St. Andrew's Hall impresses with its luxury and beauty, expensive decoration. And this is not surprising - the kings and queens of Russia sat in it, it has its own history and its own personality.
The photo of the Andreevsky Hall of the Kremlin shows that a lot of work was invested in its construction.
Briefly about the main things
Andreevsky throne room in the Kremlin was built by personal order of Nicholas I in honor of the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. It became the throne room of a large palace and the main hall of the Moscow Kremlin. We can not even talk about the magnificent decoration of the room, which impresses everyone who enters, caused also by the fact that the walls of the hall are upholstered with moire fabric in the color of the St. Andrew's ribbon.
Description of the hall
Andreevsky Hall of the Kremlin is the most famous in the palace. The walls of this room are finished with pink artificial marble and gilded on top. Gilded chairs upholstered in velvet were lined up along them. Coats of arms of Russian provinces are placed above the windows.
Ten gilded pylons decorate the hall, as well as various symbols in the form of crosses, chains. Silk curtains are in perfect harmony with the restdecoration of the room. High gilded doors, decorated with order crosses, amaze the imagination. Above them are monograms of the names of the emperors of Russia - Peter the Great, Paul the First and Nicholas the First. Peter - as the founder of the order, Pavel - as the founder of the statute of the order, and Nikolai - as the builder of the hall.
At the far end of the hall are three chairs that were intended for the ruler, his wife and mother. This throne can still be seen in the Kremlin, upholstered in velvet and ermine fur. Above the throne hangs the coat of arms of the Russian Empire, and above - a radiance with rays covered with gold leaf, in the center of which the All-Seeing Eye perched. Two-headed eagles with the image of the St. Andrew's Cross on the chest hang on the sides of the tent. Six steps lead to the tent. Earlier, back in Soviet times, there was a monument to Lenin on this place.
The floor, like in other halls, is made of multi-colored wood and delights all tourists with its beautiful pattern and the great work that has been invested in this work of art. It should be mentioned that the last restoration of the hall was carried out in 1994-1998, when it was restored in its original form. The architect of the Andreevsky Hall was Konstantin Ton.
History of the Andreevsky Hall of the Kremlin
The main throne room was built in 1838-1849 by the architect Konstantin Ton. This master created the Russian-Byzantine style of temple architecture, which became widespread during the reign of Nicholas I. From 1932 to 1934 the hall was destroyed. On his placeorganized meetings of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Restoration work began in 1997. The leaders of this project were the leading architects of that time S. V. Demidova and E. V. Stepanova. The architects have done a huge labor-intensive work with archival materials in Russia and abroad. Using past photographs of the hall, with the help of the latest technologies, they managed to restore the hall in full, to the smallest detail, as it was during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I.
We cannot fail to mention such a restorer of the highest category as V. A. Ageychenko, who was a sculptor, an artist, and an engineer all rolled into one. For the throne room, he reproduced the coat of arms of the Russian Empire in bronze. He also created the coats of arms of the Russian provinces, which are located above the windows of the Andreevsky Hall. The floors were also recreated by him. Thanks to this man with golden hands, the hall was restored to the smallest detail.
Specialists have found that for complete identity, twenty-three types of wood must be used to restore the floor. It was brought from all over the world, even from Africa, but they did not change anything, doing everything strictly in accordance with the drawings of the nineteenth century. In total, about ninety-nine firms participated in the restoration work.
The huge room was constantly filled with workers, about 2.5 thousand people worked day and night for the benefit of the people. Some ornaments were not obtained immediately, for example, a two-headedeagle. The craftsmen first made a copper-colored eagle. After the establishment, the commission went to the opposite bank of the river to evaluate the result obtained from afar. They didn't like it because the eagle looked like a black spider. Therefore, we decided to make an eagle the color of "wild stone".
In the Andreevsky Hall, as well as in other rooms of the palace, various events are held, including a reception in honor of graduates of military universities. This tradition was started by President Yeltsin in 1999 and continues to this day.
Andreevsky Hall of the Kremlin before and after the revolution
In October-November 1917, due to the armed uprising, the Kremlin was seriously damaged, there were detachments of junkers in it. The troops of the revolutionaries carried out artillery shelling of the Kremlin. As a result, the walls of the palace, the Spasskaya Tower, the Spassky Clock, the Nikolskaya Tower, the Beklemishevskaya Tower, almost all the churches located on the territory of the Kremlin, and the Small Nikolaevsky Palace were damaged.
During Soviet rule, the capital moved to Moscow, and the Kremlin began to be used as a political center. In March 1918, the Soviet government moved into the building with V. I. Lenin. The leaders of the Soviet power began to live in the palaces and buildings of the Kremlin. Free access to the building was prohibited. Although earlier everyone could visit this famous place. The Petrograd Collegium for the Protection of Antiquities and Art Treasures tried to survive the Soviet government from the Kremlin. Their appeal was not even considered by the authorities. Before the revolution, there were three thrones in the hall. Later they were searched all over Russia. The first throne was found in Peterhof, the other two- in Gatchina. The Leningrad Museum did not want to give away the chairs, so they had to make copies.
Destruction during Soviet rule
During the Soviet era, the Moscow Kremlin was badly damaged. By order of Lenin in 1918, the monument to Prince Sergei Alexandrovich was demolished. In the same year, the memorial to Alexander II, which was built during the time of Nicholas the First, was also liquidated. In 1922, about 300 poods of silver, about 2 poods of gold, and a huge amount of precious stones were seized from church cathedrals and temples. Congresses of Soviets and congresses of the Third International began to be held in the Kremlin, a kitchen settled in the Golden Chamber, and a public dining room was made in the Granovitaya. In the Catherine's Church, they decided to arrange a sports hall. Such disrespect for an architectural work of art could not but be reflected in its original appearance. It is believed that at that time the Kremlin lost more than half of its sights.
In 1990, the Kremlin was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The All-Seeing Eye
Above the thrones is the All-Seeing Eye (in the Kremlin's St. Andrew's Hall), made of gold. The throne room was erected in honor of the highest order of Russia - the Masonic Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. Some believe that the All-Seeing Eye means God in Christianity (in Hebrew, "master of the horde" is translated, one of the seventy-two secret names of the Jewish Lord God).
This sign is used in many Christian churches, in Freemasonry. One dollar bills also feature the All-Seeing Eye. Others believe that this biblical sign is a symbol of Divine Providence and the emblem of the Trinity. In Christianity, the All-Seeing Eye in a triangle means the Trinity and the meaning lies in such words: "Behold, the eye of the Lord is over those who fear Him and trust in His mercy."
Excursion to the Kremlin
In Russia, the Andreevsky Hall of the Kremlin, like other halls, is often visited by tourists. The palace is a specially protected area. You can't bring anything superfluous to the Kremlin. It is forbidden to come drunk, in an inappropriate appearance, with a weapon that is dangerous to the surrounding people. If there are things that cannot be carried, then they must be handed over to the storage room in the Alexander Garden. You can also take pictures not everywhere, but only where it is allowed and where your guide will indicate. For example, it is forbidden to take pictures of the Catherine Hall of the Kremlin.
Sometimes it is forbidden to take pictures in the Front Hall, the Terem Palace and the Palace of Facets. Entrance to the Kremlin is allowed with a passport, children from the age of twelve can come with a passport. True, from the age of fourteen, children can attend excursions with a Russian passport. Since the halls of the Kremlin are used for official events, some other celebrations, it is possible that your tour can be rescheduled for a more suitable time for the palace.
Tour time
A tour of the Andreevsky Hall of the Kremlin is held every day, except Thursday - this is a day off. From ten in the morning to three in the afternoon. The duration of the tour is two hours for groups of twenty people. The cost of such an excursion is 4,500 rubles, for foreign tourists - 5,500 rubles without the use of an interpreter.
Interesting facts
During the restoration work, the Italian master was afraid that the workers would do the modeling incorrectly, so he slept for four days on the floor in the St. Andrew's Hall.
Catherine II also wanted to build a palace on the southern slope of the Kremlin Hill, instead of a fortress wall, but her plans did not materialize.
