconostasis. The iconostasis of the Cathedral
of Annunciation, remarkable for its artistic merit,
contains icons belonging to different ages, from 14th to
18th centuries, and to different artists.
The icons of deisus tier, which is the most significant of
all, were painted in the late 14th century (the name is
taken from Greek word "deesis", meaning
"prayer"). The plasticity of forms, richness of
colors and peculiarities of technique, make it possible to
ascribe these icons to the hand of outstanding artist
Theophanus the Greek. Above the deisus tier depicting
Christ's worldly life and his miracles. The icons were
painted in the early 15th century. In 1918-1919, those two
tiers were first cleaned of later additions and restored
to their original state.
In the mid-16th century, icons of prophet tier were
painted. The uppermost tier, of the forefathers, consists
of small icons shaped as kokoshniks (traditional
head-dress of Russian women), dating to 16th and 19th
centuries. The icons of the lower, local saints' tier,
date from 14th to the early 18th centuries.
Cathedral of Annunciation is built of white stone and is
noted for its picturesque architectural forms, its shining
gilded cupolas and roof and its resplendent decor. The
slim apses, the Pyramidal arrangements of the cupolas and
kokoshnik-shaped gables lend the cathedral a look of
lightness and elegance.
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