2012, SEPTEMBER 8: RUSSIA, MOSCOW - KREMLIN

Moscow’s Kremlin is a fortified central complex of palaces, churches, administrative offices, and an armory.

Public entry is through the Kutafya Tower, which leads to a ramp connected to the Trinity Gate Tower. 

Kutafya Tower & Trinity Gate (with Star), Kremlin, Moscow

 After passing through the Trinity Gate Tower, to our right was the modern glass and concrete building of the State Kremlin Palace. With a 6000-seat auditorium, the Palace was built in 1961for Communist Party congresses. Currently it is used for performances of the Kremlin Ballet Company.

State Kremlin Palace, Kremlin, Moscow

To our left was the Arsenal. Originally a weapons factory and depot, now it serves as the headquarters of the Kremlin Guard.

Arsenal, Kremlin, Moscow

Further ahead is the Senate building, with a flag on its top. Currently it serves as the official residence of the Russia’s President.





Senate Building, Kremlin, Moscow (Public Stock Photo)

 

 

 

 

 

On our way to the Cathedral Square we passed by a group of tired tourists resting on the sidewalk.





 

Nearby was the Tsar Cannon. Made in 1586, the 40-ton, 35-inch caliber and about 16-1/2 feet long cannon was never used for its intended purpose.

The 200-ton Tsar Bell is just a few yards away. Like the Tsar Canon, it is the largest of its kind in the world. But made from the scraps of a previous bell, it was never successfully completed, or rung after it cracked in 1737






Then we entered the Cathedral Square. Starting in the 14ht century, and until 1710, when the capital was moved to St Petersburg by Peter the Great, it was the venue of coronations and assemblies of the nobility of the Tsarist Russia.

Cathedral Square, Kremlin, Moscow

 

The gilt dome of the more than 260-ft tall Ivan the Great Bell-tower is the tallest structure of the Cathedral Square. A 64-ton bell hangs from the adjoining belfry.

Great Bell Tower, Kremlin, Moscow

Marked by several small cupolas is the Church of the Nativity. A part of the Great Kremlin Palace complex, it was originally built in 1393, to honor the victory of Russian forces over a detachment of the Mongol (Golden) Horde.

 Church of the Nativity

Assumption Cathedral is the oldest, largest, and most important of the Kremlin's many churches. All manner of coronations, funerals, victory services, and important ceremonies have been held here, since it was built in the 1470s as the seat of the Russian Orthodox Church. Upon its completion, its Italian builder Alberti Fioravanti was imprisoned, and he died in captivity a few years later.

 

Assumption Cathedral

The golden-domed Cathedral of the Annunciation was the private chapel of the Tsars. An interesting feature of this 15^th century building is a porch that was added to allow Ivan the Terrible to pray, after he had been barred from entering the Cathedral upon his fourth marriage, against the prevailing church doctrine.

Cathedral of the Annunciation

After leaving the Cathedral Square, we walked past the Great Kremlin Palace to the Armory.


Great Kremlin Palace

 Great Kremlin Palace

Originally a warehouse for the Kremlin’s weapons, the Armory soon became a workshop and storehouse for all sorts of treasures of the Imperial court.

The Armory, Kremlin, Moscow

 

After the Napoleon's invasion, in 1813, the Armory building was converted into a museum for Imperial arms and regalia. The exhibits include gem-and diamond-studded coronation caps and thrones; brocade and silver vestments, capes, and gowns; Faberge eggs; and royal carriages. The carriages included one on sleds that Elizabeth used to travel in winter, for her coronation, the distance of about 400 miles from St. Petersburg to Moscow!

Imperial Crowns, The Armory, Kremlin, Moscow (open Stock Photo)

  

Queen's Brocade Gown  &  Imperial Carriage, Armory, Kremlin, Moscow ((Open Stock Photos)

By the time we were done with the Kremlin visit, we were very tired. Soon after reaching our hotel, we had dinner and went to bed, to prepare for our 8 a.m. departure for Minsk, Belarus.