Church of the Deposition of the Robe
The Mary Deposition of the Robe Deposition of the Robe Church or Church ( Mother of God ) (Russian Церковь Ризоположения Пресвятой Богородицы ) is a Russian Orthodox church building in Moscow. It is located in Moscow's Kremlin on the local Cathedral Square, in close proximity to the three main cathedrals of the Kremlin ( Dormition, Archangel and Annunciation Cathedral ). From the west and south side buildings located close to the Great Kremlin Palace ( Palace of Facets and Golden Zarinnenkammer with house churches ) to the Deposition of the Robe Church.
History
The Deposition of the Robe Church is dedicated to the Orthodox Church Feast of the resignation of the Mother of God robes, which is celebrated each year on July 2. It had gained importance as a day of wondrous busting Old Russian pagans in their campaign to Konstantin Opel in the year 860 The construction of the Deposition of the Robe Church in the Moscow Kremlin goes back to another historical fact that is brought by Orthodox believers also the day of the Deposition of the Robe at: When Moscow was attacked by Tartar troops in July 1451 and the Kremlin could withstand the first assault, the defenders of the fortress prepared despite exhaustion before a renewed attack the next day. At dawn, the Muscovites put however surprised to find that the enemy had meanwhile moved. What was probably due to the internal political events in the Golden Horde, wrote to the Orthodox Muscovites of the Blessed Mother and her robe relics, just on the same day (July 2 ) were celebrated.
Shortly after leaving Grand Prince Vasily II build a church in the Kremlin in memory of this event, what to be constructed on historical victories and the former traditions of worship in memory corresponded. This first built wooden church burned down in 1472. 1484-1486 then today Deposition of the Robe Church was built, where the work a group of church architects of the city of Pskov was entrusted. Was almost the same time, also built by Pskov masters, even the neighboring Annunciation Cathedral, explains what certain architectural similarities between the two churches.
From its inauguration until the middle of the 17th century served the Deposition of the Robe Church, near which the chambers of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Head were, the domestic church of the Metropolitan and from 1589 on, as in the Russian Orthodox Church, the Patriarchentum was introduced, the Moscow Patriarch. When in 1656 the then Patriarch Nikon had built the existing until today Patriarch Palace with the Twelve Apostles Church next to his farm and the Deposition of the Robe Church, the latter was passed as a house church the Tsar's court, which at that time was similarly in the Moscow Kremlin. As a result, the Deposition of the Robe Church was structurally expanded and directly grown on the complex of the Tsars palace, especially the Golden Zarinnenkammer. Because of the Deposition of the Robe Church especially the wives and daughters of the Tsar was to installation of the Tsar Court to Saint Petersburg as a house church.
Even into the 20th century, had the Church, especially due to frequent fires (most recently in 1812 during the attack by Napoleon ), are more occasions or rebuilt. Today it is used primarily as a museum. Every year on the holiday of the Deposition of the Robe (currently due to the shift with the introduction of the Gregorian calendar on 15 July ) found there but also held church services.
Architecture
The Deposition of the Robe Church has much more modest in size than the neighboring cathedrals and is today surrounded on almost all sides by several large buildings, so that it occupies a rather inconspicuous position on the Cathedral Square. However, as a monument of Pskov church architecture of the 15th century, the church has several features that distinguish them from other Moscow churches of the time. In contrast to the well, built by Pskov masters Annunciation Cathedral, the Deposition of the Robe Church has only one central church tower, topped by a dome, which, unusually, ( unlike the typical Russian " onion dome " ) takes the form of a helmet. Even otherwise their very slender figure is for the Deposition of the Robe Church, not least because of the high basement, characteristic, so what does not apply to the neighboring cathedrals. The rather plain and factual mounted facades of the church and its roof structure with the typical keel- arch - and cone-shaped Kokoschnikornamenten you, however, together with the Annunciation Cathedral.
The unit brick outer walls of the church, as it was common to other religious buildings in Moscow in the late Middle Ages, clad in white limestone. The main entrance, reached by an outside staircase, is located on the south facade.
The artistic construction of the interior of the Deposition of the Robe Church, which recreates the interior of the old wooden church mainly dates from the 1640s. According to the name of the church here pick up motifs with diverse representations of the Virgin Mary in the apocryphal scenes of a dominant position. So the vierrängige iconostasis contains, among other things an icon called God Mother with infant ( Богоматерь с младенцем ), created 1627 from Hofikonenmaler Nasari Istomin Sawin. Other striking features are the wall and vault frescoes with Jesus and Maria representations as well as portraits of canonized Russian princes.
Behind the western facade of the church is a gallery where a permanent exhibition of products of Russian sacred wood sculpture and small-scale sculpture is housed in the 14th -17th century today. The exhibits, many of which they are carved figures of saints were brought here from different Russian cities and comes in part from the Soviet era, destroyed churches and monasteries.