Rostov Kremlin

The Rostov Kremlin was built in the 1650-1680s, according to a single plan of the customer - Metropolitan Iona Sysoevich . This plan involved the creation of paradise in full accordance with the biblical description: a garden of paradise surrounded by walls with towers with a pond mirror in the center ^[1] .

After the decision was made in 1787 to transfer the bishop's chair from Rostov to Yaroslavl, the Rostov Metropolitan Court lost its function, was left unattended and gradually dilapidated. The ensemble buildings were occupied by various departments for warehouses. Divine services were not conducted in the temples of the ensemble, and the bishops were ready to sell it for scrap. However, thanks to the enlightened Rostov merchants in the 1860s - 1880s. The architectural complex was restored at his expense.

At the initiative of A. A. Titov, I. A. Shlyakov, in October 1883, the Rostov Museum of Church Antiquities was opened in the White House of the Kremlin. In 1886, the Kremlin was taken under his protection the heir to the imperial throne, the future emperor Nicholas II . In 1910, the State Duma legislatively consolidated the all-Russian status of the museum, deciding to release money from the treasury for its maintenance ^[3] .

Many monuments of the ensemble were damaged as a result of the tornado on August 23, 1953. Disaster recovery work of individual objects of the Rostov Kremlin grew into a scientific restoration to recreate the original appearance of the entire ensemble. The work was directed by the outstanding restorer V. S. Banige , who arrived in Rostov almost immediately after the tornado. In 1957, restoration work was completed on most of the sites. Due to lack of funding, the restoration was completed later. ^{[4] [5]} .

In 2010, the public organization The Fund named after St. Gregory the Theologian , with the support of Patriarch Kirill, sought to transfer the Rostov Kremlin complex to the Russian Orthodox Church ^{[6] [7] [8]} . In October 2010, the governor of the Yaroslavl Region CA Vakhrukov made a statement on the transfer of the Rostov Kremlin museum-reserve to the church, with the eviction of museum funds in a new building, and the creation of the bishop’s residence and the All-Russian Wedding and Baptism Center on the premises of the Kremlin ^[9] . This project, however, aroused both criticism from experts in the protection and study of objects of art, as well as mass protests from citizens. The project was rejected ^[10] .

In 2013, the Rostov Kremlin entered the top ten “Symbols of Russia”, winning the Russia-10 media competition.

The Kremlin is well located near the shores of Lake Nero. The Kremlin has eleven towers.

Architectural monuments of the Kremlin:

• Assumption Cathedral (1508-1512)
• The belfry of the Assumption Cathedral (1682-1688)
• Holy Gate (1754)
• Gate Church of the Resurrection (c. 1670)
• Judicial Order (1650-1660)
• Gate Church of St. John the Evangelist (circa 1683)
• Church of Hodegetria (1692–1693)
• Church of the Savior in the Canopy (Holy Savior) (1675)
• Church of St. Gregory the Theologian (1680s)
• Red Chamber (1670-1680)
• Chapel (XVII century.)
• "House in the cellars" (XVII century.)
• Household (XVII century.)
• The cook and the haste (XVII century.)
• Samuel corps (XVII — XVIII centuries)
• White (Dining) Chamber (circa 1675)
• Walls and towers of the Metropolitan Garden (1680s, mid-18th century)
• Garden tent (XVII century.)
• Towers and walls of the Kremlin (1670s - 1680s)

Assumption Cathedral

The Assumption Cathedral ( 1508 - 1512 ) stands on the site of its white-stone predecessors of the 12th – 13th centuries. The cathedral is in many ways similar to the Moscow Assumption Cathedral of the same name. This is a monumental five-domed structure, made in simple and noble forms. The height of the cathedral with a cross is 60 m. The cathedral is made of bricks, and the base and strongly protruding shovels are made of white stone.

Numerous decorative elements: arcature-columnar belts , horizontal traction panels , etc. give the appearance of the temple a special plastic expressiveness, beauty and stability so far.

In 1991, the cathedral and belfry was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Belfry of the Assumption Cathedral

The belfry of the Assumption Cathedral ( 1682 - 1688 ) was built southeast of the Assumption Cathedral, consists of two volumes and is crowned with four chapters. By order of Metropolitan Jonah, 13 bells were cast, the Polyeleiny bell (1000 pounds) and the Swan bell (500 pounds) were originally cast, and shortly after them - the largest Sysaya bell weighing 2000 pounds. The bells had their own key and produced harmonious musical chimes.

At the belfry, a set of 15 bells has been completely preserved.

Church of the Savior in the Seniors

The Church of the Savior on the Seny was built in 1675 . She was the home church of Metropolitan Jonah Sysoevich . This church is notable for the fact that its architecture uses features of the decor of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but only in a simpler and more rigorous design.

Hodegetria Church

The Hodegetria Church is one of the churches on the Rostov Bishop’s Court (Kremlin). It was built in 1692-1693, a little later than other buildings of the ensemble of the Bishop’s court, under the successor of Jonah Sysoevich, Metropolitan Joasaph. He is a representative of the Moscow Baroque style. The last independent building of the Bishop’s Court.

Church of St. John the Evangelist

The Church of St. John the Evangelist was built around 1683 . This gate church is one of the last temples of the time of Metropolitan Jonah. Researchers note that this monument of history and architecture looks more elegant than other Kremlin churches.

In the early 1970s , the Rostov Kremlin was filming episodes of old Moscow for the film " Ivan Vasilievich is changing his profession ." In 2010, the Rostov Kremlin once again played the role of the Moscow - for the television series "Split" .

• Eding, Boris Nikolaevich von . Rostov the Great. Uglich. - M .: I. Knebel, 1913 .-- 199 p.
• Banige V.S. Restoration of the Rostov Kremlin. - M. , 1963. - 80 p.
• Banige V.S. Kremlin of Rostov the Great of the 16th – 17th Centuries. . - M .: Art, 1976. - 144 p. - 30,000 copies.
• Miller A.G. Rostov Metropolitan Yard in the 17th century // Messages from the Rostov Museum. Vol. 1. - Rostov, 1991. - S. 132-144 .
• Melnik A. G. On the problem of authorship of the ensemble of the Rostov Kremlin // Messages of the Rostov Museum. Vol. 3. - Rostov, 1992. - S. 80-88 .
• Miller A.G. Gardens of the Rostov Kremlin // Monuments of Culture. New discoveries: Yearbook. 1990. - M .: Krug, 1992 .-- S. 459-464 . - ISBN 5-7396-0007-3 .
• Melnik A. G. The initial interior of the church of St. Gregory the Theologian of the Rostov Kremlin // History and Culture of the Rostov Land. 1995. - Rostov; Yaroslavl, 1996 .-- S. 92-100 . - ISBN 5-85975-041-2 .
• A. Melnik. What was the initial form of the coatings of the towers of the Rostov Kremlin? // History and culture of the Rostov land. 1996. - Rostov, 1997. - S. 76-83 .
• Miller A.G. Metropolitan Garden of the Rostov Kremlin // History and Culture of the Rostov Land. 1997 .-- Rostov, 1998 .-- S. 149-163 .

Pastukhova Z.I. Atlas of Wonders of the World: Masterpieces of Russian Architecture. Smolensk, Rusich, 2002 ISBN 5-8138-0164-2 pp. 66-67

• Miller A.G. Rostov Kremlin. - M .: Northern Pilgrim, 2011 .-- S. 305-321. - ISBN 978-5-94431-251-8 .

• State Museum-Reserve "Rostov Kremlin"
• Rostov Kremlin