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1 History

The site originates from the first settlements in the area on Borovitsky Hill where the Neglinnaya River flowed into the Moskva River. From the 11th century there was a significant fortified structure on the hill. The city was greatly extended by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky in the 12th century. The fortress was named the Kremlin in 1331. Between 1366- 1368, during the rule of Dmitri Donskoi, a white-stone citadel was constructed. By the 15th century the principalities of Russia were united under Grand Prince Ivan III of MoscowIvan III Vasilevich III ( January 22, 1440 October 27, 1505) also known as Ivan the Great ruled from 1462 1505; oldest son of Vasili II Vasiliyevich. Ivan III has been referred to as the "gatherer of the Russian lands". He subjugated a number of Russian t, who became the Grand Prince of All Russia. He organised the reconstruction of the Kremlin, inviting a number of noted builders from ItalyThe Italian Republic or Italy ( Italian: Italia is a country in the south of Europe, consisting mainly of a boot-shaped peninsula together with two large islands in the Mediterranean Sea: Sicily and Sardinia. To the north, where it borders France, Switzer, the architectArchitecture is the art and science of designing buildings. A wider definition would include within its scope the design of the total built environment, from the macrolevel of town planning, urban design, and landscape architecture to the microlevel of fu Aristotile FioravantiAristotile Fioravanti (ca. 1415 or 1420 ca. 1486) was an architect and engineer from Bologna, Italy. His name is also given as Aristotele Fioravanti or Aristotle Fioravanti . His surname is sometimes given as Fieraventi . Russian versions of his name are among them.

thumb Spasskaya Tower , Moscow Kremlin

2 Buildings

The irregular triangle of the Kremlin walls encloses an area of 27.5 hectares. Cathedral Square is the heart of the Kremlin. It is surrounded by six buildings, including three cathedralA Cathedral is a Christian church that serves as the central church of a bishopric. As cathedrals are often particularly impressive edifices, the term is sometimes also used loosely as a designation for any large important church. The term is not officials. The Cathedral of the DormitionThe Cathedral of the Dormition or Cathedral of the Assumption (in Russian, Uspensky Sobor ) is the name of several cathedrals in the world. The most famous cathedral with this name is the one at the Moscow Kremlin, built in 1475 1479 by the Italian archit is the oldest structure, completed in 1479Events January 20 Ferdinand II ascends the throne of Aragon and rules together with his wife Isabella, queen of Castile over most of the Iberian peninsula. Together they conquer Granada in 1492 ending 800 years of Moorish rule. August 7 Battle of Guinegat to be the main church of Moscow and where all the TsarTsar ( Bulgarian Russian often spelt Czar or Tzar in English), was the title used for the rulers of the First and Second Bulgarian Empires from 913 and in Russia from 1547 to 1917. It is derived from the Latin title Caesar. History of usage The title tsars were crowned. The massive limestone facade, capped with its five golden cupolas was the design of Fioravanti. The gilded, nine-domed Cathedral of the Annunciation was completed next in 1489. The Cathedral of the Archangel Michael ( 1508) is on the south-east of the square, where over fifty members of the Russian Royal families are interred. The other notable structure is the Ivan the Great Bell Tower on the north-east corner of the square, it is 260 ft high and is said to mark the exact centre of Moscow. Its 21 bells would sound the alarm if any enemy was approaching.

thumb Tsar Pushka, the Imperial Cannon, at the Moscow Kremlin

The oldest secular structure still standing is the Palace of Facets ( 1491), which holds the imperial thrones, it was commissioned by Ivan IV (the Terrible). Next oldest is the first home of the royal family, the Terem Palace. The original Terem Palace was commissioned by Ivan III, but most of the existing palace was built in the 17th century. The Terem Palace and the Palace of Facets are linked by the Grand Kremlin Palace. This was commissioned by Nicholas I in 1838. It was the largest structure in the Kremlin and cost 11 million rubles to build. It contains reception halls, a ceremonial red staircase, and private apartments.

The Northeast corner of the Kremlin is occupied by the Arsenal, it was originally built for Peter the Great in 1701. The current Arsenal was built in 1817 after Napoleon's troops destroyed the previous building in his failed invasion of Russia in 1812.

The northwestern section of the Kremlin holds the Armoury building, built in 1851 it is currently a museum.