The Vladimir Kremlin is a special city fortification. Similar were located in every major city of Ancient Russia. Initially, they were called detins. The central part of the settlement was enclosed by a fortress wall, first wooden, later stone began to be built. Loopholes and towers were equipped in it. In ancient Russia, the fortress was an indispensable condition for the settlement to be considered a city.
The location of the Kremlin in Vladimir
The Vladimir Kremlin originally settled in the very center of the city. It can still be seen on the hill today. It seems to rise above the Klyazma flowing through the whole city. In general, the so-called Christmas Monastery.
In the Middle Ages, the Vladimir Kremlin was located on the very border of the Pechersk city. A moat and rampart adjoined its territory from the east. In the northern part, the Kremlin overlooked the modern Bolshaya Moskovskaya Street, and in the western part it was limited to the St. Nicholas Kremlin Church with outbuildings. And today this building plays one of the key roles, determining the whole silhouette of the city. It offers a great view from a low river floodplain.
The history of the Kremlin
According to tradition, the monastery, which served as the basis for the formation of the Vladimir Kremlin, appeared in 1175. It was laid by the local prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, who became famous for the fact that under him the Vladimir-Suzdal principality achieved significant development and advantage over its neighbors, eventually becoming one of the centers of the Russian state.
In 1192, a new prince named Vsevolod Yurievich, who had the nickname Big Nest, founded a white stone cathedral in these places. This is a four-pillar building, built in compliance with all the traditions of Vladimir-Suzdal architecture, which developed tremendously at the end of the 12th century. Unfortunately, the cathedral has not survived to this day.
In 1219, the solemn consecration of this temple took place, although at that time it had not yet been completed to the end. In 1230, Archimandria opened, and over time it became one of the main Christian monasteries in the whole Northeast of Russia. It was here that in 1263, Alexander Nevsky found the last refuge.
As a result, the role of the first Vladimir cloister (later Moscow) passed to the Nativity Monastery. In this status, he existed until 1561, when the honorary title passed to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
Stone construction in the monastery resumed in the XVII century. In 1654, the bell tower appears in the form of a majestic pillar with eight faces. In 1659 cells were built. The monastery took a significant step in its development when Archimandrite Vincent served as its rector. During this time, stone chambers were built, as well as a fraternal building.
At the end of the same century, the gate church of the Nativity of Christ appeared, which was adjacent to the refectory.
The latest history of the monastery
The relics of Alexander Nevsky were transferred from Vladimir to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra under Peter I. During the same period, most of the monastery was fenced with stone walls and towers. Since 1744, a bishop’s house has been operating here under the Vladimir diocese. In 1748, stone bishops' chambers were built.
Already in the XIX century, the facades were significantly rebuilt, the interior of the cells was changed. The next stage in the transformation of the Vladimir Kremlin, the photo of which is in this article, is connected with the era of the reign of Alexander II in Russia. It was then that the next reconstruction and restoration of the monastery and the cathedral began under it. In 1859, a stone extension was erected to the fraternal corps. And the interior and decor of the case itself are changing significantly.
The official cells were rebuilt; in 1867, they overhauled the gate church and the refectory. Then the decor of the bishops' chambers changed.
Under Soviet rule
During the years of Soviet power, the history of the Vladimir Kremlin, the photo of which is presented in this article, has undergone significant changes. In 1930, by order of local authorities, the bell tower and the cathedral were broken. Later, the monastery building was repeatedly repaired, and several more buildings were erected on the territory of the complex. Most of the surviving buildings are made of bricks, painted and plastered.
The Nativity Monastery itself is a unique object for the city. Together with the adjacent buildings, it forms a special architectural ensemble of great historical significance. To our time, residential and civil buildings in the Baroque style have survived. Despite significant losses, the monastery today appears in the late medieval style of a building with a free layout.
The territory of the Kremlin
The architectural ensemble of the Vladimir Kremlin, the description of which is given in this article, is stretched from west to east. Its shape is similar to a trapezoid. The east side faces the moat, and the south is bounded by a hill. From west to east are the cells of the Nativity Monastery.
If you decide to visit the Vladimir Kremlin, there will be plenty of sights to explore. In addition to the already mentioned Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin, it is also a bell tower, which belongs to the church of Alexander Nevsky.
The architectural complex includes the Gate Church of St. Prince Alexander Nevsky, as well as the chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Visitors can get to the wall-mounted church of the Nativity of Christ, the gateway church of St. John the Baptist, government cells, passage gates, monastery buildings, the memorial cross, cell and bishop's corps, look at the towers and walls.
Assumption Cathedral
The Assumption Cathedral also belongs to the Vladimir Kremlin (the history of the Kremlin is described in detail in this article). He also appeared during the reign of Vladimir Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky.
The religious building is made of white stone, which was specially brought to the construction site from the Volga Bulgaria. It began to be built in 1158. But in 1185, in a still unfinished building, a major fire occurred, which destroyed much of what has already been done. By that time, the temple had only one chapter, but at the same time it was significantly superior in height to St. Sophia Cathedrals in Kiev and even in Novgorod.
When Prince Vsevolod the Big Nest came to power, four more chapters were added to the Assumption Cathedral. It was transformed in 1408, when Andrei Rublev himself came to paint it with frescoes and icons. It is noteworthy that some of the frescoes have survived to this day. Some of them can be met by tourists who today decide to visit the Vladimir Hall of the Kremlin.
"New" and "ham" city
The western historical part of Vladimir was called the "new" city. Even in ancient times, it was surrounded by serious defensive structures. To protect against enemies, shafts with a height of about 9 meters were equipped. They cut down the wooden walls of the fortress. Initially, in this part of the ancient city there were four gate towers, three of which were built as wooden.
"Ham", or "dilapidated", the city is located in the eastern part of ancient Vladimir. There was a posad. This is a territory outside the Vladimir Kremlin, whose history knew a lot of invasions. Therefore, the detachment, which was located within the walls of the Kremlin, regularly had to protect the townspeople.
During the time of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, this part of the city was protected with wooden fortress walls and ramparts. There were another white-stone gate, which is better known as Silver. However, over time, the wooden walls of the castle became dilapidated. It is because of this that the eastern part of the city is called "ham". This word in the modern sense corresponds to the concept of "decrepit".
In 1157, Vladimir became one of the key cities of Russia. The fact is that Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky took the title of Grand Duke. He was assigned to him after he, in addition to Vladimir, took possession of Suzdal and Rostov, as well as Murom and Kiev. Also, do not forget that in Smolensk, Ryazan and Novgorod, he kept his governors. Such autocracy aroused great discontent among the boyars who tried to resist the absolute influence of Bogolyubsky.
Fearing unrest, Andrew began to equip a fortified defensive structure in the Vladimir region. He urgently needed a well-defended palace. However, from history we know that towers and high walls did not save him.
In 1174, he was stabbed to death by his own boyars in the village of Bogolyubovo.
Invasion of the Tatars
The Vladimir Kremlin, whose address Kommunalny Descent, 70, survived a serious invasion of the Tatar-Mongol. At that time, the political and economic situation of the city, to which this article is devoted, was seriously undermined by Batu Khan. It was one of the first cities that suffered from the invasion of the Tatar-Mongol. In 1238, numerous squads of invaders camped near the walls of the city. The defense was led by the sons of Yuri Vsevolodovich, whose names were Mstislav and Vsevolod.
They wanted to fight the enemies, but the garrison that defended the city was too small. Most of the Russian army went to the river Sit, where a large-scale gathering of Russian troops was announced. For this reason, the local governor Pyotr Oslyadyukovich, who led the defense of Vladimir, decided to keep the defense off the ramparts.
The Tatars did not immediately decide to attack the well-fortified Vladimir Kremlin. They were waiting. Batu camped in front of the Golden Gate. Managed to plunder Suzdal, but Vladimir did not attack everything.
At the same time, the Tatars tried in every possible way to pull their rivals into an open confrontation. For the sake of this, they even killed the young prince Vladimir Yuryevich, who was captured during the battle for Moscow. Most likely, it was after this that Mstislav and Vsevolod got the idea to avenge their brother.
Storming the city
In February, the Tatars launched a massive shelling of the Vladimir Kremlin. They used siege weapons. Defenders of the city even tried to give up. But the young Vsevolod, who left with gifts to make peace, was killed by order of Batu.
As a result of the shelling, part of the walls of the Vladimir Kremlin collapsed. However, the defenders were able to keep the defense in the territory of the New City. The next day the assault was repeated. Only the Golden Gate remained unapproachable. Huge sections of the wall in the area of the south gate were destroyed.
The Tatar-Mongols overcame the ditches and broke into the city at the same time from different sides. By noon, he was finally captured.
Vladimir in decline
After the defeat of the Tatar-Mongols, the importance of the city as a strong economic and political center fell markedly. At the same time, he continued to be formally considered one of the main Russian cities. As a result, in 1299 the residence of the Russian metropolitans was located here.
The city finally lost its geopolitical importance in the XIV century. The palm went to Moscow. Work on the restoration of Vladimir and his Kremlin began only in the era of the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. In the city began to repair the fortifications, which came into particular decline.
In the 18th century
The Vladimir Kremlin, the history and description of which is given in this article, in the 18th century played a significant role in the culture of the city. At that time, by the decree of Peter I , the Moscow province was established. Vladimir was assigned to it as one of the provincial cities.
At the same time, for the country as a whole, the city was losing its significance more and more. This was especially evident after the relics of Alexander Nevsky were transferred to St. Petersburg to strengthen the authority of the new capital. After that, high ranks rarely began to visit Vladimir.
Now the Kremlin is only partially preserved. Most of it is almost completely destroyed.