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The Orthodox Church: history, doctrine, art, and architecture |
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Part Two: Moscow |
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View of the Moscow Kremlin. Hamilton writes: "The art of Novgorod reflected the active, intransigent, almost republican sentiments of its inhabitants, while the art of Moscow was increasingly directed towards the expression of religious authority and political power" (Art and Architecture of Russia 131). The marriage of Ivan III to Zoe (renamed Sophia in Russia) Paleologa, niece of the last Byzantine emperorr Constantine XI, brought much Byzantine ceremony and protocol to the Moscow court, including the title "tsar" (from caesar), and the double-headed eagle. Through this marriage, Ivan gained access to western, specifically Italian, culture. Zoe had been educated in Rome as the ward of the Pope, and when she arrived in Russia she brought with her Italians and Greeks in her retinue as well as knowledge about the Italian Renaissnance. |
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View of Kremlin Cathedrals. Sophia had barely reached Moscow in 1472 when Ivan sent emissaries to Italy to gather information about artists and craftsmen and to convince the best of them to travel to Russia to work. Ivan III needed a powerfully symbolic look for Moscow, the center of a new and growing Russian state. Once again we find the theme of Russia borrowing influences from another culture, melding them with local traits, and creating something "uniquely" Russian. The Moscow Kremlin--a national Russian symbol--was designed largely by Italian masters. |
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The Cathedral of the Dormition (1475-1479) occupies the central place in the ensemble of Kremlin cathedrals. The architect was Aristotele Fioravanti of Bologna. He was given the task of building a church that would recall and surpass the Cathedral of the Dormition in Vladimir (cf. Hamilton 55). This building was to be an affirmation of Moscow as the spiritual and political center of Russia. |
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Cathedral of the Dormition, with the Church
of the Twelve Apostles in the background. Like the church in Vladimir,
this cathedral is a five-domed type. The sturdy drums and high white walls
of the Dormition recall Novgorod churches, but its symmetry is more typically
Italian. Note that the height of the upper windows from the ground equals
the width of two bays (cf. Hamilton 191-194). Photo by William P. Tishler, 1996 |
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Doorway of Dormition Cathedral Photo by William P. Tishler, 1996 |
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Doorway of Dormition Cathedral |
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Doorway of Dormition Cathedral. In the detail over the door, note the tiny portrait medallions of Jesus Christ, Mary, and the Child Jesus. |
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Cathedral of the Annunciation, (1484-1489). This was
the second major work of reconstruction undertaken by Ivan III in the
Kremlin. Designed for the private worship of the tsars (who were baptised
and married here), it was built by native Russian masters from Pskov
(cf. Hamilton 189-190).
Photo by William P. Tishler, 1996 |
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Interior of Cathedral of the Annunciation.
Photo by William P. Tishler, 1999 |
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Interior of Cathedral of the Annunciation.
This fresco demonstrates a dominant style in iconography known as the
"Savior Not Made By Hands." According to Byzantine legend, the
first icon of this type appeared when Jesus pressed a piece of linen directly
to his face. This story of the icon's origins contains a dogmatic truth:
"the sacred art of icons cannot be an arbitrary creation of artists"
(Ouspensky and Lossky 72). Photo by William P. Tishler, 1999 |
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Cathedral of Archangel St. Michael, (1505-1509). Ivan III again invited an Italian builder, Alevisio Novi ("the new," to distinguish him from another Alevisio who had worked in Russia earlier). Although the architect studied Orthodox forms, the scallop-shell design in the upper church is noticeably 15th-century Italian. Russian builders later developed this design for their own use. This cathedral was used as the burial place of the grand princes and tsars until Peter the Great moved the Russian capital to St. Petersburg. |
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Church of Twelve Apostles and the Patriarchal Palace, (1656). As a later church, it borrows from its older cousins: the drums of the Dormition, the arched gables of the Annunciation, and the mass of the Archangel Michael. It is no coincidence that this church recalls earlier models, as it was built under Patriarch Nikon, the same patriarch responsible for church reforms that led to the Schism. Nikon wanted to return the dignity of the church by adhering closely to tradition and by moving away from contemporary church architecture. |
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Tower of Ivan the Great, (late 16th Century) Photo by William P. Tishler, 1996 |
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Church of the Ascension, Kolomenskoe, (1532).
Kolomenskoe was the residence of the tsars on the outskirts of Moscow.
This church was built by Vasiliy III in gratitude for the birth of his
son Ivan (later to be known as Ivan the Terrible). The sixteenth century
saw the development of these so-called votive churches: monumental churches
built by members of the ruling family as thank offerings. In its structure,
the Ascension is a tent-roof church, and was without precedent in Russian
architecture, quite unlike the boxy structures in the style of the Cathedral
of the Dormition. Photo by William P. Tishler, 1996 |
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Detail of the Church of Ascension, Kolomenskoe, (1532) |
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The tent roof design is found in another familiar church: the Church of the Intercession (1555-1560), known popularly as St. Basil's Cathedral. This church was built by Ivan IV as a votive church in commemoration for his conqests of the Khanates of Kazan and Astrakhan. Photo by William P. Tishler, 1996 |
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One of the nine interior domes in St. Basil's Cathedral |
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Entrance to chapel in St. Basil's Cathedral |
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Detail of ceiling in gallery of St. Basil's Cathedral |
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20th-century souvenir machine (broken) inside
St. Basil's Cathedral Photo by William P. Tishler, 1999 |
