Illustrations | Illustrations 2 | Illustrations 3 | Illustrations 4 | Report dated Dec.5, 2008

ILLUSTRATIONS

Illustrations to an excursion "Antiquities in Moscow"

The financial center of Ancient Russia was located between rivers Volga and Oka,
in the oldest main towns - Rostov the Great, Suzdal, Vladimir (means "to own the world"), Yaroslavl.
They and Constantinopole had all kinds of permanent contacts - trade and financial, religious and cultural.

Volga and Oka on the Europe map Ancient Russian towns between Volga and Oka rivers

Until the 1453th this Land together with Constantinople and Roman Impire lived in one space of Orthodox Church. After Constantinople's fall the Ancient Russia stayed along like the real Orthodox Center in the World.

On the 2th half of the 1500th the Russian center of capital finally moved to Moscow.

To the end of the 1500th Moscow found some fortresses: Kremlin - 2,5 km three brick walls (only one exists now); Kitay Gorod - 2,6 km brick walls (fragments exist now); White Gorod - 9,5 km white stone walls (desroyed, there is opened the foundation fragment with a lenght 100 m now); Earth-moving Gorod - 17 km (does not exists).   The way from Rostov and Yaroslavl - from the North, the way from Vladimir - from the East.  Walls of Moscow. The old drawing, about 1600. Walls of Kremlin. The old drawing (above) and picture (below), about 1600.

To the 1605th Moscow like the new capital got the modern fortification system. The Russian leaders were needed to deposit big means to fortifying of Moscow. In 1606 - 1614 Russian Land were occupied and smashed up by enemy from Western Europe. That period is called Foreign Intervention and Troubled Time.

Only in 1612 Moscow was liberated from enemy. But there was restored already another Czar dinasty of Romanovs in it.

And in the 1500th Moscow had become the Orthodox cultural center together with the capital center.

A new capital was created here and the main religious and cultural treasures were moved from the old towns.

Cathedral Square Assumption Cathedral, the main cathedral in Ancient Russia after moving a capital from Vladimir, a place for coronation of Czars Ivan the Great Bell Tower and Assumption Belfry Annonciation Cathedral (Archangel Gabriel), a place for christening of Czar's family members Archangel Michael Cathedral Terem Palace Faceted Chamber

Assumption Cathedral

Eastern side frescous Throne image of Mother of God Holy Trinity Sophia the Wisdom of God

Southern side frescous Mother of God from Vladimir, Archangel Gabriel (left), Archangel Michael (right).  Cathedral Square is the architectural icon.

Northern side frescous represent Saints from Rostov the Great.

Cathedral Square was a place for coronation of Czars.

In 1812 French Imperator Napoleon and his 600000 army went not to Sankt-Petersburg, where were Russian money, goverment, capital. Napoleon went to Moscow, to Moscow Kremlin, to Cathedral Square for a coronation like Ancient Russian Czars.

In the 1500th the oldest icons became to save in Moscow cathedrals. (See illustrations 2).

In the end of the 1900th researchers has discovered -  Moscow was built upon the pattren of Constantinopole (See illustrations 3).