The Vladimir Kremlin: History and Description

The Vladimir Kremlin is a special city fortification. Similar were located in every major city of Ancient Russia. Originally they were called detintsami. The central part of the settlement was enclosed by a fortification wall, first wooden, later the stone was built. In it, loopholes and towers were equipped. In Ancient Russia, the fortress was an indispensable condition for the settlement to be considered a city.

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 city. In general, the so-called Christmas monastery.

In the Middle Ages the Vladimir Kremlin was located on the very border of the Pecherny town. From the east to its territory adjoined a ditch and a rampart. In the northern part of the Kremlin went to the modern street Bolshaya Moskovskaya, and in the western part is limited to the St. Nicholas Kremlin and its annexes. And today this structure plays one of the key roles, defining the whole silhouette of the city. It has an excellent view from the low river floodplain.

History of the Kremlin

According to the available legend, the monastery, which served as the basis for the formation of the Vladimir Kremlin, appeared in 1175. It was laid down by the local prince Andrey Bogolyubsky, who became famous for the fact that under him the Vladimir-Suzdal princedom achieved considerable development and advantages over its neighbors, eventually becoming one of the centers of the Russian state.

In 1192, a new prince named Vsevolod Yuryevich, who had the nickname Bolshoy Gnezdo, founded in these places a white-stone cathedral. This four-pillared building, built in accordance with all the traditions of Vladimir-Suzdal architecture, which developed extremely in the late 12th century. Unfortunately, the cathedral has not survived to this day.

In 1219, the solemn consecration of this church took place, although at that time it was not yet completed. In 1230, the archimandrite opened, and over time he became one of the main Christian monasteries in the entire North-East of Russia. It was here in 1263 Alexander Nevsky found the last refuge.

As a result, the role of the first Vladimir monastery (later the Moscow monastery) passed to the Nativity Monastery. In this status it 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 a bell tower appeared in the form of a majestic pillar with eight facets. In 1659, the cells were erected. An important step in its development of the monastery was accomplished when Archimandrite Vikentius served as abbot in it. During this time, built stone chambers, as well as the brotherly building.

At the end of the same century appeared gate church of the Nativity of Christ, which was closely adjacent to the premises of the refectory.

The latest history of the monastery

The relics of Alexander Nevsky were moved from Vladimir to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra under Peter I. During the same period, most of the monastery's territory was enclosed by stone walls and towers. Since 1744 the bishop's house is functioning here under the Vladimir diocese. In 1748, stone bishop's chambers were built.

Already in the XIX century, the facades were substantially rebuilt, the interior of cells 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 reconstruction and restoration of the monastery itself and the cathedral began. In 1859 a stone annex was erected to the brotherly building. And the interior and the décor of the building itself change significantly.

The state cells were rebuilt, in 1867 the gate church and the refectory were radically altered. At the same time, the decor of the hierarchical chambers changed.

Under Soviet power

During the Soviet era, the history of the Vladimir Kremlin, the photo of which is presented in this article, has undergone significant changes. In 1930, on the orders of local authorities, the bell tower and the cathedral were broken. Later, the building of the monastery was repeatedly repaired, and several buildings were built 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, which has a huge historical significance. Until now, there have been preserved residential and civil buildings in the Baroque style. Despite considerable losses, the monastery still appears to us in the late medieval style of a building with a free lay-out.

The territory of the Kremlin

The architectural ensemble of the Vladimir Kremlin, the description of which is given in this article, stretches from west to east. Its shape is similar to a trapezoid. The eastern side turns to the moat, and the southern side is bounded by a hill. From the west to the east the cells of the Nativity Monastery are located.

If you decide to visit the Vladimir Kremlin, there will be enough sights for your reference. 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 walled church of the Nativity of Christ, the gate church of St. John the Forerunner, state cells, gate gates, monastery buildings, a memorial cross, a cell and a bishop's corps, look at the towers and walls.

Assumption Cathedral

Also to the Vladimir Kremlin (the history of the Kremlin is described in detail in this article) is the Assumption Cathedral. He also appeared during the reign of Vladimir Prince Andrew Bogolyubsky.

The cult structure was made of white stone, which was specially brought to the construction site of the Volga Bulgaria. The construction began in 1158. But in 1185, in an unfinished building, there was a major fire that destroyed much of what had already been done. By that time the temple had only one chapter, but at the same time it was much higher in height than the 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. He changed his mind 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 get acquainted with 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 were equipped with shafts about 9 meters high. 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 like wooden ones.

"Ham", or "old", the city is in the eastern part of ancient Vladimir. Here there was a posad. This is a territory outside the Vladimir Kremlin, the history of which knew many invasions. Therefore, the detachment, which was in the walls of the Kremlin, regularly had to protect the people of the towns.

In the time of Prince Andrew Bogolyubsky, this part of the city was protected with the help of wooden fortress walls and ramparts. There were also other white-stone gates, which are better known as the Silver Gate. However, over time, the wooden fortress walls were significantly dilapidated. It is because of this that the eastern part of the city is called "ham". This word in modern sense corresponds to the concept of "old."

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 appropriated to him after he, besides Vladimir, took over Suzdal and Rostov, as well as Murom and Kiev. Also do not forget that in Smolensk, Ryazan and Novgorod, he kept his deputies. Such autocracy caused great discontent among the boyars, who tried to resist the absolute influence of Bogolyubsky.

Fearing unrest, Andrei began to equip a fortified defensive structure in the Vladimir area. He urgently needed a well-protected palace. However, from history we know that towers and high walls did not save him.

In 1174 he was killed by his own boyars in the village of Bogolyubovo.

Invasion of the Tatars

The Vladimir Kremlin, whose address the Municipal Descent, 70, experienced 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 Khan Baty. It was one of the first cities that suffered from the invasion of the Tatar-Mongol. In 1238, numerous detachments of invaders camped at the city walls. The defense was led by the sons of Yuri Vsevolodovich, who were called Mstislav and Vsevolod.

They wanted to fight the enemy, 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, local governor Pyotr Oslyadyukovich, who directed Vladimir's defense, decided to keep the defenses from the shafts.

The Tatars did not immediately decide to attack the well-fortified Vladimir Kremlin. They waited. Batyi broke the camp in front of the Golden Gate. He managed to plunder Suzdal, and Vladimir did not attack.

At the same time, the Tatars tried in every possible way to pull the rivals into an open confrontation. For the sake of this, they even killed the young prince Vladimir Yurievich, who was captured during the battle for Moscow. Most likely, it was after this that Mstislav and Vsevolod caught fire with the idea of avenging their brother.

Storming the city

In February, the Tatars began a massive bombardment of the Vladimir Kremlin. They used siege weapons. Defenders of the city even tried to surrender. 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, 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 southern gate were destroyed.

The Tatar-Mongols crossed the moats and broke into the city simultaneously from different sides. By noon he was finally captured.

Vladimir in decline

After the defeat of the Tatar-Mongols, the significance of the city as a strong economic and political center fell noticeably. At the same time, he continued to be formally considered one of the main Russian cities. As a result, in 1299, the residence of Russian metropolitans was located here.

Finally, the city lost its geopolitical significance in the 14th century. The palm of the championship went to Moscow. Work to restore Vladimir and his Kremlin began only in the era of the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The city began to repair the fortifications, which came to a special decline.

In the XVIII century

The Vladimir Kremlin, the history and description of which is given in this article, played an important role in the culture of the city in the 18th century. At that time the Moscow province was established by decree of Peter I. Vladimir was assigned to it as one of the provincial cities.

At the same time, for the country as a whole, the city increasingly lost its significance. This was especially evident after the relics of Alexander Nevsky were transported to St. Petersburg to strengthen the authority of the new capital. After that, high ranks and rarely began to visit Vladimir.

Now the Kremlin is only partially preserved. Most of it is almost completely destroyed.