Patriarch's Palace and the Church of the Twelve Apostles (Moscow)

Patriarch's Palace (Moscow)

 

 

Open: 10am- 5pm Fri- Wed

 

Description of the Patriarch's Palace

The Patriarchal Chambers and the Church of the Twelve Apostles is a complex of buildings on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin, located to the north of the Assumption Cathedral and the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. Built in 1635-1656 by Russian craftsmen Antip Konstantinov and Bazhen Ogurtsov by order of Patriarch Nikon. The five-domed Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles was built on the site of the old temple and part of the courtyard of Boris Godunov.

 

History

Before the abolition of the patriarchate

Moscow metropolitans, and then patriarchs, lived in the territory north of the Assumption Cathedral, starting with the first Metropolitan Peter who settled in Moscow (early 14th century). During their long history, the buildings of the metropolitan and then the patriarchal court underwent many changes: the buildings were rebuilt, destroyed and rebuilt.

The first stone chamber on the territory of the estate was built in 1450, under Metropolitan Jonah, at the same time the Church of the Deposition of the Robe was erected nearby, which became the home church of the Moscow metropolitans. After the Moscow fire of 1473, the courtyard burned out, and in 1484-1485 (already under Metropolitan Gerontius) the church and chambers were rebuilt. However, after the fire of 1493, the courtyard had to be restored again. In 1566-1568, on the eastern side of the mansions, the Church of the Solovetsky Wonderworkers was added, in the basement of which a front passage to the courtyard of the estate was arranged. With the establishment of the Moscow Patriarchate in 1589, the metropolitan court became patriarchal. Under the first Moscow Patriarch Job in 1597, the complex was renovated: the chambers were thoroughly rebuilt, while maintaining the composition of housing traditional for Rus' (two "housing" on the sides of the canopy). At the same time, another church was erected from the northern part of the courtyard - the Three Saints of Moscow Peter, Alexy and Jonah. It was connected with the chambers by a passage with a passage in the basement. Thus, the compound included three house churches (together with the churches of the Deposition of the Robe and the Solovetsky miracle workers).

During the Time of Troubles, the Patriarchal Court was devastated, and then burned down during the Moscow fire of 1626. By the end of 1626, at the expense of Patriarch Filaret, the court was restored to its former forms. In 1643-1646 (under Patriarch Joseph), the chambers were overhauled under the supervision of the builder of the Terem Palace, Antip Konstantinov; the construction was carried out first by the apprentice Davyd Okhlebinin, then by the Yaroslavl master Taras Timofeev "with comrades".

In 1652-1656, under Nikon, the old buildings, including the Church of the Solovetsky Wonderworkers, were dismantled, and new three-story chambers and a house church were built in their place, which in 1656 was consecrated in the name of the Apostle Philip and Metropolitan Philip. The roofs and crosses of the temple were covered with copper sheets and gilded (gilded onion domes were preserved until the middle of the 19th century). The Cross Chamber was rebuilt, its area reached 280 m².

In terms of size and luxury of decoration, the Patriarch's Chambers were not inferior to the royal Terem Palace. The richest patriarchal sacristy was located here. The interior of the Cross Chamber amazed contemporaries. Despite its impressive area, it did not have a central support (the room was covered with a closed vault on the formwork), which was an innovation in architecture. Soon, during Nikon's trial, the Patriarch's Chambers were cited as an example of his pride.

The chambers were rebuilt even after Nikon. So, by 1673, one of the passage arches under the church of the Apostle Philip was laid, and in 1680-1681 (under Patriarch Joachim) it was rebuilt and consecrated in honor of the Twelve Apostles. Here the patriarchs performed services, except for the great holidays, when services were held in the Assumption Cathedral. In 1691 (under Patriarch Adrian), a new floor was built over the chambers, from which the so-called Peter's tent has survived to this day (according to legend, in 1682, Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna hid from rebellious archers in it with the young Peter, but this is an anachronism) .

 

Synodal period

After the abolition of the patriarchate in 1721, the Moscow Synodal Office was located in the chambers. Under the leadership of the architect Ivan Zarudny, the Church of the Twelve Apostles was divided into two floors, and the patriarchal library was placed on the top.

In 1722-1724 the windows of the Cross Chamber were redone. In 1748, it was examined by the architect Dmitry Ukhtomsky, who testified to the presence of cracks in the walls and vaults. At his suggestion, they were dug through and filled with rubble and alabaster. At the same time, a new picturesque stove was made.

In the 1760s, the Church of the Three Hierarchs collapsed, on the porch of which the rite of chrismation has been performed since ancient times. The oven for the preparation of peace was moved to the Cross Chamber (which was renamed the Peace Chamber), where the ceremony was performed until 1917.

In the early 1780s, new cracks were discovered in the arches of the Peace Chamber, formed from the upper tents. In 1782, the tents were dismantled, and roof cracks and other damages were repaired by the architect Ivan Yakovlev.

In 1790, it was planned to dismantle and rebuild the old vault over the Peace Chamber, both outer walls to the lower floor and voids for stairs in the corners of the lower floor. The work was completed by 1794. At the same time, the dimensions of the chamber and the number of windows were preserved. It is believed that the vault also retained its shape.

 

Soviet time

During the fighting in November 1917, the Church of the Twelve Apostles and the wall of the Refectory were hit by shelling. In 1918 the building was nationalized, then the Patriarch's Chambers were transferred to the museum. During the years of Soviet power, repair and restoration work was carried out, in 1929 the iconostasis of the 17th century was transferred to the temple from the destroyed cathedral of the Ascension Monastery. During the restoration, two passages were opened, located under the church. For a long time, various services of the Kremlin were located in the building.

As a museum, the Patriarch's Chambers were first opened in 1961. The first permanent exhibition opened in 1967, the modern exhibition has been operating since May 1987.

 

Modernity

In the early 1990s, the cathedral was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. Divine services began to be held once a year on the patronal feast, the rest of the time a museum operates in the temple.

 

Architectural features

At present, the Patriarch's Chambers are a two-three-story building (in one place, the remains of the fourth floor, the Petrovsky tent, have been preserved), with a front facade facing south, onto Cathedral Square. The structure of the building includes the five-domed Church of the Twelve Apostles with double-height windows. Under the church there are two passage arches. A gallery on pillars is attached to the northern facade.

Household services and patriarchal orders were located on the first floor of the building, on the second - the chambers: the front Cross, the Dining Room, the orders, the front vestibule, the refectory, the Church of the Twelve Apostles. On the third floor were the private chambers of the patriarch and the home church of the Apostle Philip.

The architectural decor of the building includes pilasters at the passage arches, keel-shaped pediments of the windows on the first floor, arcade belt of the second and third floors. The second floor is separated from the first one by a strongly protruding cornice, which is typical for Moscow architecture of the 17th century. The white-stone portal of the church at the level of the second floor testifies to the bypass gallery that once existed around the building. The decorations of the building often repeat the design details of the neighboring buildings of the Cathedral Square.

The apses of the church face the east side.

The northern façade (facing the courtyard of the chambers) is decorated more modestly. The arched gallery is decorated with patterned tiles.

 

Interior decoration / interior

Currently, the premises of the chambers house a museum of applied art and life of Russia of the 17th century. In addition to the exhibits included in the museum's exposition, elements of the original decoration have been preserved in the chambers and the church. Fragments of 17th-century wall paintings in drums have been preserved in the church, but the iconostasis (also of the 17th century) is not original (it was transferred from the Ascension Monastery). In the Cross (Mirovarenny) Chamber, in their place there is a marble furnace for peace with a carved gilded canopy of the 19th century and a two-hundred-kilogram silver cad for peace made by order of Catherine II.

Museum exposition
The exposition of the museum presents art products, authentic cult and household items - personal belongings of the patriarchs and members of the royal family, sewing patterns, books, icons, dishes, jewelry, watches. Products are made by both Russian and foreign craftsmen (German, Turkish, etc.).

Among the most notable exhibits (besides the aforementioned ovens for chrismation, the cadi for peace, the iconostasis) are an alabaster, a golden censer (contribution of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich), a funny goblet in the form of a crowned person, a hanging shroud depicting Metropolitan Jonah, a clock of Patriarch Filaret, a jade bowl ( a gift to Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich), a gilded silver goblet from Nuremberg, a richly decorated Gospel, an equestrian portrait of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, icons of St. Andrew the First-Called and Theodore Stratilat.

The exhibits are grouped by subject.
Samples of traditional utensils are exhibited in the Cross Chamber - dishes, feet, glasses, cups, brothers, embassy gifts, patriarchs' clothes, liturgical utensils, jewelry, watches.
Artistic sewing is presented in the Refectory.
In the church of the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles there is an exposition of icons.
In the Prikazny chambers, the interior of the living quarters of the 17th century of a rich Russian house is presented - a tiled stove, furniture (chests, a table, cabinets); in the second room of the chambers, the interior of an office with books, chess, a globe, writing utensils is reproduced.