Quite recently, on the site of the Theological Tower of Kitay-Gorod, archaeologists have discovered a secret room - a “rumor”. The special vaulted structure of the walls allowed people in the room to hear everything that the enemy was doing outside it. By the way, the Moscow land keeps many treasures, treasures and artifacts, but most of them are on the territory of the Kremlin.
LARGE KREMLIN TREASURE
The first treasure, consisting of silver coins, was discovered on the territory of the Kremlin back in 1773, during construction work. And he was far from the only one. In 1843, Dmitry Donskoy's letters were found there with well-preserved seals, and a year later silver jewelry dating from the 12th century was found.
But the most significant find happened in 1988 during excavation work at the Kremlin's Spassky Gate. At a depth of five meters, the so-called "Great Kremlin Treasure" was found, which consisted of three hundred items: silver jewelry, neck hoops, grivnas, dated XII-XIII centuries, jewelry of Varangian and Persian origin. It was in this diversity that the uniqueness of the treasure lay.
According to experts, all these things were once in the prince's treasury, and then, around 1238, when the hordes of Khan Batu stood near Moscow, they were hidden. According to one version, the treasure went to Prince Vladimir Yuryevich by inheritance when he began to rule Moscow.
The researchers found the variety of rings especially surprising, seven of which had engravings of birds, and none of them was repeated. The rest were with inserts of pearls, mother of pearl or colored glass. The only gold item in this treasure was a ring, clearly made in the East, on it was written in Arabic script: "Glory, and success, and power, and happiness and adornment to the owner of this."
Most likely, the treasures, before being buried, were placed in a wooden chest, which had completely decayed over the course of several centuries, leaving only chips and copper handles that had turned green from time to time.
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SHRINS UNDER PLASTER
In late summer 2010, during the reconstruction of the Kremlin's Spasskaya and Nikolskaya towers, priceless ancient icons of the Savior of Smolensk and Nicholas the Prelate (Nikolai Mozhaisky) were discovered under a layer of plaster, which had long been considered lost.
In 1658, by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the Frolov Gate of the Kremlin began to be called the Spassky Gate. Perhaps because of the icons of the Savior Not Made by Hands and the Savior of Smolensk placed above them. And then the entire tower was renamed. The fresco, presumably created in the middle of the 17th century, depicts the Savior with the Gospel in his hand and the Monks Sergius of Radonezh and Varlaam of Khutynsky, leaning at his feet. There is an opinion that the icon on the Spasskaya Tower appeared in honor of the deliverance of Moscow from the plague epidemic. Wars and fires repeatedly damaged the icon, but each time it was restored. The last restoration of the holy image was carried out in 1896 before the coronation of Nicholas II. In the first years after the revolution, the icon existed in this form: it was painted with oil paints on plaster, in a gilded setting, covered with glass.
In the 30s of the last century, the Bolshevik government decided to destroy the fresco. Modern researchers have paid attention to the following: there are no documents confirming that the icon-painting Savior was liquidated. But this is despite the fact that the restorers were obliged to carefully and in detail describe the work they did.
As it turned out today, the masters did not raise their hand on the ancient images. They covered the icon with a mounting metal mesh, put plaster on it, creating an air gap, and painted over it with red paint. The conservation of the icon was done very competently. The only pity is that the names of the people who have done this good deed are still unknown.
For a long time it was believed that the image of the Savior of Smolensky is a separate icon, and not a fresco painted on the wall, so they were looking for it in the storerooms of large museums in Russia. In 2000, Patriarch Alexy II provided the President with a mosaic image made from old images in order to be placed on the Spasskaya Tower. But no one could confirm the truth of this icon, so the work was postponed. In 2007, at the initiative of the Fund of St. Andrew the First-Called, a probe was made in the plaster of icon cases. And, indeed, it turned out that the ancient images survived.
The restorers removed the plaster, dismantled the mesh, and cleaned the remains of the mortar from the icon. And then they began to discover the earlier layers.
According to experts, the gate icon was preserved by 80%, which, given the circumstances, was a real miracle. On July 5, 2010, the image of the Savior of Smolensk was fully opened.
Neither people nor time spared the icon of Nicholas the Prelate (15th - 16th centuries) on the Nicholas Tower. During the war of 1812, the tower was almost completely destroyed by the French, but a fragment with the holy image miraculously survived. In October 1917, when the Bolsheviks stormed the Kremlin, bullets and shrapnel pierced the fresco. But this time too, the damage done to the icon was minimal. The injuries were only on the right hand of St. Nicholas. According to eyewitnesses, during a prayer service in 1918, the Bolsheviks dispersed the worshipers, and the image was covered with a red flag. But the next day, people returned, began to pray, and the flag fell, revealing the holy face. On that day, many believers suffered, they were shot at, but not a single bullet hit the icon.
In 1918, during the restoration of the fresco, experts discovered that it had been painted twice. The first time in the XVIII century, and the second - in the XIX century, like the icon of the Savior, with oil paints. As a result of restoration in 2010, the restorers determined that there is an older image under the fresco. After clearing new layers, it turned out that way. The photograph, which Patriarch Tikhon once gave to Kolchak, helped to restore its original appearance to the icon. She was returned to Russia by Russian emigrants.
MESSAGES FROM THE PAST
Since January 2007, archaeological excavations have been going on in the Kremlin's Taynitsky Garden. During this time, five thousand items were discovered that shed light on the history of Russia. Experts considered military items to be a particularly valuable find: fragments of chain mail and armor, stirrups, and parts of sabers. In a word, everything that was used by noble people while in the service.
Archaeologists have discovered such curious objects as metal stamps, which were used to emboss leather. One of them depicted the Transfiguration scene. It is such an imprint in appearance and size that is present on the belt of Evdokia Donskoy. Thanks to this rare find in archeology, scientists understood how embossing was done on leather.
In addition, the remains of about a hundred residential buildings were found, standing almost closely to each other. But according to the prevailing ideas, houses were built with great relaxation.
DEBTORS OF TURABEEV
The discovery of two birch bark letters, one of which was written in … ink, became a real sensation. The second diploma also came as a surprise. It was found in the remains of a 14th century dwelling. It turns out that it became the oldest ever found birch bark letter. Even the earliest Novgorod scrolls date back to the 15th century.
Ink writing is generally a great rarity, and large fragments of the text have been preserved on the one found in the Kremlin, which has lain in the ground for 600 years. After much debate, the researchers came to the conclusion that this is an inventory of property and a list of debtors. But the most important thing in this document is the name of the person who compiled it, Turabeyev. After all, before that it was believed that surnames in Russia appeared only in the 16th century.
In addition, the document contains information about the purchase of Turabeyevsky village, although according to available information it was acquired in the 15th century.
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Today, 24 hoards of historical, material, cultural and aesthetic values have been discovered on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin. And I want to believe that this is not all.
Alexandra ORLOVA