Andreevsky Hall of the Kremlin: history and photos

Andreevsky Hall impresses with its luxury and beauty, expensive decoration. And it is not surprising - in it sat the kings and queens of Russia, he has his own history and his own individuality.

According to the photo of the Andreevsky Hall of the Kremlin, it can be seen that a lot of work was invested in its construction.

Briefly about the main

Andreevsky throne room in the Kremlin was built bythe personal order of Nicholas I in honor of the order of the holy Apostle Andrew the First Called. He became the throne room of the grand palace and the main hall of the Moscow Kremlin. You can not even talk about the magnificent decoration of the room, which makes an impression on each incoming, caused by the fact that the walls of the hall are upholstered with moire fabric of the color of the St. Andrew's ribbon.

Description of the hall

Andrew's Hall of the Kremlin is the most famousin a palace. The walls of this room are decorated with pink artificial marble and gilded on top. Along them were gilt chairs upholstered in velvet. Above the windows are the coats of arms of the Russian provinces.

Ten gilded pylons adorn the hall, as well asvarious symbols in the form of crosses, chains. Silk curtains perfectly harmonize with the rest of the room decoration. High gilded doors, decorated with order crosses, are amazing. Above them are monograms of the names of the emperors of Russia - Peter the Great, Paul the First, and Nicholas the First. Peter is the founder of the order, Pavel is the founder of the statute of the order, and Nikolay is the builder of the hall.

At the far end of the room there are three chairs thatintended for the ruler, his spouse and mother. This throne can be seen even now in the Kremlin, upholstered in velvet and ermine fur. Above the throne hangs the coat of arms of the Russian Empire, and above - the glow with rays of gold leaf covered, in the center of which the All-Seeing Eye is perched. On the sides of the tent hang double-headed eagles with the image on the chest of St. Andrew's cross. Six steps lead to the tent. Earlier, in Soviet times, at this place was a monument to Lenin.

The floor, like in other halls, is made ofa multi-colored tree and delights all tourists with its beautiful pattern and 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 Andreyevsky Hall was Konstantin Ton.

History of St. Andrew’s Hall of the Kremlin

The main throne room was built in 1838-1849years by 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. In its place, meetings of the USSR Supreme Council were held. In 1997, the restoration work began. The leaders of this project were the leading architects of the time, S. V. Demidova and E. V. Stepanova. The architects did a great deal of time-consuming work with archival materials in Russia and abroad. Using past photos of the hall, with the help of the latest technologies, they managed to restore in full, to the smallest details, the hall, which it was during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I.

We can not fail to mention such a restorer.the highest category, as V.A. Ageychenko, who was both a sculptor, and an artist, and an engineer in one person. For the throne room, he reproduced the coat of arms of the Russian Empire in bronze. He also created the coat of arms of the Russian provinces, which are located above the windows of St. Andrew’s Hall. The floors were also recreated by him. Thanks to this man with golden hands, the hall was restored to the smallest detail.

Experts have found that for completeidentity must be used for the restoration of the floor twenty-three types of wood. It was brought from all over the world, even from Africa, but did not change anything, doing everything strictly in accordance with the drawings of the nineteenth century. About ninety-nine firms participated in the restoration work in total.

The huge room was constantly filledworkers, about 2.5 thousand people worked for the good of the people day and night. Some ornaments were not obtained immediately, for example, the double-headed eagle. The craftsmen made an eagle the color of copper first. After establishing the commission went to the opposite bank of the river to evaluate the result obtained from a distance. They did not like it, since the eagle looked like a black spider. Therefore, we decided to make an eagle the color of "wild stone".

In St. Andrew’s Hall, as in other roomsPalace, hold various events, including a reception in honor of graduates of military universities. This tradition began President Yeltsin in 1999, and it continues to this day.

St. Andrew's Hall of the Kremlin before the revolution and after

In October-November 1917, due to the armedthe uprising of the Kremlin very seriously injured, there were troops of the cadets in it. Revolutionary troops carried out artillery shelling of the Kremlin. As a result, the walls of the palace, the Spasskaya Tower, the Spassky Clock, the Nikolskaya Tower, Beklemishevskaya Tower, almost all the temples in the Kremlin, and the Small Nicholas Palace were damaged.

During the Soviet era, the capital moved toMoscow and the Kremlin began to be used as a political center. In March 1918, the Soviet government moved in with the V. I. Lenin. In the palaces and buildings of the Kremlin began to live leaders of Soviet power. Free access to the facility was prohibited. Although earlier everyone could visit this famous place. The Soviet government tried to survive from the Kremlin from the Petrograd Collegium for the Protection of Ancient Monuments and Art Treasures. The authorities did not even consider their appeal. 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 chairs, so I had to make copies.

Destruction during the Soviet era

During the Soviet era, the Moscow Kremlinbadly hurt. By order of Lenin in 1918, a monument to Prince Sergei Alexandrovich was demolished. In the same year, the memorial to Alexander II, who was built in the time of Nicholas I, was also liquidated. In 1922, about 300 pounds of silver, about 2 pounds of gold, a huge amount of precious stones were removed from church councils and temples. The Kremlin began to organize congresses of councils and congresses of the Third International, a kitchen was established in the Golden Chamber, and a public dining room was made in Faceted. In the Catherine Church decided to arrange a gym. Such disrespect for the architectural work of art could not but reflect on its original form. It is believed that at that time the Kremlin lost more than half of its attractions.

In 1990, the Kremlin entered the UNESCO World Heritage List.

All-seeing eye

Above the thrones is the All-seeing Eye (inAndrew's Hall of the Kremlin), made of gold. The throne room was erected in honor of the highest Order of Russia - the Masonic Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. Some believe that the All-Seeing Eye means God in Christianity (in Hebrew it means "master of the horde," one of the seventy-two secret names of the Jewish Lord God).

This sign is used in many Christianchurches, in Freemasonry. On one-dollar bills also printed All-seeing eye. Others believe that this biblical sign is a symbol of Divine Providence and an emblem of the Trinity. In Christianity, the All-Seeing Eye in the Triangle signifies Trinity, and the meaning is in these 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 othershalls frequented by tourists. The palace is a specially protected area. Nothing extra can be brought to the Kremlin. It is forbidden to come in a drunken state, in inappropriate appearance, with a weapon that is dangerous to the people around them. 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 your guide indicates and where it is allowed. For example, it is forbidden to photograph the Catherine Hall of the Kremlin.

Sometimes it is forbidden to photograph in the paradecanopy, Terem Palace and the Palace of Facets. Entrance to the Kremlin is allowed with a passport, children from twelve can come with a foreign passport. True, from the age of fourteen, children can go on excursions with a Russian passport. Since the halls of the Kremlin are used for official events, any other celebrations, it is possible that your tour may be postponed for a more appropriate time for the palace.

Tour time

Tour of the Kremlin's St. Andrew’s Hallevery day except Thursday is a day off. From ten in the morning until three in the afternoon. The duration of the tour is two hours for groups of twenty people. The cost of such an excursion is 4500 rubles, for foreign tourists - 5,500 rubles without the use of translation services.

Interesting Facts

During the restoration work, the Italian master was afraid that the workers would make the wrong molding, so he slept on the floor in the Andreevsky Hall for four days.

Catherine II also wanted to build a palace on the southern slope of the Kremlin hill, instead of the fortress wall, but her plans were not realized.