The Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin. Exhibits of the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin

Moscow is one of the most beautiful capitals of the world. It is known for its rich past and its glorious traditions. The look of the capital of Russia harmoniously combines both modern buildings and ancient monuments of architecture. In Moscow museums, whose number is close to 400, the richest cultural heritage left by our ancestors is kept. This is a kind of book of history, widely disclosed to anyone who wants to join the marvelous past of the Russian people. The most famous museum of the capital is the Kremlin. It has long been a symbol not only of the White Stone, but of the whole of Russia.

Moscow Kremlin

It is a unique architectural monument located in the historical part of the city. In 1990, the Kremlin and the adjacent Red Square were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This fact once again points to the significance of this monument of history not only for the Russian people, but also for world culture. On its territory are concentrated impressive examples of architectural art, as well as the famous, and not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders, the museums of the Moscow Kremlin. The Armory Chamber is the most famous among them. Excursions to this piece of the heart of Russia are always popular. And there is why! After all, the Armory Chamber is rightfully considered to be a treasury museum. Its priceless exhibits are able to visually recreate the glorious pages of our history.

Historical reference

For the first time the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin (photo above) is mentioned in the annals of the first half of the 16th century. They tell about the fire that happened in the Kremlin: "... The chamberhouse is all pigeon with military weapons." At the time of Ivan III she was called the Grand Treasury, and she was located in the Government House, between the Annunciation and the Archangel Cathedral. Under Peter I, a workshop was created, in which valuables were stored. It was prescribed to transfer there not only valuable, but also curious things. In 1737, the treasures of the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin were again hit by a fire. The fire destroyed part of the weapons and trophies, including those that came from the Battle of Poltava. After that, the surviving values were transferred to the Terem Palace. In 1810, according to the decree of Alexander I, a special room was built. However, soon and it was not needed, since already in 1851 the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin moved to a new building, built by architect Konstantin Ton, in which he continues to this day. Since 1960, this treasure is part of the state museums of the Moscow Kremlin. And in 1962 in the former Patriarch's Chambers there was a branch of the Armory Chamber, namely the Museum of Applied Art and Life of Russia of the 17th century.

Title History

Its name was given to the Armory Chamber in Moscow because it was in it that gunsmiths worked, being the best silver and goldsmiths. They made comfortable, light, high-quality weapons. Later, a workshop was added to the room for icon painting, famous for such masters as F. Zubov, S. Ushakov, I. Bezmin. Over time, its functions have changed, because, in addition to manufacturing weapons and other art objects, the chamber has become a repository for various valuable things. At the same time the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin continues to be replenished due to military trophies, gifts of merchants and foreign ambassadors.

Exhibits of material and historical value

Throughout the history of the museum, it was replenished with various treasures, carefully kept from year to year, thanks to which today we can observe these priceless and unique artifacts. Thus, during the persecution of religion, the Armory Chamber in Moscow absorbed and preserved all the values of the closed churches. Also in the halls of the museum you can see the ceremonial vestments of royal people and representatives of the Orthodox Church, various silver and gold items made by ancient masters.

State regalia and items of royal use

One of the most famous relics is the Monomakh hat. It is decorated with precious stones and sable fur. She was crowned on the reign of the great princes of Russia. Visitors can also see the double throne on which the brothers Ivan IV and Peter Alekseevich, the future Peter I, were crowned. This throne is unusual, because it has a door and a small room. According to legend, there was a prompter in it, which prompted the brothers what to say. Also visitors can admire the throne of Ivan the Terrible. It is lined with ivory plates, on which are depicted various images: biblical, mythological, historical. The exhibits of the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin will not leave indifferent any visitor to the museum. They amaze with their sophistication and very delicate work.

Weapons

Attention visitors are presented with a huge collection of weapons and even items of parade horse ammunition. So, in the museum there is a mock-up of a knight sitting on a horse. They are both wrapped in armor. The horse has only legs and eyes open, the knight has only one vulnerable point: the face, and not everything, but only a small piece, for the narrow slit in the helmet is the only open part. Swords and swords with hilts, all decorated with gold and precious stones, military armor of various nations of the world, pistols and guns, lined with silver and gold, are hung on the stands.

Church utensils and vestments

In the last two halls of the museum are presented old carriages and clothes. The opening of the exposition is opened by the ancient saccots of the Moscow metropolitans. They are sewn from expensive fabric, decorated with gold, silver and precious stones. The richest sakkos is the garment of Metropolitan Nikon. Made a vesture of pure gold brocade, in addition, it sewed a lot of pearls and gold plates. The total weight of this garment is 24 kg. Here's a modest suit!

And stuff, stuff, stuff ...

In total, the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin has about 4000 unique artifacts of arts and crafts from Eastern, European and Russian countries. Here you can see several Gospels, the salaries of which are trimmed with a large number of precious stones. Masters made them from gold, and then decorated with patterned black and scandium and large gems. The huge value of the exhibits brought the museum world fame. So, Dmitry Likhachev stated that the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin is "... more than a museum. This is the materialized memory of our people, the treasury of Russia. "

Let's look into the treasury of the Russian tsars: the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin

The tour of this unique museum includes a visit to nine halls. The first two presents silver and gold items made by Russian craftsmen of the 12th-17th centuries. In the first and XVII-XX centuries. In the second. The third and fourth halls exhibit ceremonial weapons. The arms of Eastern and European cultures of the 15th-19th centuries, as well as Russian armaments, have been presented since the 12th century. In the fifth hall, visitors can see Western European silver products of the XIII-XIX centuries. In the sixth the exposition is devoted to precious fabrics and sewing of the XIV-XVIII centuries. There are exhibited secular costumes XVI-XX centuries. The seventh hall represents ancient state regalia, as well as items of ceremonial ceremonies dating back to the 13th century. The eighth hall is replete with exhibits of horse harnesses from the XIII-XVIII centuries. And the last, the ninth, represents the crews.

Guests of Moscow are recommended ...

The Kremlin museum complex, and especially the Armory Chamber, is recommended for visiting all the guests of the capital. Both foreign and domestic tourists will discover a lot of new things, having got acquainted with this unique collection. After all, the exhibits presented here speak for themselves, they reveal to the visitors the true history of not only our country, but the entire Eurasian continent. After all, written sources were often written to please the current government, distorting real events. And the collected artifacts are able to tell about the true events of that time, you just need to be considerate and ready to accept something new. The storehouse of exhibits that have no price, a treasure trove of cultural and historical heritage not only of the Russian people, but of the whole world - these are the characteristics that the Armory of the Moscow Kremlin deserved. Tickets for visiting this, we will not be afraid of such comparison, miracles of light are on sale at the ticket offices of the museum 45 minutes prior to the beginning of the session. Every day, except Thursday, there are 4 sessions: at 10.00, 12.00, 14.30 and 16.30

How much will it cost to visit the museum?

The cost of the full ticket is 700 rubles. However, for pensioners, students and students the price will be only 200 rubles. In addition, on weekends and holidays it is possible to purchase a family ticket to visit the Armory Chamber. The cost of the tour is 200 rubles per member of the family. And every third Monday of the month, persons who are under 18 years of age can visit the museum for free. In addition, daily for disabled people 1 and 2 groups, large families, conscripts, cadets of military schools 1 and 2 courses, veterans of the Second World War, preschool children, orphans, museum workers visit the Armory Chamber for free.

Audio guide

All visitors to the museum are offered a free audio guide. It allows you to get acquainted with the museum's plan, listen to information about the exposition. However, the allotted time (only 90 minutes) is clearly not enough to, without hurrying, to inspect the exhibits and listen to information about them. The Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin is a real treasure trove, which collected the most valuable and historically significant artifacts created in the Kremlin workshops, as well as received by Russian tsars from foreign embassies.

Finally

The Armory Chamber is a museum in which everyone should visit. Here all the ancient cultural treasures of our homeland are concentrated. Of course, not everyone can afford to pay an excursion. I would like to see that visits for citizens of our country were free, because this is the common property of the people. However, it should be understood that the content of such a collection, its protection, salaries for museum employees - all this requires huge sums, so the cost of attending the exposition fully justifies itself.