It is rare when up to one day or even a year you can determine the date of foundation of a city. This happened with the capital of Russia - the golden-domed Moscow. Historians and local historians cannot completely determine the age of the Russian capital.
The first mention in the annals dates back to 1147, and for many years this date was considered the city’s birthday. But recent archaeological research has shown that Moscow is much older than its annalistic founding day. This prompted us to consider the oldest buildings in Moscow.
The oldest buildings of the Mother See:
1
Spassky Cathedral Andronikov Monastery
Photo by: Lodo27 from Moscow, Russia / CC BY-SA
One of the oldest Orthodox churches in Moscow and the oldest building in the Russian capital, which has much outlived its time. The Spassky Cathedral was originally wooden, and they put it, according to the annals, in 1357.
Frequent fires did not spare the temple, and in 1368 it burned down. The new building of the Andronikov monastery church was again built of wood, but part of the cathedral was laid out with a plinth.
At the beginning of the 15th century, the white stone walls of the cathedral were built. In this form, it has survived to the present day. In 1993, during excavations on the territory of the monastery, stone elements with original animal and plant ornaments of an ancient temple were discovered.
2
Faceted Chamber
Photo by: Vera Degtyareva / CC BY-SA
For the construction of the chamber, Tsar Ivan III specially invited architects from Italy. It was built in the period from 1487 to 1491, and today it is the oldest civic knowledge within the Kremlin.
The Italians decorated the eastern facade with faceted stone rust, which is why the chamber got its name. Magnificent chambers, with colorful frescoes of biblical subjects, were used as a reception hall. Important events were noted here, meetings of the Zemsky Sobor and the Boyar Duma were held.
After reconstruction, the Faceted Chamber was opened for tourists in 2012, and sometimes it is used as a representative hall where the President of the Russian Federation receives distinguished guests and ambassadors.
By the way, we wrote a very interesting article about the most important sights of Moscow.
3
English courtyard
Photo by: SergeyStepykin / CC BY-SA
On one of the most ancient streets of Moscow Varvarka stands a magnificent architectural landmark, built in the 15th century. The white-stone chambers of majestic decoration originally belonged to the bailiff Ivan Bobrishchev, who was serving at the royal court.
In 1553, the northern route from England to Russia was opened, and trade relations between the countries began to develop actively, and the Moscow company began work in London. The English merchants who worked in Moscow were given a beautiful house in Zaryadye.
At the insistence of historians and local historians, the buildings of the English courtyard were not demolished in the 50s of the last century, and in 1972 they were restored and the buildings were restored to their original appearance at the end of the 16th century.
4
Travel Palace of Vasily III
For a long time it was believed that the house where Ivan IV's father stayed during trips was only a legend and urban myths, and he had long disappeared from the map of Moscow. But during the restoration of the dilapidated building on Old Basmannaya Street, a sensational discovery awaited scientists.
The construction of the Golitsin estate began from this building, and inside was the railway palace of Vasily III. It is noteworthy that the original layout of the architectural project of Russian architects has been preserved almost untouched since the construction.
As always, in Russia the place where the building was laid was sacred, because here, according to the annals, in 1395 Muscovites met the icon of the Mother of God of God, which saved Russia from the invasion of Timur.
5
Golitsyn Chambers
It is noteworthy that one of the oldest metropolitan buildings remains residential, although it is considered an architectural and cultural heritage. Constructed in the late XVII - early XVIII centuries, residential buildings and farm buildings were once a separate estate.
Just recently, restorers and historians found out that all three floors of the chambers were erected in the XVII century, and were not the result of a later restructuring.
Today, the estate harmoniously fits into the architectural ensemble of Krivokolenny lane, and is included in tourist routes along the architectural monuments of Moscow.
6
Solodozhny Simonov Monastery
One of the oldest monasteries in Russia, founded in the XIV century, was almost destroyed during construction work on the construction of the automobile giant - the ZIL plant. But the time and industrial needs of the USSR were preserved by the oldest high-rise building in Moscow.
A malt house, consisting of 4 floors and an attic, was used to store utensils and products, and possibly a dining room. Then to build such a high-rise building was very difficult, therefore, it acts as a real masterpiece of Russian architecture.
The latest reconstruction of Moscow again raised the question of preserving this unique building. And to believe that common sense will prevail.
7
Cathedral of the Savior on Bor
Unfortunately, the most beautiful temple of the Kremlin complex has not been preserved, and we can only see it in the photo. It was demolished on May 1, 1933, but after the last reconstruction of the Kremlin court, the remains of its foundation were discovered.
The cathedral itself was built in 1330, was wooden and was located on Borovitsky hill. Throughout its existence, the temple was rebuilt several times, and the last time was destroyed during the invasion of Napoleon.
But even after the tragic 1812, the building was restored, but it was not saved during the struggle against religion in the Soviet period. The editors of thebiggest are wondering how it was possible to destroy historic buildings, only for their functional purpose. What do you think?
8
Leningrad Station
We turn to another building, namely the Leningrad station. Built in 1849, it is the oldest in Moscow. Until 1923 he was called Nikolaevsky by the name of Emperor Nicholas I, and until 1937 October.
The station was built according to the original design of K. Ton and R. Zhelyazevich, and the movement of trains along the Moscow-Petersburg road began 2 years after the opening.
Today, the station building, of course, repeatedly rebuilt, is still a monument of architecture. In 2009, the public raised the issue of returning the station to its original name, but the management of Russian Railways said that no decision was made on this issue.
Conclusion
The history of Russia knows many tragic moments when magnificent buildings were destroyed as a result of fires or for ideological reasons. Only a few monuments have been preserved, including the oldest cult building in Moscow.
It is difficult to imagine the ancient appearance of the capital in some buildings. But every year, during construction work within the old Moscow, archaeologists make new sensational discoveries, bit by bit restoring the architectural history of one of the oldest cities in Russia. This concludes our article, and below you can still see some photos of old Moscow.
Article author: Valery Skiba
The thebiggest.ru editorial office asks you to write in the comments your thoughts and interesting comments on the topic of the article. Write what other old buildings of Moscow we have bypassed.