Презентация The Kremlin

THE MOSCOW KREMLIN Zaitzeva Elena - an English teacher of MKAG Presentation to the textbook “Английский язык для Строителей” by O.N. Musikhina.

THE MOSCOW KREMLIN The Moscow Kremlin is the chief architectural ensemble of the capital. It is a fortified complex at the heart of Moscow overlooking the Moskva River to the south, Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square to the east, and the Alexander Garden to the west. It includes five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers. Also within this complex is the Grand Kremlin Palace The complex serves as the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

The triangle of the Kremlin walls, repeating the outline of Borovitsky Hill, encloses an area of 27.5 hectares. Its overall length is 2,235 metres. The maximum height of the hill above the level of the Moskva River is about 25 metres.  The wall's thickness is between 3.5 and 6.5 m and the wall’s height is from 5 to 19 m. Atop the walls stand 1,045 bifurcated merlons from 2 to 2,5 m in height and fitted with narrow embrasures. There are 20 large and small watchtowers.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE WOODEN WALLS OF THE KREMLIN. XII CENTURY The history of thе Moscow Kremlin covers over nine centuries. The first written record of Moscow dates back to 1147 to the reign of Great Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. At that time the fortress on the top of Borovitsky Hill covered the area of about 5 hectares. The first Moscow fortifications consisted of a moat, a rampart and a palisade. Timbered wall rose to 3 meters high and stretched for 1,200 meters around the perimeter. The protective earth mound was erected in front of it.

FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE KREMLIN Further development of the Kremlin was related to the rise of the role of Moscow as the capital of the Russian state. Dmitri Donskoi replaced the oak walls with a strong citadel of white limestone in 1366–1368 and the city became known as the white-stone Moscow. Ivan the III the Grand Prince of all Russia launched the reconstruction of the Kremlin, having invited a number of master builders from Italy. So the Italian architect and military engineer Aristotel Fioravanti arrived in Moscow to work there for many years. The new Cathedral of the Dormition (1475-1479) was the first to be built. In 1484-1489 the festive Cathedral of the Annunciation was erected next to it. They were joined by the Cathedral of the Archangel in 1505- 1508.

THE ASSUMPTION CATHEDRAL This snow-white temple with five golden heads is dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God. It was built during the reign of Ivan III in 1479 by the Italian master named Aristotle Feorovanti. During six centuries the cathedral played the dominant role in the life of the Russian state. The great princes and tsars became state’s confessed, and then the emperors were crowned here. The most important government documents were announced in the cathedral. Here people celebrated the Russian victories.  The murals and icons, created by the most famous Russian

THE CATHEDRAL OF THE ANNUNCIATION It is one of the brightest architectural monuments created by the talented Russian people. The Cathedral of the Annunciation was built by architects from Pskov in 1489 at the reign of Ivan III. It was built in honor of the feast of the Annunciation. Beautiful small sized temple became a house church of the Russian ruler's family. At first the temple was made three-headed. In 1508 the church domes were covered with gold and icons were decorated with silver, gold and beads. The interiors were painted with gold. Under Ivan IV (the Terrible) the Cathedral of the Annunciation was supplemented by four churches. Two small domes were built above the western part of the temple. The Cathedral of the Annunciation turned into a nine-dome cathedral.

THE CATHEDRAL OF THE ARCHANGEL At the beginning of the XVI century (1505-1508) on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin, a new building appeared. It was the Cathedral in honor of Archangel Michael. It was believed that it protected the earls in their military affairs. The works for the construction were carried by the architect Aleviz Noviy, who came from Italy. The Cathedral of the Archangel played an important role in the faith of a royal family. Tsars came here to pray, before they started the military campaign. The members of the ruling family were buried under the arches of the cathedral. The majestic and monumental painting of the cathedral walls was made by 92 famous masters who were chosen by Simon Ushakov in the middle of XVII century.

THE BELL TOWER "IVAN THE GREAT" The architectural composition of the bell tower, known as the "Ivan the Great", was created for more than a century. The architect Bon Fryazin began its construction in 1505. He was from Italy. Three years later the building was completed. A century later the building was complemented by the new tier and the bell tower rose to 81 meters. For a long time the bell tower was the highest structure in Moscow. In 32-52 years of the XVI century the temple was created around the bell tower by Italian architect Petroc Maliy. Then the temple was converted into a belfry.  The French invaders blew up the buildings in 1812. But the bell tower survived. Today, the ensemble has 24 bells, which date from the XVI-XVII centuries.

The Moscow Kremlin has 20 towers. Three of them (Beklemishevskaya, Vodovzvodnaya and Corner Arsenal) are standing in the corners of the Kremlin triangle and have a circular cross section, the rest of the towers are square. THE KREMLIN TOWERS The very first fortification of the Kremlin – the Taynitskaya Tower was launched on July 14, 1485. The latest Imperial Tower was built in 1680. The highest tower of the Kremlin is the Troitskaya Tower. The Spasskaya Tower is the most famous of all, built in 1491 by Pietro Antonio Solari. It once served as the entrance for monarchs and processions. The Spasskaya Tower obtained a very unusual clock in the 17th century thanks to Christopher Galloway, a man of English origin. The famous Kremlin Chimes that we can see today date back to the mid- 19th century.