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Among all gems of the Kremlin architectural ensemble the
Facets Palace holds special place. Its very appearance is
quite extraordinary: it is a simple rectangular building
the façade of which is covered by small-sized projecting
tetrahedrons cut in white stone; amongst these are the
windows framed with carved white-stone cornices and
slender colonnades. The building produces an unforgettable
impression.
It
was built as the throne hall for the Grand Prince Ivan
III. The history of this hall is rather interesting.
In
1462, Ivan III ascended to the throne proclaiming himself
the “Tsar of All Rus”. In 1472, he married the
Byzantine princess Zoe Sophia Palaeologus. Perhaps it was
then that the Italian architects Marco Ruffo and Pietro
Antonio Solario came to Moscow. At that time, large-scale
construction was under way in Moscow. In 1485,
construction of a new palace for the tsar commenced. It
was finished in 1508 after the death of Ivan III. His son,
Prince Vassily III, became the first owner of the palace.
The palace was rebuilt many times from the second half of
the 16th to the 17th century- under
Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov and the first tsars of
the Romanov dynasty. Only the gala throne hall – the
Facets Palace – has been preserved to our days out of
the sumptuous monumental building of the 15th
century. Its main façade looks out over Cathedral Square,
which in olden days witnessed solemn coronation
processions, religious ceremonies, and receptions of
foreign ambassadors. The Façade of the Palace is faced
with white stone slabs rusticated into four facets, hence
the name of the Palace – the Facets (Faceted) Palace.
Originally, the Palace had a high pyramidal canopy roof
made of copper, which can be seen in the miniature of the
book “Concerning the Election to the Highest Throne of
the Great Russian Tsardom of his high Majesty, Tsar and
Grand Prince Mikhail Fyodorovich, the Sovereign of All
Great Russia”.
Over
the following three hundred years, the appearance of the
Palace changed several times: after the 1684 fire in the
Kremlin the high roof was replaced by a lower iron one;
the old windows were widened and lavishly decorated in the
baroque style: the windows were framed in carved white
stone and the round colonnades decorated with a carved
ornament in the shape of the twining vine, between the
bases of the colonnades are the lions carved in relief.
At
one time the gala Red Porch with a flight of steps leading
to the Holy Vestibule used to adjoin the Facets Palace.
The vestibule served as a means of access to the Facets
Palace. Here the visitors waited to be received by the
tsar. The six carved white-stone portals which are
lavishly decorated with ornamental carving and gold and
sumptuous colorful murals dedicated to religious and
historical themes are sure to impress. The oldest frescoes
had been lost but were repainted by Fyodor Zavyalov in
1847.
The
Throne Hall, the largest one at that time (500 square
meters in area, 9 meters high) has a cross vaulted ceiling
propped up by a massive pillar in the middle lavishly
decorated with white-stone gilded ornaments representing
dolphins, birds and beasts. The portal of the Facets
Palace is just as lavishly decorated with stylized floral
ornament and mythological beasts.
The
Palace’s interior decoration has undergone substantial
changes over the last five hundred years. It was first
painted at the end of the 16th century under
Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, the last tsar of the Ryurik
dynasty. By the end of the 17th century the old
frescoes were in a poor state, so they were cut off, and
the walls upholstered in red cloth. In 1881, it was
decided to have the Facets Palace painted anew for the
date of coronation of Emperor Alexander II; this was to be
done according to descriptions of the original 16th
century themes and compositions as compiled by the
well-known painter Simon Ushakov back in 1676. In 1882,
the Belousov brothers, painters from the village of Palekh,
repainted the walls in the traditional style of 16th
century icon painting. They painted their frescoes on old
brickwork. In thirteen circles and semi-circles on the
vaults and sloping walls they placed biblical compositions
on the creation of the world. On the vaulted ceilings, as
if passing over from the world of heaven to that of earth,
the artists portrayed prophets, forefathers and
evangelists with scrolls in their hands. On the walls, in
keeping with tradition, they painted themes from the Bible
and Russian history.
The
paintings on the east wall are of special significance.
The point is that the southeast corner was the place where
the tsar’s throne once stood. The east wall and a part
of the south wall which served as background for the tsar
sitting on the throne, are painted with subjects based on
“The Tale of the Brothers of Vladimir”. These
compositions are pictorial representations of historical
continuity, and consequently, the legality of the power of
Moscow princes. This idea should have underlain the
efforts to unify separate principalities each upholding
their independence into an integral state. The first
Ryurik princes who allegedly descended from the family of
the Roman Empror Augustus and the Kievan prince Vladimir,
under whom Rus adopted Christianity back in 988, figure in
one of these compositions. The painting on the south wall
represents the presentation of the tsar’s regalia to
Prince Vladimir Monomach. Tsar Fyodor (son of Ivan the
Terrible) and Boris Godunov are also depicted there. On
the sloping walls at the windows there are twenty-four
stylized portaits of Russia’s rulers who brought fame to
their country by their glorious deeds.
The
subjects of the frescoes of the Facets Palace seem to
invite one to draw a parallel between the biblical stories
and events of the Russian history. For instance, the rise
to power of the Russian Tsar Boris Godunov and the parable
about Joseph the Beautiful from the Old Testament.
Opposite the tsar’s place, on the west wall of the
palace, there are scenes from the didactic parable about
the just and adjust judges, placed there as a reminder to
the tsar of his duty.
The Gala Hall was used for official and solemn
events: it was here that the state Councils were convened
and the Boyars’ Duma (Council) held its sessions,
foreign ambassadors were received and heirs to the throne
named. Hence, the hall saw many significant events in
Russian history. Feasts and receptions were organized with
especial luxury. The boyars, dressed in luxurious velvet
and brocade garments, with tall sable hats on their heads,
were sitting on the benches placed along the walls; in
special cases standing around the central pillar gala
utensils and vessels were displayed.
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