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The Armory Chamber began its existence in the
14th century. At that time it was known as The Grand Treasury (Bolshaya Kazna),
a name given to a building which housed all sorts of valuable items belonging
to Moscow grand dukes. With the increase of their power came increased wealth,
partly from the gifts they received from foreign rulers and potentates, partly
from those who had to prostrate themselves before grand dukes and tsars,
"Bit' Chelom gosudaryu," and from the items produced in the Kremlin
workshops. An important inpouring occurred during the reign of the two Ivans,
the third and fourth, due to the annexation of Novgorod and Pskov and in part
due to conquests led by Ivan IV. At that time the Grand Treasury was located
between the two cathedrals of the Annunciation and of the Archangel Michael and
with all its appurtenances, it was known as "Kazennii Dvor' - The
Treasury. The Treasury was organized by Ivan III in 1494, headed by a
"boyar-kaznachey" - the Treasurer. He controlled the Armory, the
Koniushenii Prikiaz and the Zapasnoi Dvor. The Armory contained the tsar's
regalia, his vestments, uniforms, arms, jewelry, icons, standards, etc., and
was directed by the "Boyar-oruzhnichii," a sort of a chief armorer.
All workshops were also part of the Armory, and it was here that most of the
fire arms, jewelry, robes, icons, crosses, cups, and vessels, etc., were made.
The Kniushnii Prikaz housed the tsar's carriages and harnesses and was managed
by the "Boyar-koniushii," the Equerry. The Zpasnoi Dvor - a
storehouse - contained all the rest, spare or reserve items, mostly arms and
armor. Originally the workshops that made items for the Kazennii Dvor were
divided into two sections: one that worked for the tsar's and tsarevich's needs
and the other for the tsarina and tsarevnas. Vassili III established Oruzheinii
Prikaz, the Armory Department, headed by "Oruzheinichii," the chief
armorer. Tsar Aleksei changed the name to "Bronnii Prikaz," though
the meaning was the same - the Armory Department, which produced arms and all
sorts of armor, helmets, shields etc. Russian sabers were very popular among
the Tatars who believed they could cut steel.
The workshops of the Armory Chamber experienced the same growth as the Moscow
state. Extensive activity began after the Metropolitan Makarii brought to
Moscow most of Novgorod's and Pskov's icon painters and artisans. Good salaries
and living conditions continued to attract others from Vladimir, Suzdal, Rostov
and other art centers including a good number of foreign countries. By the
middle of the 17th century the tsar's workshops had reached their golden
period, with several top painters, architects, miniaturists, engravers,
jewelers etc., working in them. Hundreds of young men were trained there, and
the Armory Chamber should be considered as the first all-Russian Academy of
Arts. Most of the artists and craftsmen brought their individual talents and
taste, often strongly colored with local traditions, and their knowledge of
vestments, uniforms, arms, jewelry, icons, standards, etc., and they all
contributed their own share to the formation of Moscow School of Arts.
It was in architecture, more than anywhere else, that Moscow found its best
expression. It started with the Church of the Ascension in the village of
Kolomenskoye, when the unknown builders turned their backs on Byzantine
tradition and were attracted by the indigenous forms of wooden church
architecture. The sensation must have been fascinating when wooden features
were first copied in stone. The new style appealed at once to almost everybody;
it certainly did to Ivan the Terrible and the Metropolitan Makarii. Among many
churches that Ivan built or helped erect throughout Russia, the Church of Saint
John the Precursor in the village of Diakovo, the church of the Transfiguration
in the village of Ostrov and the Cathedral of Basil the Blessed at Moscow's Red
Square are the most noticeable examples of the new, truly Russian style. To
better appreciate their architectural values, we shall describe them
individually.
We have many photos taken inside the Kremlin Armory Museum in the sections on
Moscow.
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