_Moscow of the Tsars_
"Mid forests deep the turrets gleaming
Of Moscow's gorgeous Kremlin stand,
Beauteous golden-crown!
Peerless white-walled town!"
ALL RUSSIAN POETS.
Writers in the west still ignore the history of Russia previous to the
reign of Peter the Great, attributing to that monarch reforms he did not
initiate, and a policy of which he was not the author and followed but
indifferently. The real makers of the Russian nation were the wise
Romanofs who preceded the tyrant Peter. The history of the period may be
briefly recounted, apart from the story of the construction of the great
town--the Moscow of the Tsars. It was under the Tsar Michael that the
relations of Russia with the west became general; under Alexis, who
succeeded him in 1645, not only were the Poles driven back and other
enemies conquered, but those great social and economic reforms were
introduced, the working of which subsequently "westernised" Russia.
Theodore during his short reign of five years successfully continued
what his father had commenced. It was the claims made on behalf of his
half-brother Peter that caused the hands of the clock to be set back.
The story of Peter is well known, but its teaching has been often
misinterpreted. To obtain the truth let the Moscow of Theodore
Alexeivich be compared with the Russia of Peter, or of any of his
eighteenth century successors. The one exhibits the highest normal
achievement of purely Muscovite ideals, and reveals the capacity of
Russia to absorb what is nearest akin to its own spirit from among the
more progressive motives of the west. Peter crudely grafted a coarse
imitation of western forms upon a rarer stock; stagnation and corruption
were the result. It was not until the nineteenth century, and the
complete abandonment of Peter's policy, that Russia once more advanced
towards civilisation.
A country devastated by foreign invaders and surrounded with bitter and
relentless enemies; a territory wasted by internecine warfare; the
cinders of a capital; an empty treasury; a famished and pestilent ridden
people--such was the gift of the electors in 1613 to Michael
Theodorovich Romanof, a boy of sixteen, whose mother was in a convent
and father in a foreign prison. No wonder that he hesitated, and that
his friends urged prudence. The people were honest, and Michael exacted
proofs of their earnestness. Slowly he advanced towards Moscow, urging
his subjects to prepare suitable apartments for himself and his mother
in the spoiled ruins of the Kremlin, to store afresh the warehouses with
provisions and replenish the treasury. The boyards answered that they
had already prepared the palace of Ivan for himself, and a suite in the
convent of the Ascension for his mother, but it was impossible to
restore the Golden Palace and terem of the Tsaritsa Irene, for there was
no money, carpenters were lacking, the buildings roofless, and the
stairs, corridors, doors, windows, and all furnishings were no longer in
existence; it would be necessary to rebuild, and time pressed. Michael
was not satisfied; the palaces must be made fit for habitation, if
materials were lacking those of other buildings must be used, and as for
the apartments in the convent, "it will not suit my mother to occupy
them." Ultimately the Tsar's behests were executed, and in May he made
his state entry, more than two months after his election to the throne.
Both at home and abroad his position was regarded as precarious.
Zarutski, who had with him Marina Mniszek, the widow of the false
Dmitri, and her son, held Kazan and ruled the districts bordering the
Volga. He was ultimately captured, and executed in Moscow. Marina and
her son were also taken; according to native writers she "died in prison
of chagrin"; according to foreigners in Russia at that time, she and her
son were thrust beneath the ice on the river Oka. Sweeden continued the
war, and would not relinquish her claim to the throne. It terminated
after Gustavus Adolphus was repulsed at Pskov, and failed to take Narva.
A Swedish officer states that "from their youth up, the Muscovites are
inured to continuous labour and much fasting, and can make shift long
with meal, salt and water only. They hold it to be a deadly and
unpardonable sin to surrender a fortress, and prefer to die happily for
their Tsar and country." The Swedes contemplated a long siege, but by
the good offices of the Dutch and English an armistice of three months
was agreed to, and in 1617 a lasting peace concluded on terms
disadvantageous to Russia. An army of Poles was marching upon Moscow,
when it was re-inforced by Ronashevich-Salidachni at the head of 20,000
Cossacks; Michael repulsed their attack on Moscow, but, anxious to
secure his father's release, agreed to relinquish Smolensk, so a peace
to endure fourteen years and six months was thereupon made. Immediately
after his coronation the Tsar sent envoys to England, Germany and the
Netherlands, seeking their assistance in securing peace. The English
promised a loan of £100,000 and paid 16,000 roubles only towards it; but
King James prevented Scots taking service in Poland against Russia, and
the Tsar obtained his munitions of war from the English factory at
Archangel. In such fashion was a respite obtained, so that undivided
attention might be given to establishing good order within the Tsar's
Empire. Surely no ruler started with greater disadvantages than did
Michael. To the inexperience of youth must be added a lack of competent
advisers. The old hereditary aristocracy had for the most part
disappeared; those members who survived had taken sides with either the
second impostor or the Poles, and in them he dared not trust. There
remained only appointed military and civil officers, boyards, whose
titles were not hereditary, secretaries, and gentlemen of the council.
In Russia, where there was no general instruction and little learning,
all was left to a governing caste, composed of men who, from their noble
birth, had the entrée to the court and were conversant with all affairs
of state; it was this "caste" Michael lacked. The men, able men, who
were not accustomed to rule, did not seek responsible posts. Even
Pojarski, the saviour of the country, said to Vasili Galitzin, "If we
had found such a leader as you, Vasili Vasilievich, all the country
would have at once flocked to you, and it would not have devolved upon
me to direct so onerous a task." The times of trouble had forced simple
citizens to occupy positions of importance; such were the butcher Cosma
Minin, Zarutski, Troubetskoi, Liapunov and Fedka Andronov. To none of
the humble born leaders were the degenerate nobles prepared to grant
precedence or even equality; whilst on the other hand, affairs of state
could no longer be entrusted to those who had betrayed the country, or
by past conduct, proved themselves incapable. Squabbles for precedence
at once recommenced.
When Dmitri Mikhailovich Pojarksi, the great liberator, was created a
boyard, one Gabriel Pushkin threw himself at the Tsar's feet and pleaded
that the thing might not be, for "his own family was in no way inferior
to that of Pojarski," who, as boyard, would be appointed a higher place
than he himself occupied at court. These nobles could not, or would not,
understand that services to the state should be considered. Birth alone
was to count, for these nobles to remain side by side with a person of
inferior birth was considered an ignominy to which death itself was
preferable. On the occasion of the Tsar's coronation, there were several
disputes for priority of place, notwithstanding that the Tsar had
ordered that during the ceremonies all ranks were to be discarded.
Before the coronation, in the palace of the Golden Seal Prince
Tretiakov, the secretary, nominated those who were to bear the regalia.
"Prince Mstislavski will throw the golden coins upon the Tsar; the new
boyard, Ivan Nikitich Romanof, will carry the crown of Monomachus;
Prince Dmitri Troubetskoi, the sceptre; the new boyard, Prince Pojarski,
the 'globe!'" Troubetskoi took offence that he had to cede his place to
a Romanof, albeit a relative of his sovereign. The Tsar answered, "It
may be that your rank is higher than that of Ivan, but he is my uncle,
and you must give place to him at a time when the order of rank is not
to be observed." This appeased Troubetskoi, but later, one Boris Likof,
invited to the table of the Tsar, would not cede his place until the
Tsar personally intervened. On the next occasion he failed to attend,
although the Tsar twice sent for him. Each time he sent the same answer,
"I am ready to yield my life on the scaffold, but allow a Romanof to
take precedence of a Likof I will not!" Sometimes these quarrels
embarrassed the Tsar on occasions of state, as when, at the reception of
the Persian envoys, his body-guard disappeared. One hid himself away so
quickly that he could not be found; another feigned indisposition;
another was dragged into the presence coupled with Prince Romodanovski;
Cherchugov complained of Romodanovski, and Prince Pojarski also took
offence, and upbraided Cherchugov for dishonouring his rank by his
alliance with Romodanovski. The Tsar ordered Cherchugov to be beaten,
and determined to avoid such annoyances in future by choosing his
bodyguard from among the lesser nobles, who could not plead the
privileges of their ancestors. When Telepnef and Larionof were
appointed, one at once took offence and pointed out to the Tsar that he
was a freeman of Moscow, whereas the other was but a secretary! Such
were the earlier troubles of the boy-Tsar, who longed for the advice of
his father in such matters of trifling importance; he, on his return to
Moscow, ruled the court with commanding adroitness.
This matter of precedence came to the front again in the next reign,
when Alexis settled it once and for all. Hereditary rank was based upon
the achievements of one's ancestors, which, with the titles and honours
of the successful, were enumerated in the manuscript-books treasured by
each family. In practice no noble would accept an office inferior to
that occupied by his illustrious forefathers. Often incapable as
military leaders, this meant ruin to the state. Alexis, after sufficient
experience of the disasters the system entailed, proposed the abolition
of hereditary rank, and petitioned the Church to pronounce upon his
finding that "precedence was an institution invented by the devil, for
the purpose of destroying Christian love and of increasing the hatred of
brother for brother." In due course the Patriarch declared that in the
opinion of the Church, "precedence was a system opposed to God, and
intended to cause confusion and hatred." Thereupon the nobles were
commanded to deliver up their "golden books of honour and great deeds,"
and the records were burned, so that henceforth precedence depended upon
court and military rank alone.
[Illustration: BELVEDERE OF THE TEREM]
When Michael ascended the throne the two most powerful factions of the
nobility were those headed respectively by the Miloslavksis and the
Soltikovs, between whom no love was lost. To obtain greater influence
and power they intrigued for the marriage of the Tsar. Michael's choice
was one Marie Kholopov, to whom he was betrothed. Before marriage she
was drugged at the instigation of the Soltikovs, and her illness
represented as incurable. She, and all her relatives, were then banished
to Siberia for "attempting to deceive the Tsar," and remained in exile
seven years, when the Patriarch discovered the intrigue. This resulted
in the fall of the Soltikovs from power, and the return of the Khlopovs
to Nijni-Novgorod. Michael next chose Marie Dolgoruki, but she died a
few months after marriage, and twelve months later, Michael was urged to
marry again. The earlier method of selecting a bride was resorted to
upon this occasion, and the Tsar's intention made known throughout the
empire. According to S. W. Glinka what took place is as follows:--
"On the morrow the Tsar was to make known publicly whom he had
chosen as his bride. That evening the carriages of the palace
brought to his residence the marriageable daughters of all the
noble and illustrious families who had gathered in Moscow for this
election. These young ladies of high degree all wore the vestments
provided by the Tsar, and were accompanied by their mothers, or a
near relative. In turn they were presented to the Tsar's mother,
Martha Ivanovna, and the mothers and relatives then returned to
their homes; the young ladies, attended by their maids remained,
and donned the nightdresses they had brought with them. The
chambers to which they were appointed contained two rows of beds.
Towards midnight, the Tsar, accompanied by his mother, went in to
examine the candidates. The scrutiny finished, he returned to his
own apartments, and his mother anxiously inquired upon whom his
choice had fallen. To her surprise, Michael indicated the maid of
one of the ladies. Martha Ivanovna could not believe her ears. She
earnestly begged her son to reflect, before offending the pride
and dignity of the princes, nobles and boyards by such a choice.
Then she asked a definite answer, for, before the sun rose, it
would have to be declared officially, before the Patriarch and the
clergy assembled in the cathedral of the Assumption for that
purpose. Michael answered, 'I have obeyed you and the will of God
in accepting the crown. Never have I dared to act contrary to your
wishes. You have always been my counsellor and my support: I will
do as you wish but ... but ... never ... never ... will I choose
another; nor love anyone else. It is my fate to be unhappy! I lost
my wife a few months after my marriage--now, to-day, I am deprived
of the bride of my choice. She is of humble birth; perhaps she is
poor; may be, unhappy. But I also have suffered--I too have been
persecuted!' and the Tsar burst into tears. Martha Ivanovna could
not resist this appeal. 'My son, my son!' she cried, 'have I not
suffered as well? My husband languishing in exile; the murderous
swords of cruel enemies directed towards you! Heaven has protected
you, has chosen you to rule this realm. May the will of God be
done! I will not thwart your desire. Take for wife the one whom you
have chosen.'
"Thereupon Martha Ivanovna at once sought out what she could
respecting the young girl her son had noticed. She was informed
that her name was Eudoxia, the daughter of Lucian Stephanovich
Striechnef, a poor gentleman of Mojaisk, and herself a distant
relative of the lady in whose service she was. Just as her mistress
was haughty, proud and overbearing, so was the maid docile and
modest. Michael himself had had to bear oppression. Ill-treatment
he hated. He felt for Eudoxia, and chose her because she was
ill-used.
"Then Eudoxia was led into the Tsar's apartments, was richly
clothed, and presented with jewels. Martha Ivanovna called her
daughter, and the Tsar himself called God to witness that she was
his bride. The Patriarch, Philaret, gave his blessing to his son,
both as father and as head of the church. The clergy prayed that
the pride of the wicked might be humbled and the virtuous
protected. The citizens were pleased and shouted 'Long live Michael
and Eudoxia!' and there was general rejoicing. Then the daughters
of the princes, and nobles, and boyards, were presented to Eudoxia
and made their homage. In her confusion and modesty she would not
allow them to kiss her hand, but cordially embraced each maid. When
it came to the turn of her own relation, the frightened girl threw
herself at the feet of Eudoxia and begged for mercy and pardon.
Eudoxia bent down and said, 'You also forgive me! it in any way I
have offended.' Forthwith the lovers were formally betrothed, and,
as all the world knows, Michael married Eudoxia, and they lived
happy ever afterwards."
Another story, quite as like a fairy tale as this is, concerns itself
with Eudoxia's father, whom the ambassadors of the Tsar found at the
plough. Lucian was not surprised at his daughter's good fortune; he saw
in it only the hand of Providence. When he forsook his thatched cottage
for a suite in the palace, he carried away with him his old clothes and
other things, which he hung on the wall of his new apartment, and each
morning uncovered them that he might not forget his origin, and be
mindful of the workers and the poor. He lived for many years within the
Kremlin, saw Eudoxia's son, Alexis, upon the throne, and found himself
an honoured member of his own grandson's household, and surrounded by
his daughter's numerous royal grandchildren.
The next occasion that offered for the intrigues of those who sought
court influence through a matrimonial alliance was in 1647 when Alexis,
the son of Michael and Eudoxia, resolved to marry. Of the two hundred
noble maids assembled for his selection he chose Euphemia Vsevolojski,
who had enemies. These arranged their plans with her maids-of-honour.
When she was attired in the royal robes, her attendants twisted her hair
so tightly that she swooned in the Tsar's presence, and the Court
physician declared her to be epileptic. She and her family were
thereupon banished to far away Tiumen in Siberia. The next year Alexis
married Marie Ilyinichna Miloslavski, who bore him thirteen children,
and died in childbed in 1669. In his next marriage Alexis observed the
letter of the customary proceeding but disregarded its spirit. At that
time his chief counsellor was Artemon Sergievich Matviev, a man who had
commanded a foreign regiment in the wars and married Mary Hamilton, one
of a Scotch family resident in Moscow. Matviev had no daughter, but
living with the family was Natalia Naryshkin, the daughter of Cyril
Naryshkin, whose brother Theodore had married a Hamilton, the niece of
Matviev's wife. Matviev made his house as attractive as he could to the
Tsar, giving western entertainments, even to the performance of comedies
and tragedies in his private theatre. Western manners prevailed among
them; his wife dressed in what were called "German" clothes, and both
she and her ward appeared at table although strangers might be present.
When the Tsar visited Matviev, Natalia, a tall, shapely brunette,
herself served him with _vodka_ and _zakuska_. One day the Tsar informed
Matviev that he would find a husband for this charming ward; and, when
the nobles were ordered to assemble their daughters, Natalia also
received a command to attend at the palace. It was all prearranged, but
to allay suspicion a second assembly was convened, and a final one after
an interval of three weeks. When it became known that Natalia had been
chosen, there was loud outcry, and anonymous letters reached the Tsar.
These accused Matviev of sorcery and other dark crimes, and alleged
misdemeanour on the part of Natalia. There was the usual investigation;
the customary torture; and postponement of the marriage for nine months.
On January the 22nd 1671 the ceremony was performed with great pomp, and
Matviev that day appointed a member of the State Council as recompense
"for the sufferings he had undergone in connection with the affair."
Sixteen months later--May 30th 1672--Peter the Great was born.
Natalia Naryshkin was of Tartar descent, but her training was western,
and as tsaritsa she was able to free some of the "twenty-seven locks"
with which the "terem" was guarded. With the accession of
[Illustration: KRUTITSKI VOROT]
the Romanofs there was a strong reaction from the licence of the days of
the impostors, a reaction which the all powerful Philaret as patriarch
did his utmost to foster. Natalia was required to conform to the rules
made on behalf of former tsaritsas, but she succeeded in going openly to
church with her husband, saw plays through a latticed window, and the
state reception of foreign ambassadors from a screened _loge_. In so
short a time she accomplished much, but in 1676 her husband died, and
she retired with her children to a palace near the foreign suburb of
Moscow, and there the young prince, Peter, was raised amid rough
surroundings, for the Matvievs were exiled and Natalia barely tolerated
so near the Kremlin.
Theodore II. was most scholarly of the early Tsars; he was educated by
Polish teachers, and, during his short reign the first public schools in
Moscow were founded under his patronage. He separated the military from
the civil departments; in military matters abolished precedence, and so
altered legal procedure as to bring justice within reach of the people.
He built the episcopal Palace of the Monastery of St Cyril at the
Krutitski Vorot, and was particularly active in adding to the beautiful
churches of Moscow. To him is due that gem of Muscovite ecclesiastical
architecture, the church of the Nativity and Flight, in the Mala
Dmitrovka (_v._ page 181). With an eye for the picturesque, he laid out
a pleasure-garden in the Kremlin and another on the river front by
making a vaulted embankment. Further away the slopes towards the river
were planted with ornamental trees; medicinal herbs were largely
cultivated, and the first hot-houses appeared in Moscow. Private
dwellings in the Kremlin were demolished to afford accomodation for
public buildings, and particularly for homes for the aged and sick, for
the Tsar resembled his father and grandfather in his care of those who
had served him, and in well-doing he was tireless. He disliked pomp and
ceremony, restricted the ordinary citizens of noble birth to two horses
in their carriages, and reduced the number used by others on State
occasions; from his ascent to the throne the court pageantry declined.
In the seventeenth century almost the whole of the Kremlin was occupied
with buildings appertaining either to the state or the superior clergy.
The churches are still sufficiently in evidence, but such of the old
dwellings as remain have to be approached through more recent buildings.
The Granovitaia (Facetted) Palace of Ivan III. (1491) presents a façade
to the Sobornia Ploshchad, but this in no way reveals its antiquity. The
constant renewal of the exterior which is indispensable to preservation
in the destructive climate of Moscow, to some extent accounts for this;
and the "terem," the outside of which may be viewed from the quadrangle
on which stands the old church "Spass na Boru," is equally disappointing
in this particular. Even to see the interiors the visitors must pass
through the Great Palace, with which these old dwellings are now
incorporated. The site occupied by the eastern end of the Great Palace
is that upon which, from the founding of Moscow, the residences of its
rulers have been again and again erected, but they faced the east, not
south. The wooden palaces of the early Romanofs have entirely
disappeared; Peter the Great removed from Moscow whatever would serve to
enrich his new capital, and allowed the old royal residences to decay.
It is during the present century only that they have been restored to
their earlier grandeur. The palace built by the Empress Elizabeth, and
occupied by Napoleon, was destroyed by the fire of 1812.
The visitor will first procure a _billet d'admission_ at the
Chamberlain's office in Commandant Street (see plan), turn to the left
on leaving the building, and walking towards the south, at the end of
the street pass under the Winter Garden which connects the Treasury with
the Great Palace. He will then be
[Illustration: KREMLIN
References
A=Cannon »->Entrances -----=Footpaths
1. Nicholas Gate
2. Redeemer Gate
3. Secret Gate
4. Borovitski Gate
5. Trinity Gate
6. Belfry
7. Cathedral of the Assumption
8. " " Archangels
9. " " Annunciation
10. Granovitaya Palace
11. Grand Palace
12. Terem
13. St Saviours in the Wood
14. Ch. of the Holy Vestments
15. Ch. of St Saviour behind the Golden Gates
16. Ch. of the Nativity of the Virgin
17. Ch. of St Lazarus
18. Ch. of the Resurrection
19. Ch. of St Catherine the Martyr
20. Ch. of the Apostles
21. The Synod
22. Ch. of John the Baptist
23. Ch. of the Annunciation
24. Ch. of Constantine and Helen
25. Chuduv Monastery
26. Convent of Ascension
27. Pleasure Palace
28. Treasury
29. Tsarevich's Appartments
30. Place of the Boyards
31. Grand Entrance
32. Ch. of St Alexis
33. Cathedral Square
34. Tsar's Square
35. Monument to Alexander II.
36. Alarm Bell
37. Tsarina's Tower
38. Tower of Constantine and Helen
39. Oubliette
40. Water Tower
41. Ch. of St Michael
42. Ch. of Acsension
43. Ch. of the Miracles
44. Hall of Catherine II.
45. Ch. of St Catherine
46. Ch. of St Peter and Paul
47. Ch. of St Philip
48. Senate Square
49. State Court-yard
50. Arsenal Tower]
in the State Courtyard; on the left a gateway communicates with the
quadrangle in which is the old church "Spass na Boru;" the last door on
the right is the public entrance to the Treasury. Traversing the
courtyard and turning to the left he will reach the grand entrance of
the Great Palace and enter there. Passing from the vestibule by the
_escalier d'honneur_ the Hall of St George will be reached. It contains
sixteen allegorical groups commemorative of the conquests by Russia of
Perm, Kazan, Siberia, Kamchatka, Tartary, the Caucasus, etc. The
military order of St George was founded by the Empress Catherine II. in
1769, but the effigy of St George, on his white horse, slaying the
Dragon, as already mentioned is of Norse origin and was the device used
by Yaroslaf the Great in the eleventh century and definitely adopted as
the arms of the principality of Moscow by Dmitri after his victory over
the Tartars at Kulikova (1380); it figured on the coins, and April 23
(old style) this Saint's day, is observed throughout Russia. The names
inscribed on the wall are those of the individuals admitted to the
order, and of the regiments likewise decorated; in short, this Hall of
St George Pobiedonosets (the Conqueror) is the Russian Valhalla. The
adjoining Hall of Alexander Nevski, is remarkable apart from its
richness and beauty, for the six pictures by Müller illustrating the
chief events in the life of the Saint: beyond is the Throne
room--Griffins, the device of the Romanofs, conspicuous in the
decorations--and next the Hall of St Catherine, the state room of the
Tsaritsa. The older palaces will be reached directly from the Hall of St
Vladimir, or, after passing through the personal apartments of the Tsar,
by the Holy Corridor, so named because there the clergy attend to
conduct the Tsar to state services in the Cathedrals. It dates from the
reign of Ivan III. (15th cent.) and is, in short, a continuation of
that terrace which fronts the eastern side of the Great Palace, and has
its counterpart in the principal approach to every old-fashioned Russian
house. The Krasnoe Kriltso--how hateful the vulgar, and absolutely
incorrect, translation, "Red Steps!"--is simply the state entrance to
the reception rooms, in contradistinction to the Postyelnoe Kriltso
(Back stairs) or private entrance, communicating with the personal
apartments of the sovereign, or boyard. To comprehend the importance of
the Terem rightly, it must be remembered that actually the state
apartments of the sovereign were where the Great Palace now is, and that
this corridor served both as a rendezvous for courtiers and the Tsar's
way of communication from his private to his official suites. Another
staircase, to which the boyards had not access, led directly from the
inner court, near the Postyelnoe Kriltso, to the Terem. The state
suite in the seventeenth century comprised: an audience chamber (the
middle Golden Palace); a smaller Golden Palace, once the audience
chamber of the Tsaritsa; the Stolovia Izba, or saloon for fêtes; the
Krestavia, for the celebration of solemn ceremonies by the clergy and
household; the Otvietna Palace, where illustrious visitors were
entertained; and the Higher Golden Palace, a council chamber for the
consideration of grave questions of state. For most of these purposes
the buildings still in existence have served temporarily at different
periods.
[Illustration: KRASNOE KRILTSO]
Descending seven steps from this corridor, the Palace of the Tsaritsa
Irene, or lesser Golden Palace, is entered. Sneguirev is of opinion that
this was originally the apartment of the Archbishop. The Slavonic
inscription over the portal is merely to the effect that the decorations
were made by order of Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich, and restored on the
coronation of the Emperor Paul. It was here that in 1653 the Tsaritsa
Marie Ilyinichna received the Tsaritsa of Georgia, and later the
Tsaritsa Natalia Kyrilevna received the homage of the Princes of Kasimof
and Siberia. On the vaulted roof are representations of Olga's journey
to Constantinople, Helena obtaining the true cross, the Council convened
by the Emperor Theophilus the Iconoclast, and portraits of the
Tsaritsas, Irene, Theodora, Sophia, and Olga. A vaulted corridor leads
to an entrance from the square behind the Uspenski Sobor. It is called
the "Passage of the Patriarchs" from the seven portraits of the Russian
Patriarchs which adorn the walls.
Almost upon a level with the Holy Corridor is the entrance to the Old
Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, immediately below which is the
Chapel of the Resurrection of St Lazarus (see page 45), the oldest
existing building in Moscow. It is only an obscure crypt, but in one of
the round pillars, facing the ikonastas is a niche which probably served
as the _loge_ of the reigning prince. The entrance with an old
inscription was but recently discovered. The Church of the Nativity of
the Virgin, dates from 1393, when the Tsaritsa Eudoxia, wife of Dmitri
Donskoi, erected the first structure on the side of the older Church of
St Lazarus. It was destroyed by lightning in 1414, burned in 1473, fell
in 1480, and in 1514 was rebuilt by Vasili Ivanovich, and probably again
reconstructed early in the seventeenth century. It then became one of
the churches of the palace, and has remained the particular church of
the Tsaritsas. The old stoves are of an ancient Russian model; according
to tradition the Tsaritisas in bygone days were placed upon one of these
stoves during their confinements. The ikonostas was injured in 1812, but
has been restored and some of the ikons are richly decorated with rubies
and other gems of great value.
Above the lesser Golden Palace is a chapel of small dimensions, known
commonly as the "Cathedral of Our Saviour behind the Golden Gates,"
actually dedicated to "Our Saviour on High" (Verkhospasski); its other
name is due to the fact that the entrance to it is on the far, or
private, side of the gilt wicket that barred the entrance to the Terem.
It was built in 1635 by the Bajenko Ogurtsev, a Russian architect
employed by the Tsar Michael, and was restored by his grandson, Theodore
II., and many times subsequently. In the seventeenth century it was the
private chapel of the sovereigns. In it the sons of Alexis were
baptised; here it was that in times of danger, as during the revolt of
the Strelsti (see ch. x. and p. 130) the royal princes sought refuge,
and from here Ivan Naryshkin went to his murder by the Strelsti who were
clamouring for his head. The church is closed by three doors all
modelled after the "gilt wicket"; it possesses a magnificent ikonostas
of chiselled silver, the gift of the Countess Soltikov, which
marvellously escaped the plunderers of 1812. Its ikons include one of
the Saviour, "not made with hands" (_v._ chapter ix. p. 182), said to
have been brought to Moscow in 1472 by Sophia Paleologus, and one of
Lupin, the centurion, the patron saint of the Romanofs. There is also an
old ikonastas in the adjoining chapel of St John the Baptist. On the
north side of the Verkhospasski Church, also on this third storey, is
the Seventeenth Century Church of the Resurrection, on the threshold of
which, if tradition may be believed, Athanasius Naryshkin was struck
down by the Streltsi in 1682. It is lighter than ordinary Russian
Churches, lofty, with an ogival vaulted roof and almost entirely covered
with frescoes. The western door has representations of the eight Sybils.
The mediæval incense-burner suspended in the centre is of foreign,
probably Dutch, origin, and apart from its own attractiveness serves
well to contrast the great differences in Western and Russian
handicraft, for the ikonostas has some excellent relief work. The
paintings at the east-end are on a gold ground, at one period a
prevalent fashion with Russian ikon painters. The brilliant colouring,
the lavish use of gold and silver, and the bright illumination, so
unusual in Russian churches, together make this royal chapel one of the
most interesting of those in the Kremlin. It was from the corridor
leading to this church that the first "Dmitri" is said to have been
thrown; the window, which had been blocked up, will be pointed out to
the visitor before entering the Chapel of the Crucifixion, which is over
this corridor and on the same level as the fourth storey of the Terem.
The interior of this chapel is very gloomy; the floor of black and white
marble may assist in its recognition. Its most interesting feature is
the ikonostas of embroidery, the work of the Tsaritsas and their
daughters. The faces of the saints on the ikons are painted upon canvas,
and the vestments instead of metal are of worked silk and other tissues.
At the entrance is the private oratory of the Tsar Alexis, and amongst
other things which will be pointed out as having some connection with
the younger members of this Tsar's family, is the spot upon which he at
one time erected a "Golgotha"; the cross is of cedar, pine and cypress,
contributed by three princes. This church was built in 1679 and
communicates with the "Church of the Holy Vestments," by the door to
the left of the entrance, a piece of work highly characteristic of
Russian art at this period.
There are other churches and chapels which are technically private
chapels of the palace, as are also the Cathedrals of the Assumption and
Annunciation, but these are dealt with elsewhere. Those actually within,
or communicating with the Terem, are those above enumerated, and in
addition there is the old Chapel of St John the Baptist "in the wood,"
now removed to the second floor of the tower over the Borovitski Gate.
The palaces and chapels of the Terem with their many means of
communication afforded a secure hiding place, and means of escape
would usually be found by reaching one of the churches with their
treasuries and subterranean vaults. In the early times it was a
capital offence to be found behind the Golden Gate, but two
Chamberlains who accidentally encountered the Tsaritsa Natalia in
one of the corridors were merely dismissed from office for a single
day and reinstated; life was more free and easy in the days of
Theodore than ever before in Moscow. The faction intrigues and
riots that followed the succession to the throne of his brother
Ivan and half-brother Peter were chiefly the result of the unjust
treatment of the Streltsi. What took place at the palace is soon
stated. Matviev had been recalled; the Naryshkins and Miloslavskis,
the relatives of the first and second wives of the late Tsar
Alexis, were opposed to each other; the son of each wife sat on the
throne; Peter, the younger, had his mother to protect him; Ivan,
the elder, his sister Sophia. It was too good an opportunity for
deciding the supremacy of the Miloslavskis, and they having caused
it to be reported that Ivan's life was in jeopardy, the Streltsi
advanced to the Kremlin crying "Death to those who oppose royalty!
Death to all traitors!" Before the gates could be closed they were
in the Kremlin, and with pikes, halberds, and partisans thronging
the state entrance and the square of the palace itself. They wished
to be sure that both Tsars were well: they wanted the lives of the
Matvievs and Naryshkins if Ivan was not. Matviev momentarily saved
the situation. He went with Natalia, who led the Tsars one by each
hand out on to the terrace before the infuriated mob. "By God's
mercy both are well as you see," he said, and added words that
soothed the mob, but all too soon he retired following Natalia into
the palace. Dolgorooki, the head of the Streltsi, then turned to
the rioters and ordered them to be gone. He irritated them by his
address; some seized him and threw him over the balustrade, and
those below caught him on their pikes. Another troop, partisans of
Sophia, were searching for Matviev, dragged him from the presence
of the ex-Tsaritsa and near Blagovieshchenski Sobor he too was
thrown on to the pikes of the Streltsi in the square below, and
they were not content merely with killing now, but cut his body in
morsels. Three days later, a faithful black servant ventured forth
and collected the remains for burial. The rioters having now
committed two crimes reverted to their original determination to
settle with those opposed to Ivan. They wished particularly for the
uncles of Peter, Ivan and Athanasius Naryshkin--they mistook
Soltikov for him, and the man, too frightened even to pronounce his
own name, was slain. A dwarf of the Tsaritsa's led the rioters to
the hiding place of Athanasius--the altar of one of the churches,
and they killed him where they found him, and threw the body out
into the square. The mutiny lasted several days: the Streltsi could
not find Ivan Naryshkin or Van Gaden the doctor. The third day they
again went to the palace and demanded that Ivan should be given up
to them. Natalia pleaded for the life of her brother, the boyards
fearing for their own lives besought her to give him up, and at
last she consented. He made his last confession, and, attended by
Natalia and Sophia, carried the ikon of the virgin before him.
Hurried by the impatient boyards he courageously left the chapel,
and crossing the threshold of the Golden Gates was at once seized
by the Streltsi waiting him and dragged to torture and execution,
and this satisfied the rioters for the time.
Richly carved doors, of a type truly Muscovite and mediæval, lead from
the Holy Corridor to the larger Golden Hall of the Granovitaia Palace.
This building is the work of two Italians, Marco Ruffo, and Pietro
Antonio, at the close of the fifteenth century, and has its name of
"Facetted" Palace from the trimming of the stone blocks of the external
walls to imitate some earlier ornate wooden building. The large Hall is
the old throne room of the Tsars Vasili, Ivan "Groznoi" and Boris
Godunov. The old custom of a state banquet on the day of the coronation
is still observed. On this occasion, as in olden times, the Tsar is
seated at a table with such other reigning sovereigns as may be present;
his near relations are by etiquette still excluded from the room, and
view the ceremony from the small window near the ceiling, immediately
opposite the "Krasnoe Ugol" or throne. Around the central pillar which
supports the vaulted roof, the "mountain" is placed on which the
Imperial plate is displayed on state occasions, just as it was in the
days of Herberstein, Jenkinson, and the early ambassadors to the
Muscovite Court. Here, too, Ivan "Groznoi" received the Khan's
emissaries and the rusty knife his victorious enemy had sent him that he
might cut his own throat; here for three days he regaled his companions
after the fall of Kazan: here Boris Godunov entertained the Danish
Prince, suitor for the hand of the Tsarevna Xenia; here, in 1653, Alexis
received the submission of Bogdan Khmelnitski and the cession of Little
Russia. Peter I. also celebrated herein his victory over Charles XII. at
Poltava, and in 1767, Catherine II. confided to the delegates the
celebrated "Nakaz" for the compilation of the new code of law. Its
present condition closely resembles its primitive aspect, traces of
Peter the Great's vandalism having been removed; the walls uncovered;
the paintings restored; the windows refitted; and older furnishings
substituted for the tapestry and decorations of Peter and his
successors. The paintings, as the inscription states, were made in 1882
by two "brothers Bieloosov, ikon painters, peasants of the village of
Palekha." Chancellor and his companions when ushered into the Golden
Palace encountered Ivan the Terrible. "The Russian Tsar, sitting on a
lofty couch, arrayed in robes of silver, and now wearing a different
diadem. In the middle of the room stood a huge abacus with a square
pedestal, surmounted with a succession of orbicular tiers, which
regularly tapered towards the culminating point, and was adorned with
such profusion of plate and costly rarities that it was almost
overburdened with the great weight of them, and the greater part were of
the choicest gold. Four vases, conspicuous by their size, served
specially to enhance the splendour of the other golden vessels, for they
were nearly five feet in height. Four tables, placed separately on each
side of the hall and raised to the height of three steps above the
floor, were bespread with the very finest napery and attended by a
numerous company." One thing which surprised Chancellor was the great
reverence shown the Tsar when he spoke, by the whole company "rising
simultaneously and bending low their bodies with a sort of gesture of
adoration, silently resume their seats."
The Terem is a building of five storeys, each higher one smaller than
any below and the topmost but a single room, with a porch leading to the
flat roof from which, before blocked by the Great Palace, a splendid
view was obtainable. The ground floor was built early in the sixteenth
century, but serves now for storerooms only, and the one above, reached
by a door _under_ the staircase, consists of a private suite formerly
the workrooms of the palace and now utilised for the preservation of old
charters. The staircase with carved stone steps is separated from the
palace by the "gilt-wicket" which formerly divided the private from the
state and court rooms of the palace. It is of a quite ordinary design
when compared with the much more elaborate wrought metal-work found
elsewhere in the palaces and churches of the Kremlin. The first room
reached was originally the "vestibule," but serves now as a
breakfast-room; the cases contain the old seals of the Kingdom; the
walls and vaulted roof covered with pictures and the stove of fine old
glazed Russian tiles, a variety of faience the secret of whose
manufacture has been lost. Near to this room is the Council Chamber,
and, further, what originally served as the private room of the Tsars,
but was latterly used as a throne room. In the bronze casket is the deed
of election which appointed Mikhail Theodorovich to the throne. In the
"Krasnoe Ugol," or "Grand Corner," is the seat of the Tsar Alexis with
a carpet before it, the handiwork of his daughters. The window adjoining
is that from which Dmitri, and other rulers, lowered the basket for the
petitions of all and sundry who wished directly to communicate with the
Tsar. Adjoining this room is a bedroom, once occupied by the unfortunate
Tsarevich Alexis Petrovich. The oratory has two ikons which formerly
belonged to the Tsar Alexis, as did also the cross. The belvedere
reached by either of two separate staircases, was built by the Tsar
Michael for the accommodation of his children, and in later reigns may
have been used as a council chamber for the "duma" of the boyards. The
Tsars Alexis and Theodore II. were brought up in the Terem; Peter the
Great occupied it only occasionally, chiefly before his travels abroad,
and his son Alexis was its last regal inmate.
"The early Romanofs practically shared their rule with the
Patriarch, and church services and pageants entered largely into
their every day life. The Tsar would be awakened at about 4 A.M.
and at once enter his oratory for private devotion; a quarter of an
hour later he prayed before the ikon of the saint whose day it
might be, and then sent one of his attendants to inquire as to the
health of the Tsaritsa and, later, might himself attend her in the
vestibule and accompany her to matins in one of the chapels of the
palace. Boyards and others awaited his return for instructions in
matters of state, and at nine o'clock the Tsar attended high mass
either in one of the churches or cathedrals of the Kremlin, or upon
_fête_ days wherever the ceremony was necessarily performed. Mass
[Illustration: TEREM--THE THRONE ROOM]
lasted about two hours, and afterwards the sovereign gave private
audience to ministers until midday, when he took his first repast,
ordinarily frugal to scantiness and eaten alone. During Lent the
Tsar Alexis made but three meals each week, and ate fish but twice,
on fast days taking only a morsel of black bread and a pickled
mushroom; he drank either kvas or small beer: his devotions
occupied five hours of each day, and often he prostrated himself
more than a thousand times daily.
"Fast day or not the Tsar's table was always well supplied, but of
the seventy or more dishes usually served the greater part were
presented to his courtiers and officers. After the midday repast,
the sovereign invariably retired for a short sleep, arising for
vespers at about three o'clock, when he was always attended by the
court. Occasionally state business was transacted after evening
service, but generally the remainder of the day was spent in
recreations; theatricals, music and chess were chief among these.
Court pilgrims were the Muscovite equivalent of the wandering
minstrels of the British courts. The Tsar Alexis particularly was
interested in the recitals of 'experienced' men who had travelled
in distant parts of his kingdom and liked to hear often the
recollections of the grey-beards who had known the Moscow of the
'troublous times.' If their stories failed, resource was had to a
reading of the chronicles, ecclesiastical and profane. The
pensioners were housed in the Kremlin near the royal palace, and
were under the immediate protection of the Tsar, who himself not
frequently followed some centenarian to the specially appointed
burial place in the Bogo-yavlenni Monastyr.
"The Tsaritsas for the most part occupied themselves with their own
devotions and the direction of the work rooms of the palace; very
occasionally with their children they accompanied the Tsar to the
Krasnoe Kriltso to be 'beholden of the people.' Sometimes they
witnessed state ceremonies from a secluded corner of the throne
room, and in the evening witnessed the amusements in the Potieshni
Dvorets; were diverted by the tricks of mountebanks and jugglers;
listened to songs, or watched the special dancers engaged for their
amusement. Their journeys abroad were restricted to visiting the
convents and churches, pilgrimages to the Troitsa Monastery, or the
season's change to a suburban palace. Although they attended High
Mass in the cathedrals, they were seldom seen by the public, being
always surrounded by a guard of chamber-women who carried _ecrans_
and, arranging themselves before the Tsaritsa, screened her from
the eyes of the curious. Doubtless the strict etiquette was
departed from in the semi-state of the summer palaces at
Kolomenskoe and Preobrajenskoe, and certainly the Tsaritsa
Natalia failed in various ways to observe the strict seclusion of
the Terem. A state procession in the days of Alexis was a wonderful
pageant: on his visit to the Novo Devichi Convent he was preceded
by 600 horsemen, three abreast, all dressed in cloth of gold.
Grooms led the twenty-five white stallions harnessed to a coach
draped with scarlet and gold: a guard of honour surrounded it; the
Tsar followed in a smaller coach drawn by six white horses; boyards
in state robes were his escort. Petitioners thronged the procession
and their written requests were deposited in a special box carried
behind the Tsar. The Tsarevich, with a long cortege, followed. The
Tsaritsa was preceded by forty grooms with magnificent steeds, and
her own coach drawn by ten white horses, and behind her the
Tsarevna in a similar carriage drawn by eight horses. The
waiting-women, to the number of twenty or more, rode astride white
horses; they wore scarlet robes, white hats with yellow ribbons and
long feathers; white veils hid part of their faces; top boots of
bright yellow completed their costume. The guard consisted of 300
of the Streltsi with their showiest weapons, and behind them came
pensioners, boyards and officers of the court."--_Zabielin._
The young Prince Peter had a small state coach to himself; it was drawn
by small white ponies, and he had as a special retinue a number of
dwarfs. In the golden age of the three Romanofs Moscow thrived as never
before and became beautiful beyond other cities. Alexis busied himself
in erecting new and better buildings where fire destroyed the old, and
his example was followed by the boyards, who commenced of their own
accord to build churches or to enrich those existing, and were even so
western and modern as to present bells. It was under Theodore that
Moscow attained its zenith and became known as the city of
churches--"Forty-forties" their number, the Russian equivalent of
"seventy times seven," derived from "sorokov," an ecclesiastical
division, and also a "great gross"; the number actually in existence
within the town limit is said to have been 1071. There were twenty-seven
"Halls" within the Kremlin palaces; some twelve new courts of justice in
the town; and eight royal residences in the suburbs. The boyard Dmitri
Kaloshinim built a great church on the Devichi Pol-ye, and in addition
to the academy in the Za-ikono-spasski Monastyr other schools were
founded. The handicrafts of the west were generally practised, and many
new trades learned and mastered, some 4300 foreigners being employed in
Moscow in the manufacturing industries and the instruction of the
citizens. It was at this period that most of the beautiful glass,
faience and metal work that enriches the sacristies was produced, and
then that the finest ecclesiastical buildings were erected. Some of the
choicest antiquities of the Treasury (Orujen-ia Palata) date from this
period. The boyards during the siege of the Poles and themselves in the
Kremlin turned much of the old plate stored there into money; the
specimens of earlier date had been hidden away, or were in the treasures
of churches outside the Kremlin. Among the most interesting antiquities
here are:--
_In the entrance Hall._--The old bell of the Guardians of Novgorod,
recast in 1683; the alarm bell of the city of Moscow, recast in
1714 from the old bell of the town; two plates recording the
execution of the Streltsi. The staircase has old German suits of
mail, some trophies and two pictures, one representing the battle
of Dmitri Donskoi against the Tartars at Kulikovo, and the other
the baptism of Vladimir the Great.
_Room 1: Armoury._--Russian armour of the seventeenth century,
notably a mounted model of the Voievode of the period; on the left
of the entrance a Russian soldier of the same, also the helmet of
the hero Mstislavski, and the helmet of the Tsar Mikhail
Theodorovich.
_Room 2: Weapons._--Chiefly fire-arms used in Russia from the
fifteenth to the eighteenth century arranged chronologically, of
which those in cases XVIII and XIX are the most interesting; in
the cases XVI and XVIII will be found the weapons of foreign
manufacture, among them the sporting gun presented to the Tsar
Mikhail in 1619 by Fabian Smith; against the wall are the guns the
monks of St Sergius used to defend the monastery at Troitsa against
the Poles in 1609; below these the saddle of Prince Pojarski. Among
the standards around the pillars are the sacred colours carried by
Dmitri at Kulikovo, of Ivan the Terrible against Kazan (No 59), of
Alexis Mikhailovich against the Poles (No 24), of the Streltsi, of
Peter the Great's first regiment of marines (No 1), and the lion
and unicorn with which Yermak conquered Siberia. The helmets of
Kosma Minin, Prince Pojarski, of Nikita Romanof, Yaroslaf II., and
Alexander Nevski.
_Room 3: Trophies._--Modern.
_Room 4: Regalia._--The twelfth century crown of Vladimir
Monomachus; the sixteenth century crown of the Tsars of Kazan; that
of Ivan Alexievich (1680) and of Mikhail Theodorovich, the Imperial
crown, that of Georgia, globes, sceptres--note particularly the
beautiful workmanship from the conquered kingdom of Georgia--and
the orb reputed to have been presented by Basil and Constantine in
988, together with the golden chain collar and piece of the "true
cross." Among these insignia, most curious are the Barmi, metal
collars worn at the coronation, of which one of the earliest has
the eagle, lion, griffin, and unicorn--Byzantine symbols--and
excellent coloured enamel, but said to have been remade by a Moscow
goldsmith in the sixteenth century. The thrones include that of
ivory brought to Russia in 1472 by Sophia Paleologus; Persian
throne sent to Boris Godunov, in 1605, it is studded with more than
2000 gems; the double throne of the Tsars Ivan and Peter was made
at Hamburg and is so constructed that the curtain at the back might
screen the Tsarevna Sophia who used to station herself there either
to watch or prompt her young brothers. In a casket is the code of
the Tsar Alexis on sheets of parchment.
_Room 5: Plate._--To the left on entering are the enamel ware,
metal, wood, ivory, and glass, household plate of Russian
manufacture in the seventeenth century of which the best are those
of coloured enamel and niello. The loving cup presented by the
patriarch Nikon to the Tsar Alexis; a ring of the unfortunate
Eudoxia (wife of Peter I.) and a number of more or less
uninteresting objects of that monarch's period; and a fine
numismatic collection that will attract the enthusiast.
_Ground Floor: Carriages and Harness._--The state chariot sent to
Boris Godunov by Queen Elizabeth, carriages with mica windows,
closed carriages of the Tsaritsas, the miniature conveyance of the
young prince Peter, some relics of Napoleon; portraits of the
sovereigns of Russia, and the model of the palace with which
Catherine II. intended to cover the Kremlin; of the old palace at
Kolomenskoe. There also is the only portrait of Maria Mniszek,
and a picture representing her marriage with the false Dmitri.
Golden Moscow extended far beyond the Kremlin; one of its most
characteristic corners is the Vosskresenski Vorot, where stands the
little chapel sacred to the Iberian Mother of God, the exact copy of a
most venerable ikon, brought in 1648 from Mount Athos, for which this
chapel was erected by the Tsar Alexis. The picture shows a scratch on
the right cheek, the work of an infidel, who was converted by seeing the
blood that instantly exuded from the wound. The adornments are a
brilliant crown, with a veil of pearls, a large gem on the brow, another
on the shoulder; gold brocade with enamelled plaques representing
angels' heads, and the usual lavish decoration of the vestments,
complete this unusual ikon, which is probably the most venerated of any
in Moscow. The chapel is exceedingly rich and always surrounded by
worshippers; thirteen silver chandeliers with tapers are always burning
before the ikonostas, and to this day the Tsar on visiting Moscow
dismounts at this chapel before entering the Kremlin. The architecture
of the wall and gate is a modification of the Russian style of the 16th
century as influenced by the purely utilitarian or military style of
Podolia and north-east Germany, but the spires that crown the old square
towers are of a later date and are probably due to the love of the Tsar
Alexis for the Gothic which he tried in vain to blend with the heavy low
wooden models of early Russia. The buildings of this period are mostly
characterised by the quaint mixture of Lombard and Gothic, but there is
one fragment, the ruins of the archiepiscopal palace at the Krutitski,
which exhibits the more ornate style then considerably followed for
"Halls," in which the influence of Byzantium predominates. The Krutitski
monastery was first established within the Kremlin, but many centuries
ago was transferred to the suburbs near the Krasnoe Kholmski Bridge,
where the remains of the seventeenth century "dwelling" of the
metropolitan may now be seen serving as the gateway to the entrance of a
barracks. It is fronted with glazed tiles of many colours, yellow and
green are the most conspicuous, and of many shapes. The window casements
are purely Byzantine, but the vaulted archways and the roof are as
markedly Russian. Only its outer side has been left in its original
state, with the quaint designs, particularly that of the "Busy Bee,"
glaring from the gaudy tiles; the other side, that within the courtyard,
is now covered with the usual distemper (_v._ p. 122).
Doubtless much of the fine work on other buildings that have survived
the fires of the past two centuries is similarly hidden beneath plaster
and many coatings of thick body colour, but it is unlikely that it will
be discovered until the old buildings themselves are in course of
demolition, so this one perfect example, which is but little known and
seldom visited, may be regarded as the sole existing memorial of that
school of Greeks and Byzantines which so powerfully influenced Muscovite
construction during the reigns of Alexis and Theodore II.
The literary culture was derived from Poland, and is not remarkable for
strength or beauty: Slavinietski confined himself to dogma; the
many-sided Polotsi, artist, administrator, pedagogue and poet, wrote
several volumes, and helped in the adaptation of old-world stories for
dramatic representation. In addition to several plays such as "The
Prodigal Son," "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego" and "Esther," which
[Illustration: VOSSKRESENSKI VOROT AND IBERIAN CHAPEL]
were performed within the walls of the Uspenski Cathedral, profane
history afforded such themes as the "Siege of Troy" and "Alexander the
Great" for the amusement of the court in the private hall. Native themes
were not so general: "The Judgment of Chemiaki" was one; such plays as
the "Good Genius," "The Mirror of Justice," appear to have been derived
from the Arabs, and it is said that many themes from the Hindu
"Panchatantra" were also utilised. Prince Galitzin spoke Latin as
fluently as a German Professor; the tsarevna Sophia was his equal in
that tongue; and the princess, so far from being satisfied with the
routine of the terem, amused herself in writing a tragedy and a comedy
in verse, both of which were performed in Moscow. There seems to be no
doubt that great liberty was accorded her; but she, unfortunate in the
choice of her advisers, became ambitious, and herself was the principal
figure in one of the greatest of the real dramas Moscow has furnished.
The "Tranquil" Tsar, as Alexis became to be called, amassed great wealth
and amused himself in building a fleet for the Caspian Sea, which the
water-brigand, Stenki Razin, the pirate of the Volga, promptly
destroyed; and then Alexis, like Peter, played with toy boats on the
ornamental lake he had made in the Kremlin. To him, much more truly than
to Peter, do Karamzin's lines apply:--
"Russia had a noble Tsar,
Sovereign honoured wide and far:
He a father's love enjoyed,
He a father's power employed,
And sought his children's bliss
And their happiness was his."
He constructed much of the old Moscow still visible; not a church or a
monastery of earlier date but he rebuilt, extended, or improved. Outside
the Kremlin, throughout the different zones of the town, beyond the
last ramparts far away into the forests that skirted the suburbs, the
marks of his work, churches, palaces and halls, testify to the immensity
and riches of this Moscow of the Tsars; wherever one may go in or about
the Moscow of to-day, that of the seventeenth century cannot be wholly
escaped.