The Patriarchal Chambers and the Church of the Twelve Apostles

Before the abolition of the patriarchate

The Moscow metropolitans , and then the patriarchs, lived on the territory north of the Assumption Cathedral, starting with the first Metropolitan Peter, who settled in Moscow (beginning of the 14th century). Over the course of their long history, the buildings of the metropolitan and then the patriarchal court have undergone many changes: the buildings were rebuilt, destroyed and erected again.

The first stone chamber on the estate was built in 1450, under Metropolitan Jonah , at the same time the Church of the Robe Deposition was erected nearby , which became the house church of the Moscow metropolitans. After the Moscow fire in 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 compound was again rebuilt. In 1566-1568, on the east side, the church of the Solovetsky Miracle Workers was added to the mansions, the base of which was used as a main passage to the courtyard of the estate. With the establishment in 1589 of the Moscow Patriarchate, the metropolitan court becomes patriarchal ^[1] . Under the first Moscow Patriarch Job in 1597, the complex was renovated: the chambers were thoroughly rebuilt, while preserving the composition of housing traditional for Russia (two “dwellings” on the sides of the canopy). At the same time, another church was erected from the northern part of the courtyard - Three Moscow Saints Peter, Alexy and Jonah. It was connected to the chambers by a passage with a passage in the underbelly section ^[1] . Thus, the structure of the courtyard included three house churches (together with the churches of the Deposition of the Deposition and the Solovetsky miracle workers).

In the Time of Troubles, the Patriarchal Court was ravaged, and then burned down during the Moscow fire in 1626. By the end of 1626, at the expense of the patriarch Filaret, the courtyard was restored in its former forms. In 1643–1646 (under Patriarch Joseph ), the chambers were rebuilt under the supervision of the builder of the Terem Palace Antip Konstantinov ; construction was carried out first by apprentice Davyd Okhlebinin, then Yaroslavl master Taras Timofeev “with friends” ^[1] .

In 1652-1656, under Nikon, the old buildings, including the church of the Solovetsky miracle workers, were demolished, and new three-story chambers and a house church were built in their place, which were consecrated in 1656 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 chapters were preserved until the middle of the XIX century). The Cross Chamber was rebuilt; its area reached 280 m².

The Patriarchal Chambers were not inferior in size and luxury to the royal Terem Palace . The richest patriarchal sacristy was located here. The interior of the Cross Chamber impressed contemporaries. With its impressive area, it did not have a central support (the room was blocked by a closed arch on the formwork), which was an innovation in architecture. Soon, during the trial of Nikon, the Patriarchal Chambers were cited as an example of his pride.

The chambers were rebuilt after Nikon. So, by 1673, one of the travel 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 great holidays, when services were held in the Assumption Cathedral. In 1691 (under Patriarch Hadrian ) a new floor was built over the chambers, from which the so-called Petrovsky tent has survived to our time (according to legend, in 1682, Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna with young Peter was hiding from rebellious archers, but this is an anachronism ) ^[2]

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 witnessed the presence of cracks in the walls and arches. At his suggestion, they were scoured and flooded with rubble and alabaster. Then a new picturesque stove was made.

In the 1760s, the Church of the Three Saints collapsed, on the porch of which from ancient times the order of peacemaking was performed. The furnace for the preparation of peace was transferred to the Cross Chamber (which was renamed the Mirovarennaya), where the ceremony took place until 1917.

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

In 1790, it was supposed to dismantle and rebuild the old vault above the Mirovarennaya Chamber, both outer walls on 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 size of the chamber and the number of windows were preserved. It is believed that the vault also retained its shape. ^[3]

After the Revolution

During the fighting in November 1917, the Church of the Twelve Apostles and the wall of the Refectory Chamber suffered from shelling. In 1918 the building was nationalized, then the Patriarchal Chambers were transferred to the museum. During the years of Soviet power, repair and restoration work was carried out, in 1929 the 17th century iconostasis from the destroyed Cathedral of the Ascension Monastery was transferred to the temple. During the restoration, two passages located under the church were opened. For a long time, the building housed various services of the Kremlin; as a museum, the Patriarchal Chambers were first opened in 1961. The first permanent exhibition opened in 1967, the modern exhibition has been operating since May 1987.

Currently, the Patriarchal Chambers are a two-three-story building (in one place the remainder of the fourth floor is preserved - the Peter's tent), with a front facade facing south, on Cathedral Square . The structure of the building includes the five-domed church of the Twelve Apostles with double-glazed windows. Under the church are two travel arches. A gallery on pillars is attached to the northern facade.

On the ground floor of the building there were household services and patriarchal orders, on the second floor there were chambers: the main Cross , the Dining Room, the clerks, the main entrance hall, the refectory, the Church of the Twelve Apostles. On the third floor were the private chambers of the patriarch and the house church of the Apostle Philip.

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

On the east side are the apse of the church.

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

Currently, the premises of the chambers houses the Museum of Applied Arts 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. The church preserved fragments of mural paintings of the 17th century in drums, but the iconostasis (also of the 17th century) is not original (transferred from the Ascension Monastery). In the Cross (Mirovennaya) chamber, in its place, there is a marble furnace for peace with a carved gilt canopy of the 19th century and a two-hundred-kilogram silver cade made for the world by order of Catherine II.

Museum Exposition

The museum displays artworks, genuine religious and household items - personal items of the patriarchs and members of the royal family, sewing patterns, books, icons, dishes, jewelry, watches. The products are made by both Russian and foreign masters (German, Turkish, etc.).

Among the most noteworthy exhibits (in addition to the mentioned furnaces for making, kadi for peace, the iconostasis) are Alavaster , a golden censer (contribution of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich ), a funny cup in the form of a crowned person, a hanging veil with the image of Metropolitan Jonah, watches of Patriarch Filaret, a jade bowl ( a gift to Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich ), a gilded silver goblet from Nuremberg, an ornate Gospel, an equestrian portrait of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich , the icon of St. Andrew the First-Called and Theodore Stratilates.

Exhibits are grouped by topic.

• Samples of traditional utensils - dishes, feet, glasses, cups, brothers , embassy gifts, clothes of patriarchs, liturgical utensils, jewelry, watches, are exhibited at the Cross Chamber.
• The refectory features art sewing.
• The Church of the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles houses an exposition of icons.
• In the Chambers of Order, the interior of the 17th century residential chambers of a rich Russian house is presented - a tiled stove, furniture (chests, tables, cabinets); in the second room of the chambers, the interior of the study with books, chess, a globe, writing instruments is reproduced.

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  Alavaster

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  Theodore Stratilates in prayer ( Simon Ushakov , 1676). Patron icon of Tsar Fedor Alekseevich

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  Exposition of jewelry - buttons, cufflinks, etc.

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  17th century clock

• Peaceful Chamber

• Libson V. Ya., Domshlak M.I., Arenkov Yu.I. et al. Kremlin. China town. Central square // Monuments of architecture of Moscow . - M .: Art, 1983 .-- S. 340—341. - 504 s. - 25,000 copies.

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• Patriarchal Chambers with the Church of the Twelve Apostles