Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye, date of creation. Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye photo history briefly
After Dmitry Donskoy, who defeated Khan Mamai on the Kulikovo field in 1380 and made Moscow the center of unification of anti-Horde forces, several princes replaced the throne of Moscow, making their state increasingly stronger. Great-grandson of Dmitry Donskoy, Ivan III in 1476 he refused to pay tribute to the weakened Horde, after which within two decades the Tatar yoke was completely eliminated. The Moscow princes received well-deserved glory and supremacy in Rus'. Zsuburban residence of Moscow princesKolomenskoye, like the Kremlin, from now on becomes a symbol of state power; he is given an increasingly ceremonial appearance.
However, Tatar raids on Moscow continued. Most often these were no longer Volga Tatars, but Crimean Tatars. Their mounted detachments burst into cities and villages, robbed, burned, killed, captured prisoners and rushed away. They did not bypass Kolomenskoye, which acquired the significance of a forward line defending Moscow from the south.
In 1521, the Crimean Khan Mahmet Giray, according to chroniclers, freely “Kolomenskaya place having fought” And “many villages and holy churches were burned”. But six years later, in September 1527, the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III and his brothers, having gathered an army in Kolomenskoye, set out on a campaign against the 40,000-strong horde of the Crimean prince Islam Giray. Having crossed the Oka, Russian warriors defeated the Tatar army. It was a big victory.
Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III
In August 1530 in Kolomenskoye at the Grand Duke Vasily III , great-great-grandson of Prince Dmitry Donskoy, son Ivan was born. This boy was destined to become the first Russian Tsar, nicknamed (for his tough temper) the Terrible. At the moment of his birth, a storm began, a terrible thunderstorm broke out, lightning flashed, thunder rumbled... But the happy parents considered this a good sign. The boy was long awaited.
His birth was preceded by dramatic events...
Vasily III brings his bride Elena Glinskaya into the palace
Vasily III He lived for twenty years in a childless marriage with Solomonia Saburova, then he forced her to take monastic vows, sent her to a monastery and married the Polish princess Elena Glinskaya in the hope that the young wife would finally give her an heir. Rumors circulated around Moscow that the unfortunate Princess Solomonia arrived at the monastery pregnant and gave birth to a son there, but the boyars sent by the Grand Duke to investigate did not find out anything (or left everything a secret). However, Elena was not immediately able to fulfill her mission - the couple waited for several years for their child to appear... They prayed fervently, gave alms, visited monasteries, asked for help from miraculous icons and founded a new church in Kolomenskoye with a prayer for childbearing.
The location for the church was chosen on a high bank of the river.It was built by the Italian architect Peter Francesco Annibale (Hannibal), who in Russian chronicles was called Peter Fryazin or Petrok the Small. In Rus', Italians were usually called Fryazins (which is why so many namesakes turned out to be among visiting architects and other specialists).
Mother of Vasily III , Byzantine princess Sophia Palaeologus, grew up in Rome and brought to Rus' classical ideas about architecture, based on ancient models and buildings of the Renaissance. She managed to instill her tastes in two Moscow rulers - her husband and son. It was to her that Moscow owed the appearance of Italian architects. Petrok Maly Fryazin came to Moscow when the “Roman princess” Sophia Paleologus was no longer alive, at the invitation of her son Vasily. According to the personal request of the Grand Duke of Moscow, Pope Clement VII in 1528 he released the architect Annibale to his court. The most important building of the architect was considered the Kitai-Gorod fortress, and the most beautiful was the Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye. The same master built Vasily’s new palace here III , unfortunately, not preserved.
Either the construction of the prayer temple helped, or the prince's alms, but Elena soon felt signs of pregnancy, and after the due date, she gave birth to a boy, the heir to the throne. The Grand Duke, who by that time had crossed the fifty-year mark, was immensely happy. The new temple was completed after the birth of the Grand Duke's son Ivan and was dedicated to this event. This is how the oldest surviving architectural monument appeared in Kolomenskoye - the Church of the Ascension of the Lord. In 1532 this church was already mentioned as active.
In the same 1532, Khan Safa Giray invaded the Moscow state. Vasily III, remembering his previous victory over the Tatars, again moved to Kolomenskoye and began to gather an army. Chroniclers said: “Having left, the great prince began to wait in Kolomenskoye for Prince Ondrei Ivanovich, his brother, and the governor with many people, and the same day the news came... to Kolomenskoye from the governor from Rezan, that Safa Kirei was king... and other princes with many people came to Rezan and and the settlements were burned; and the Grand Duke... ordered to send across the Oka River... to obtain languages, and the governors of those Tatars sent them to the Grand Duke to Kolomenskoye". The Grand Duke personally interrogated the Tatar “tongues” taken beyond the Oka in Kolomenskoye. The miniature of the chronicle vault of the mid-16th century, dedicated to this event, depicts not only the multi-domed princely chambers, but also the Church of the Ascension. By August 21, 1532, the hordes were defeated.
The Church of the Ascension was a standard in many respects - perfect in design and execution, it became the first hipped stone church in Moscow and for a long time determined the style of Russian church architecture. But at the same time she remained one and only. Before its construction, architects usually reproduced the Byzantine cross-dome composition, and there was no question of departing from the canon. And suddenly the Kolomna Church of the Ascension, deprived of its bulky dome, shot up into the heavens like an arrow! “In the Church of the Ascension, as if in focus, all the architectural trends of Christian countries met, and they also served as a starting point in the formation of Russian national architecture,” said architect Leonid Belyaev.
Before the construction of the Ivan the Great bell tower in the Kremlin, the Kolomna Church of the Ascension was the tallest building in Moscow and the near Moscow region - its total height with the dome and cross exceeded 60 meters (in the interior - more than 40). Researchers find in the architecture of the temple elements inherent in Gothic and early Renaissance, but at the same time the church turned out to be surprisingly Russian, there is nothing in it that the Orthodox Church would not accept and that would have been alien to the inhabitants of Moscow in the sixteenth century. And the general appearance of the church, the “single pillar”, which rather resembles a tower, faceted like crystal, and the “Italian” pilasters and pylons, and the galleries encircling the church building, and the Gothic decorative elements - all aroused the delight of both contemporaries and descendants. It is no coincidence that this temple was called “Russian prayer in stone.” The chronicler noted: “ That church is wonderful in its height and beauty, such has never been seen before in Rus'.”.
Only Patriarch Nikon, during the church reform in the seventeenth century, tried to resist the construction of tent churches, but later architects still returned to this form.
| “Nothing struck me as much as the monument of ancient Russian architecture in the village of Kolomenskoye. I saw a lot, I admired a lot, a lot amazed me, but time, ancient time in Russia, who left his monument in this village was a miracle of miracles for me. I saw the Strasbourg Cathedral, which was built over centuries, I stood near the Milan Cathedral, but apart from the stuck-on decorations, I found nothing. And then beauty appeared before me the whole. Everything inside me trembled. It was a mysterious silence. Harmony of beauty of finished forms. I saw some new kind of architecture. I saw the striving upward, and for a long time I stood, stunned.” |
| Hector Berlioz, French composer. |
Soon after the completion of the construction of the Church of the Ascension, a separate building of a bell tower appeared not far from it, consecrated in honor of St. George the Victorious. It served as a reminder of the ancient St. George Church that once stood here, erected by princes Dmitry Donskoy and Vladimir the Brave, and, at the same time, of the birth of Ivan’s younger brother George. Alas, this boy turned out to be seriously ill, did not live long and did not leave a noticeable mark on history. Temple of the Ascension, bell tower and small church of St. George, which appeared here in the 10th centuryIX century, form a single harmonious ensemble.
Bell tower of St. George the Victorious and church built in the nineteenth century
During the restoration of 1914-1916, the tent of the Church of the Ascension was re-lined with bricks specially made according to ancient samples with the stamp: “1914”.
With the exception of isolated, careful restoration work, the Church of the Ascension has not undergone significant reconstruction during its history and has retained its ancient appearance, which makes it a unique phenomenon among other medieval buildings. In 1994, UNESCO included the Church of the Ascension of the Lord as an outstanding architectural monument on the World Heritage List (along with the Kremlin and Red Square). Currently, in agreement with the Patriarchate, the Church of the Ascension is in the general use of the Kolomenskoye Museum and the Patriarchal Compound.
Unfortunately, the ancient paintings that decorated its walls did not survive in the church. They were cherished for a long time and carefully “renovated” in the seventeenth century and in the nineteenth, after the military events of 1812. In 1834, during the next renovation, architect E.D. Tyurin took care of their conservation. For example, his order regarding the image of the Ecumenical Saints and Moscow Wonderworkers, located above the “royal place” in the church, has been preserved:“The image of the saints, painted on the wall of the porch above the royal place, must be preserved in all integrity, for which purpose it must be temporarily sealed with carpenter’s shields.”
But by the end of X I In the 10th century, parishioners decided that it was time to paint the temple again, “more beautifully.” The old frescoes were destroyed in 1884. The walls of the temple were covered with zinc sheets and modern oil paintings were applied to them. Without a doubt, this is a terrible loss for national culture.
Zakomara― semicircular completion of the wall, repeating the outlines of the internal vault.
Kokoshniks― false zakomara, which does not follow the shape of the internal arch.
Light drum― the cylindrical completion of the temple, the windows of which illuminate the interior.
Altar apse- ledge of the temple, oriented to the east.
Dome― the design of the temple covering, close in shape to a hemisphere.
The architect (presumably the Italian Petrok Maly) without hesitation rejected the canons of Byzantine monumentalism and turned to the elegant aesthetics of the Renaissance. Everything was new in the church. The absence of architectural elements traditional for Russian churches of an earlier period - zakomar, light drums - and the interior is modest in size, only 100 square meters. Instead of a traditional dome, the building ended with a polyhedron. Relying on the traditions of his native country, the architect, however, respected the experience of early ancient Russian architecture and used elements of wooden hipped churches.
Characteristic features of a tent temple
Octagon (quadruple)― polygonal tent base.
Tent- a multifaceted pyramid that serves to complete the temple.
After construction was completed, people came from different places to see the prayer church of the Rurik dynasty. They spoke of her as a miracle. “That church is wonderful in its height and beauty and lightness, such has never been seen in Rus' before,” a contemporary admired in the chronicle. Amazingly, the glory of the church will not fade despite the laws of time. More than three hundred years after its construction, the Parisian composer Hector Berlioz, after a visit to Moscow, would write: “Nothing struck me more in my life than the monument of ancient Russian architecture in the village of Kolomenskoye. I saw a lot, admired a lot, a lot amazed me, but time, ancient time in Russia, which left its monument in this village, was for me a miracle of miracles.”
Kolomenskoye has long been a part of Moscow; the church building has been repaired and rebuilt several times, but it has not lost any of its charm.
In the early 90s, the temple was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and in 2007, the ancient iconostasis with the royal doors was recreated and the church was re-opened to the public. Now people come here to look at exhibits in the church museum and listen to services on major holidays. Under the carved bell tower of the temple there was a terrace-gulbische, which was later turned into a gallery. Grand dukes once walked along the three covered staircases, but now everyone can rest here.
Secrets and legends of the Church of the Ascension
Place
The temple was built on the shore, where, according to legend, there flowed a spring that was considered miraculous. The high Kolomna church was supposed to become a symbol of the Mount of Olives, on which the Ascension of Christ took place. No wonder it seems that the bulk of the snow-white carved temple seems to be reaching into the heavens. In addition, next to the temple lie the boulders remaining from the temple, with one of which Saint Yegory allegedly knocked down the serpent.
Time
The most common version says that the temple was built in honor of the birth of Ivan IV. However, some historians believe that such a complex architectural structure could not have been created in just two years - from 1530 to 1532. According to this point of view, the church was erected several years earlier to pray for the childbirth of the grand ducal couple. According to another version, the Church of the Ascension was founded in gratitude for the victory over the Crimean prince Islam-Girey.
Library
There is a legend according to which the library of Ivan the Terrible was kept under the Church of the Ascension. A priceless collection of manuscripts was given as a dowry to Sophia Paleolog, who married Ivan III. Among the papers were kept the rarest copies of ancient authors, treatises on magic and natural science. Now the library is considered to have disappeared without a trace.
In the temple:
Listen to the service
Although the cathedral is almost no longer active, it has the high status of the temple of the Patriarchal Metochion. Divine services are held here only on major church holidays.
Admire the decoration
Thanks to the restoration carried out in 2007, the tyablo iconostasis and the royal doors, restored from the originals of the late 16th century, again appeared in the temple. The modern interior of the cathedral almost thoroughly replicates the rich decoration of the home church of the Russian tsars.
Walk through the gallery
The gallery of the Ascension Church is the best place to view the vast Kolomna meadows. You can wander along the Renaissance stairs of the two-tiered covered walkway and imagine yourself as ancient Russian princes. The guidebook of 1833 wrote that earlier, instead of a ladder, an iron chain led to the cross, along which on parish holidays daredevils liked to climb, betting on a bottle of wine or a bucket of beer.
Go to a museum
In the basement of the building there is an exhibition dedicated to the construction of the Church of the Ascension. A copy of the miraculous icon “Our Lady of Sovereign” is also on display here.
On one of the hot days of the first half of June, a foray was made to the Kolomenskoye estate museum to get acquainted with the unsurpassed monument of religious architecture of the first half of the 16th century.
The history of the magnificent world-class architectural monument is quite well known; I will only note that the official title of the “first stone tented church” has been questioned by the honored historians of ancient Russian architecture V.V. Kavelmacher and his son S.V. Zagraevsky. 
The temple was built in the summer residence of the Moscow princes by the Italian architect Petrok the Small, commissioned by Vasily III, as a house church. According to the chronicle, the consecration of the church took place on September 3, 1532 by Metropolitan Daniel in the presence of the customer with his wife and two-year-old son Ivan. 
As befits a masterpiece, the temple has been repeatedly studied and described in scientific literature, but I suggest that you familiarize yourself with its hundred-year-old description given by I.E. Grabar in the “History of Russian Art”, who saw tented wooden churches as the prototype of a remarkable architectural monument, which, in principle, was confirmed by the chronicler: “Great Prince Vasily built the church on stone, the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ up into woodwork”, and, at the same time, compare current views of the temple with photographs of the late 19th - early 20th centuries. 
And so, here is what Igor Emmanuilovich writes: Small in size inside, the church, thanks to its height and wide-spread basement galleries, gives the impression of grandeur and importance. The idea of reproducing a wooden temple was an excellent success.
From the outside, the structure of the Kolomna Church clearly reveals its prototype, created in a tree. The main quadrangle, covered with a steep hipped roof, serves as the foot of an octagon, resting on two rows of kokoshniks; Adjacent to the main quadrangle on the sides are protrusions corresponding to cut-outs in the tree, covered with a “barrel”. Even the rectangular shape of the altar, so characteristic of a wooden cross-shaped church, was retained.
The bold idea - to put an extensive octagon on the cross-shaped bottom - could only arise when looking at the identical construction technique, made of wood, where it is so simple and light in the combination of octagonal and square frames with cuts, giving a cruciformity to the plan. It is difficult to accomplish such a task in brick and stone, and one must be amazed at how decisively and boldly the architect of the Kolomna Temple coped with it without losing the overall structure and proportions characteristic of a wooden church.
In twilight evening light, when the difference in color is lost, the similarity of the Kolomna Church with the northern wooden tent-roofed churches - the descendants of its prototype - becomes stronger. The circular open gallery of the basement with three wide-spread staircases adds a lot to this similarity.
The Kolomna Church seems to be a direct cut from one of the many wooden churches of the Russian north. This is especially striking when comparing it with the church in Varzuga. While retaining all the decorativeness of the top of a wooden church, it also preserves the old Testament light dome, accompanying both with strictly thought-out designs.
The extraordinary celebration of the consecration of the temple “by the entire cathedral” sufficiently indicates the reception given to the innovative idea of the Grand Duke. “This same church is wonderful in its height and beauty and lightness,” notes the chronicler, saying that there was no such thing in Rus'. The encouragement and favor shown to the new method of stone church construction inspires the aspirations of innovative artists on the path of reproducing traditional folk forms.
Having familiarized ourselves with the exterior decoration, let’s look inside the upper church (pre-restoration photo on the right)... 
...where besides the iconostasis made in 2007... 
...only white walls and a tent of a similar color stretching more than 40 meters into the air. 
Let's go down to the basement, where there is a museum telling about the history of the temple. 
The first hall displays archival photographs of the restoration of the early 20th century...
On the territory of the former village of Kolomenskoye (Southern Administrative District of Moscow) there is a unique architectural monument of the 16th century - the Church of the Ascension of Christ. Its creation and subsequent history are associated with the name of the first Russian Tsar from the Rurik family - Ivan III Vasilyevich, who was included in the Russian chronicle with the title Grozny.
The sin of the Moscow ruler
In 1525, the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III, whose portrait is shown above, forcibly tonsured his first wife Solomonia Saburova as a nun, and a year later he led the daughter of the Lithuanian prince Elena Glinskaya down the aisle. Although there was a good reason for such an act - the infertility of Solomonia, which deprived the principality of a legitimate heir to the throne, according to church canons this act was considered a great sin, similar to bigamy.
Either the Lord was angry with the prince and closed the womb of his new wife, or the rejected wife cursed him, but in the first years of marriage, the new couple had no children. The two-year penance imposed on him by the Metropolitan to cleanse him from sin did not help either. The desperate husband decided to build a marvelous Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye, a village near Moscow, where his princely mansions were located, and which he had already decorated with temples more than once. With this pious act he hoped to appease God and pray for his long-awaited son.
Arrival of the Italian master
The first half of the 16th century entered the history of Moscow as the era of “great construction projects” carried out by Italians sent to Russia. They decorated the capital with outstanding architectural monuments. Vasily III did not deviate from the established tradition this time either. Turning personally to Pope Clement VII, he persuaded him to let the then famous Italian architect Anibale go to Moscow, to whom he intended to entrust the construction of the Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye. The architect arrived in Russia in the summer of 1528.
At that time, the Grand Duke himself set off with his young wife Elena on a months-long pilgrimage to monasteries, placing pound candles in front of the images, and begging the Lord for a son-heir.
Amendments to the original draft
The site for the construction of the church was chosen on the steep bank of the Moscow River, near a miraculous spring gushing out of the ground. This was fully consistent with both Russian Orthodox traditions and the canons set forth in Italian theological treatises.
The initial layout of the Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye, a brief description of which has survived to this day, is strikingly different from its final version. The fact is that when starting work, Anibale did not plan to create a high basement - a lower utility floor, which is why it all had to be lower and squat. In addition, he planned the construction of side chapels and a belfry located in the western part of the building. In the fall of 1528, a foundation was built corresponding to this building layout.
However, it became obvious that with such a design the church would not be visible from the side of the miraculous spring, since it would be covered by a steep ledge of the bank. This was a serious omission, since the visual connection with the holy place was disrupted.
I had to urgently redo the entire project. For better visibility of the church, they decided to raise it to a high basement. Thanks to the new project, the Church of the Ascension in the village of Kolomenskoye became clearly visible from all sides, but the architect had to abandon the construction of its side chapels and belfry. After appropriate modifications to the foundation, work continued.
Birth of an heir
The diligence of the church builders and the months-long pilgrimages of the princely couple were not in vain. At the beginning of 1530, the princess pleased her husband with the long-awaited news. From that time on, preparations began for the birth of the long-awaited heir. He became the future Tsar Ivan III Vasilyevich, who received the title of Terrible for his bloody deeds. It seems that it was he who embodied the curse sent to the unfortunate Solomonia from the monastery cell into which her former husband had forcibly imprisoned her.
The general concerns also affected the work carried out in Kolomenskoye. The Church of the Ascension at this stage again underwent a number of changes in its layout. At the request of the prince, a “royal place” was equipped in it, which was not previously provided for. It was a white stone oval base, built into the porch flooring. To accommodate the carved back that adjoined it, it was necessary to make a deep recess in the internal wall of the building, which was already ready by that time. Almost three centuries later, in 1836, according to the design of the architect E. D. Turin, a three-dimensional coat of arms of Russia was installed above the “royal place”.
Festive feast and death of Vasily III
The construction of the Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye was completed in 1532, when young Ivan, the son and heir of Grand Duke Vasily III, was barely two years old. It was consecrated by a person especially close to the prince’s court - Bishop Vassian (Toporkov) of Kolomna, who was the nephew of St. Joseph of Volotsky. The Grand Duke, in joy, presented the church with rich gifts in the form of precious vessels and golden vestments for icons. A festive feast was held in Kolomenskoye, which lasted three days. However, the king's life was already running out.
Bishop Vassian in December 1533 confessed and gave communion to Tsar Vasily on his deathbed. Modern researchers believe that he died of cancer. After him, power passed to his young son.
Along with the tent, which is the main element of the architectural composition, such an amazing “flying” effect was achieved thanks to the wall pylons - structural elements extended upward, giving the walls additional strength. Built of plastered brick and with an equal-pointed cross in plan, the church is decorated with rich decorative decoration, which gives it an elegant appearance. The total height of the structure is 62 meters. With a relatively small area of the interior, not exceeding 100 m², the absence of columns creates the impression of spaciousness.
Combination of two architectural styles
When characterizing the Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye, one cannot ignore the two-tier “gallery-gulbische”, to which three staircases lead, giving it a unique appearance. They are a very characteristic element of Russian medieval architecture. In addition, the architect Anibale used a number of elements characteristic of the Renaissance when drawing up the project.
These are pilasters (vertical projections of walls), topped with capitals, and Gothic piers, which are pointed arches, more typical of Catholic churches. However, the viewer does not get any feeling of alienness, since all the elements are successfully combined with rows of keel arches, made in the traditional Moscow style.
The Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye was built using elements of both Russian and Western European styles. By combining these two artistic movements, she presented the world with a unique architectural masterpiece.
Conclusion
For all the historical and artistic value of the Church of the Ascension, its condition today raises serious concerns. Deep cracks appeared in the walls of the building, dividing it into four separate blocks. They were formed because the church is located on the shore, the soil of which is prone to landslides.
In addition, in the 70s, to improve the navigation of the river, a series of works was carried out, after which the water level increased. Because of this, dangerous gullies formed near the church. Despite the danger of this situation, no serious measures were taken to prevent the collapse of the building.
The Church of the Ascension of the Lord in Kolomenskoye is a masterpiece of world architecture, included in the UNESCO list. It is considered the first stone tented church in Russia. The building is made of large bricks; on a base in the shape of an equal-pointed cross stands a tall tent with clear edges. There is a gallery around the temple, to which three high porches lead; on the gallery near the eastern wall, a carved stone throne has been preserved.
The Church of the Ascension was built by order of Grand Duke Vasily III in the village of Kolomenskoye on the steep bank of the Moscow River, right above a spring with healing water. Kolomenskoye was a royal residence, the church was intended only for the family of the sovereign and did not have its own parish, therefore, despite the fact that the temple looks impressive from the outside, its interior is small. In the 16th century, a bell tower appeared next to the church (later it became).
During Soviet times, the Church of the Ascension was closed and transferred to the Museum of Russian Architecture. Now it belongs to the Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve; there is a permanent museum exhibition in the building. In 1994, a Patriarchal courtyard with an attached Church of St. George was opened in the Church of the Ascension; in 2000, the church was re-consecrated. Since 2007, services have been held there on major church holidays.
Interesting facts about the Church of the Ascension of the Lord in Kolomenskoye
- The original wooden iconostasis of the Church of the Ascension has not survived, but was restored during restoration in 2007, following the model of surviving similar iconostases from the 16th century.
- The church in Kolomenskoye was erected in honor of the birth of the royal heir - the future Tsar Ivan the Terrible. The place above the holy spring was not chosen by chance: according to legend, water from this spring healed infertility, so women from ancient times went to Kolomenskoye to pray for the gift of offspring.
- The Church of the Ascension is associated with legends about the missing library of Ivan the Terrible and treasures hidden in the dungeon.
- During the construction of the embankment in the 1970s, ancient springs were filled with soil, and the bank under the Church of the Ascension began to crumble. The largest landslides occurred in 1981 and 1987, but no study of the shore and anti-landslide measures were carried out.
- At the beginning of the twentieth century, large cracks were discovered that split the body of the church. During the restoration in 2001-2007, they were repaired without a preliminary study of the condition of the building, and the wooden roof structures were completely destroyed without photographing. Information about restoration work is completely classified.
