Nikolskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin: history, description and interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

The Nikolskaya Tower of the Kremlin is one of the elements of a large-scale architectural ensemble with access to Red Square. There is a gate here, from which the street began until the end of the 15th century. Nikolskaya. The total height of the building is 70.4 m, if you include the star crowning it. We will learn a lot of interesting and useful information further from the article.

Historical data

The Nikolskaya Tower was built in 1491. It was designed by the Italian P. Solari. The name of this building is associated with the Wonderworker Nicholas, whose icon adorns the facade in the eastern part.

There are also those researchers who adhere to the point of view that the name is associated with St. Nicholas the Old, whose monastery was located very close. In 1612, the gates of this tower were passed by the militia, whose leaders were D. Pozharsky, as well as K. Minin, thanks to which it went down in history.

In 1737, the Nikolskaya tower of the Moscow Kremlin was engulfed in flames and burned down completely. It was restored under the command of I. Michurin. Baroque decor features appeared, similar to the original style of the Arsenal. In 1780, the building was completed by K. Blank, who created a round top and a low tent. In the period 1805-1806-s. a major reconstruction was carried out here under the supervision of A. Ruska and A. Bakaev. In place of the superstructure above the quadrangle, a Gothic octagon, a high tent made of white stone and beautiful openwork decorations appeared. It is thanks to the Gothic style that the Nikolskaya Tower is strikingly different from other buildings in the Kremlin.

Interesting facts

In 1812, an explosion was carried out, as a result of which the building was severely damaged. The culprits were the French, who were leaving the city. The tent fell, the gate for passage was damaged. The quadrangle and the icon of Mozhaysky Nikola did not catch on, which was considered a miracle.

Emperor Alexander I soon found out about this. Then, according to his decree, the restoration of the Nikolskaya Tower was carried out. A marble board appeared under the face of the saint, on which the ruler made inscriptions with his own hand. The text stated that the salvation of the image was conditional on the grace of God.

Restoration processes lasted from 1816 to 1819. The project was led by the architect O. I. Bove, who made some innovations in the design. The white stone tent was replaced with an iron frame base. Vials were placed in the corners of the quadrangle, which enhanced the Gothic appearance of the building. Also, V. Bakarev showed his architectural genius in this work. At the end of the renovation, the Nikolskaya tower acquired a snow-white color. In the neighborhood were the chapels of the Wonderworker Nicholas and A. Nevsky, which were rebuilt many times. ATthe last time it happened was in 1883.

Changes

In October 1917, the building was seriously damaged by artillery fire. It was restored in 1918. The process was led by N. Markovnikov. The white color has changed to brick, characteristic of the entire architectural ensemble.

The marble board on which Alexander I once inscribed his words was dismantled. In October 1935, a star was placed on top of the tent in place of an eagle with two heads, which was changed from semi-precious to ruby in 1937. One beam contains 12 faces.

Damage

The Nikolskaya Tower (Moscow) was damaged when the city became a battlefield in 1917. Shells fell into it, destroying to a greater extent the bottom of the gate. This time, the image of St. Nicholas was unlucky, and it was mutilated by bullet holes and fragments flying into it, but the face remained unharmed, only the elements around it were touched. Of course, such a coincidence made Muscovites again convinced of the sanctity of the image.

The image of a shelled icon began to be used in icon painting. The building was restored in 1919, when the renovation was removed from the image. The restorers have reached the original drawing and eliminated unnecessary traces. In 1920-1922. murals with images of angels were eliminated.

Repeated miracle

In April 1918, preparations were actively underway for the celebration in honor of May Day, which was then celebrated for the first time. The facade with the icon was draped with a red calf. Information has been preserved that there was a strong wind then, and he freed the image for the gaze, throwing off the canvas. The people who were present at the time claimed that there were no prerequisites even for a light storm, and the fabric was torn by itself, as if cut by a sword. At the same time, Lenin and the Council of People's Commissars were present, as well as large crowds of people who were pretty amazed by this event.

For the umpteenth time, the Nikolskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin has acquired a mystical halo. This story added to a solid list of local wonders and even got into the newspapers. Of course, folk fantasy played out in earnest, and some eyewitnesses even claimed that the image was shining.

Public outcry

Pilgrims came here, dispersed by soldiers of the Red Army. Talk about this event did not subside for a long time. One woman even said that on May 1 she saw the Wonderworker Nicholas with a fiery sword in his hands, with which he cut a red veil. Another person confirmed the same version.

People's interest, these stories only fueled, the topic of conversation appeared excellent. In order to somehow control this hysteria, the sentries periodically fired from a gun into the air in order to disperse the public, which was so interested in the Nikolskaya tower. The gossips fled, but quickly returned to their original places. Tikhon, the patriarch, who previously served the liturgy within the walls of the Kazan Cathedral, has been here. A prayer was held in front of the gate in honor of St. Nicholas.

The buildings of the chapels were demolished in 1925 because they neededwas to free the towers from the old layers. During 1929, a stone mausoleum was built here. The holy relics contained in the walls of the chapels were transferred to the premises of the church of John the Warrior, which is located on Yakimanka. Public toilets have been built in the vacant spaces.

Latest finds

The architecture of the Nikolskaya Tower is beautiful, but still, the most interesting element here was the famous icon depicting St. Nicholas of Mozhaisky. In 2010, this ancient image was discovered, which for many years rested under layers of plaster. There were no documents about its safety.

The face of the saint came across in the process of sounding icon cases. Then active work was carried out to give the Kremlin its historical appearance. In June, scaffolding was installed over the gate for restoration. Experts conducted analyzes during which it was possible to judge the condition of the icon.

Then they began to clear the way to it and really saw the image of the saint. The experts concluded that the top layer was applied in the 15th and 16th centuries. I had to work pretty hard, because cracks and some lags were found. When the tower was shelled, part of the plaster fell out, so that the relic was only half preserved. There are now plans for a glass barrier to protect the image from adverse weather conditions. To prevent condensation inside, a ventilation system will be used.

Results of work

Restoration lasted 3 months. It was difficult to work because of the fragile state of the find. In addition to the remaining traces of fragments and bullets, there was also a funnel that the shell had made. The fires that blazed during the Middle Ages left their mark. The layers superimposed in the 19th century were removed by I. Grabar in 1918. The plaster had a bad effect on the painting, the paint was rubbed off. Fortunately, the preparatory drawing remained stable, according to which they tried to recreate everything else.

The left hand was restored according to the documents that were created along with the painting by an unknown creator of the 16th century. Only the palm was made with slightly modified technology as there was no source to know how to do it right.

Also, the date of creation of this image remains a mystery, shrouded in darkness, since there were too many changes in the 17th-19th centuries. The restorers reported that they were guided by the appearance that the face had in the 17th century.