Many of those who visited the Kremlin may not even suspect that this historic place today could have looked completely different. The fact is that several magnificent temples and churches were destroyed on this territory, including the Ascension and Miracles Monastery, the Cathedral of the Savior on Bor, and other historical monuments.
Temple history
Miracles monastery in the Kremlin began to build Metropolitan of Moscow Alexy. For him, the place of the former Khan's court was chosen. At that time, ambassadors lived there. They came to Moscow for a tribute. This place was given in gratitude for the fact that Alexy cured the wife of Khan Dzhanibek , Taydul, from complete blindness. The metropolitan personally traveled to the Horde to help the unfortunate woman.
At first, the church of Archangel Michael was built. It was laid in 1365. This is one of the ancient temples of Moscow.
Miracles monastery later became known as the Great Lavra (at the beginning of the XVII century), under the patriarch Filaret.
In 1771, a spontaneous plague riot broke out in Moscow, during which the monastery was ruthlessly plundered by the townspeople.
During the Russian-French war of 1812, the Miracles Monastery, the photo of which you see in our article, was occupied by the French. Here was the headquarters of the army of Napoleon. The monastery’s altar was equipped with a luxurious bedroom for Marshal Davout. Its founder, Metropolitan Alexy, was buried in the church. His relics were stored in the cathedral until 1686. Later they were transferred to the Church of St. Metropolitan Alexy.
The temple was rebuilt in 1814. The architect M. Bykovsky made a special contribution to this matter. Thanks to his efforts, a bronze iconostasis with large Royal Gates made of silver appeared in the cathedral church of the monastery.
The role of the monastery in the history of Russia
Miracles monastery in the Kremlin for many years played an important role in the history of Russia. In 1382, Tokhtamysh’s troops ravaged him. In 1441, Moscow Metropolitan Isidore was deposed here, shortly before returning from the Florence Cathedral. Representatives of the Orthodox Russian Church, led by Isidore, signed an agreement on the introduction of a union in Russia. In Moscow, they did not agree with this decision. Isidore was deposed and imprisoned in a monastery.
In 1504, an outstanding fighter with heresy, Novgorod Metropolitan Gerontii, was imprisoned in the Miracles Monastery. The same fate overtook the old man Vassian. In 1610, Tsar Vasily IV was overthrown, and in a monastery he was forcibly tonsured a monk. And two years later, in the cell of the monastery, Patriarch Germogen died of hunger . One can only guess how much suffering the Miracles Monastery saw. Prayer to the archangel Michael often sounded under his arches.
The role of the monastery in education
Miracles Monastery made a huge contribution to the development of enlightenment of Russia. Two of his archimandrites, Adrian and Yokim, were elected by the patriarchs. Hierodeacon Timothy became the supervisor of all church ceremonies taking place on the territory of Moscow. This happened during the reign of Peter I. When in 1737 the Moscow diocese was restored, the Department of Moscow Bishops revived its activity in the Miracle Church.
Epifaniy Slavinetsky, a native of the Kiev Academy, worked here. In 1658, he translated for the patriarch a "pre-Hurricane book." I must say that in those days, medical literature was a very rare occurrence, as, indeed, medicine itself, which served only the highest persons. For his work, Epiphanius received a large award for those times - 10 rubles. In addition, Arseny Grek worked here for some time.
Training at the monastery
According to the established tradition, the boyar children were given to the Miracles Monastery for training and protection from the evil influence of secular society. They lived at the monastery until the age of sixteen, and then returned to their father's house. According to contemporaries, in those days the monastery was more like an educational institution for the aristocracy than a monastery.
Karion Istomin, an enlightener from Little Russia, lived here for a long time. In 1662, he created a primer, which was subsequently presented to Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna for teaching the literacy of her grandson, Tsarevich Alexei.
The heyday of the temple
It is believed that the monastery reached its highest peak by the beginning of the 17th century. Then it was called the Great Lavra. At this time, with the support of Patriarch Filaret, a Greek-Latin school began to receive its first students here. The most valuable contributions of the Russian tsars, great boyars and princes were kept in the monastery sacristy. There was a huge library with priceless samples of ancient books. It was one of the most significant book depositories in Russia.
The monastery had four temples. At the very beginning of the 16th century (1501), the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael was erected on the site of an ancient, but already dismantled by that time temple. The stone Alekseevskaya church appeared at the end of the 15th century. It burned several times, after which it was repeatedly rebuilt. But despite this, the royal children were baptized in it for centuries. Here were baptized the children of Ivan the Terrible, Alexei Mikhailovich - the future king, Peter I, as well as Emperor Alexander II. The walls of the church were decorated with the captured weapons of the Russian army captured in the battles of the Russian-Persian war of 1816.
The Cathedral of the Annunciation adjoined the Alekseevsky church. It was built in 1501, and rebuilt in 1826. In this church was an icon of Nicholas the Wonderworker revered by thousands of parishioners.
The smallest church was erected in honor of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called.
The temple in Soviet times
In 1917, the temple was badly damaged. The government of the Soviet Republic moved from Petrograd to the Kremlin. For some time the monks continued to live in the monastery, but such a neighborhood irritated the new authorities.
In 1919 the temple was closed. In the beginning, the Communist cooperative was placed here and a hut-reading room was set up. He was later transferred to Lechsanupra, which was responsible for the health of members of the Soviet government and other high-ranking officials. In 1929, the Miracles and Ascension Monasteries were destroyed. This place was needed for the construction of the building of the School of Command for the Red Army. The building design was developed by architect Rerberg.
The relics of St. Alexius were transferred to the Archangel Cathedral. In 1947, at the request of Alexy I, they were transferred to the Elokhov Cathedral, in which they rest today. The most valuable icons were transferred to the Kremlin Armory, as well as to the Tretyakov Gallery.
Kremlin Churches and Temples Destroyed in the 20th Century
Unfortunately, in the 20th century 17 churches were destroyed on the territory of the Kremlin, which were unique historical monuments. An old map of the Kremlin in Moscow and infographics allow you to see that, in addition to the Voznesensky and Chudov monasteries, there were the Church of Constantine on the hem, the Church of the Annunciation, the Cathedral of the Transfiguration, the stunning monument to Alexander II and others.
Restore the Miracles Monastery ... Is it possible?
Recently it became known that Russian President Vladimir V. Putin ordered the restoration of the Ascension and Chudov Monasteries.
Construction work will begin after a preliminary excavation. Today, the view of Ivanovo (formerly Tsarskaya) Square seems quite familiar. It seems unbelievable that once she looked different. Only photographs of the 19th century and a map of the Kremlin in Moscow give an idea of how everything was luxurious and magnificent here. On the site of the former monastery there is now an unremarkable building of the 14th service building, which, moreover, has been under repair for many years.
A map of the Kremlin in Moscow, if you overlay a diagram of the destroyed monasteries (Chudov and Voznesensky), clearly shows how much space the destroyed churches occupied . In addition to the territory on which the 14th building is now located, they occupied more than half of Ivanovo Square (almost to Tsar Cannon).
Large-scale project
Experts and historians are inspired by the prospect of upcoming work. Only seven frescoes from the Chudov Monastery have been preserved in the funds of the Tretyakov Gallery; several more are in other museums. There are no detailed drawings of these buildings. The widow of one scientist gave folders with unique, miraculously preserved draft drawings to the Museum of Architecture. Her husband tried to sketch and measure the details of the monasteries in the most detail. According to the staff of the Museum of Architecture, according to these drawings and drawings, it is possible to restore, if not the entire ensemble of monasteries, then their main buildings for sure.
The ancient halls of the Kremlin Palace have already been restored in the Kremlin, the legendary Red Porch has been recreated. But recently, scientists and historians could not even dream of returning the biggest loss of the 20th century.
It may take more than a dozen years to create a project, excavation, or construction. But this is not the point. It is important that in the end the appearance of the Kremlin will be restored.