Trips and Tales (Part 28)
On the beaten track. Moscow must-sees. (Straight on till morning…)
Cathedral Roundup (Part 3)
Trips and Tales is turning into Trips and Cathedrals…or maybe just Cathedrals. They are great, though. I’ll forgo my usual “fireside chat”, and get straight on to the stonework. There are four more to go, starting with my favourite, aesthetically speaking…
Cathedral of the Dormition/Assumption
I gave this a passing mention in TAT#21 under The Kremlin section, residing as it does therein, as the oldest cathedral (Kremlins, in case you weren’t aware, are walled citadels historically at the heart of Russian cities). However, this cathedral deserves more. Externally, it’s beautiful in its relative simplicity, the understated exterior conveying a feeling of sheer age. Internally, it’s a visual assault of iconography and décor, as with other cathedrals of similar stature.
Some explanation of the structure’s nomenclature and interchangeable title (between Dormition and Assumption) is appropriate. “Dormition” refers to the falling asleep (i.e. earthly death) of the Virgin Mary, while “Assumption” refers to her passage into heaven. One doesn’t happen without the other, hence the dual reference.
As with other significant Orthodox structures in Moscow, this cathedral has had its own share of trauma – including an earthquake! Read on… Referencing the Cathedral of Vladimir for design inspiration, the original structure was consecrated in 1327. Towards the mid-15th century, dilapidation had firmly set in and a rebuild was undertaken by way of replacement in 1472, at the command of Ivan III. This endeavour was part of Ivan’s reconstruction of the Kremlin, in a bid to embody and display the power and importance of the burgeoning Russian State of Muscovy, most powerful of all principalities. Again, the architectural reference was the Cathedral of Vladimir. However, in 1474 the rarest of events (for the region) occurred: an earthquake. It demolished the unfinished structure, erasing 2 years of work in the process. Undeterred, rebuilding commenced a year later, resulting in a finished and consecrated Cathedral in 1479.
Essentially, the structure has remained as-built up to the present day, with the exception of gabled frescoes added in 1660 to the external east and west walls. In general terms, the building has some similarities in form to the those of the Byzantine era: the oft repeated squat, square pile with attendant domed substructures – and that ever-present Russian “onion” styling. The domes (all towered and gilded) are arranged with the largest seated centrally on the squat, cubic body, and one attendant at each corner.
It is curious to note that the form of the cathedral’s domes is not in fact perfectly onion-like, but seems to be at something of a mid-point in design, between hemispherical and onion. This, coupled with the building’s age and lineage, raises the question: could this be evidence of a “missing link” that reinforces the theory of style evolution from the Byzantine (see blog post On the Trail of the Onion)? Tantalising. I’m just throwing it out there…
In use, the cathedral would have been central to State functions and ceremony, until the arrival of the Soviet era. Although the term was already in use, in 1547 the Cathedral of the Dormition would see the first ruler officially crowned as “Tsar” – i.e. supreme ruler without limits. Notably, this was Ivan IV, a.k.a. Ivan the Terrible. In fact, the Cathedral of the Dormition still houses his carved Throne of Monomakh, dating from 1551. Coronations for subsequent Tsars would be held there, along with the installation of Orthodox dignitaries: the Metropolitans and Patriarchs.
Paradoxically, the cathedral would come to see a more ignominious use (and abuse), with Napoleon’s forces making it their impromptu stable (yes: horses) during his abortive attempt to conquer Russia. The structure would also receive weapon damage as the Whites and Bolsheviks clashed during the Revolution.
Subsequently, the Communists would close the building, as they would all major religious buildings during the Soviet era, although such was the standing of the Cathedral of the Dormition that special permission was asked of – and granted by – Lenin himself for one final Easter Day service in 1918. Then the Communists shut the doors and seized the treasures within. In 1990, as the Soviet grip on Russia relaxed and Communism started on its final nosedive, the cathedral was opened to the public once again as an edifice of the Orthodox Church, though this time with a large internal museum.
There is a rumour-cum-legend that as the Nazis reached the outskirts of Moscow in 1941, Stalin himself ordered a secret religious service at the cathedral to pray for deliverance from the impending threat. Just the thought is astonishing, given the Soviet relationship with the Divine; but even if untrue, it still illustrates the cultural and historical significance of this remarkable Cathedral of the Dormition.
Next time: Musings on Lost Tradition
What might Russia have lost by opening up to outside influences?
[Photo by garethjmsaunders]