Information Kremlin map Kremlin museums Pages of history Exhibitions Education Museum collections News Chronicle of scientific life Virtual exhibitions Press-service Library
Main page Site map Ðóññêàÿ âåðñèÿ News Library Guestbook


The Patriarch's Palace The Assumption Cathedral The Archangel's Cathedral
The Annunciation Cathedral The Armoury Chamber Plan-scheme Cathedral area
The Ivan the Great Bell-Tower Complex Archaeology of the Moscow Kremlin The Church of Laying Our Lady's Holy Robe
The Moscow Kremlin
Virtual tour Library Virtual exhibitions New on the site
Virtual tour Library Virtual exhibitions New on the site
Iconostasis

Iconostasis. View. 1679-1681
The iconostasis of the Archangel’s Cathedral consists of four tiers – local, festive, deisis and prophets. The monumental construction is topped with the Crucifixion with Worshipping Our Lady and John the Theologian. All the icons of the iconostasis, escept two icons of the local row – “The Annunciation of Ustyug” and “Archangel Michael in deeds” – were created by royal painters (“isografs”) in 1679-1681. The documents say, there worked such eminent makers as Michael Milyutin and Fyodor Zubov, who worked in quite a  new artistic manner. All the prophets are depicted standing and holding open scrolls with prophetic words. The central image of the row is the monumental icon of Our Lady sitting an a throne with the Child on her lap.  The deisis row belongs to the type of Apostle deisis rows, i.e. includes both the traditional  five-figured key (Saviour Almighty, Our Lady, John the Precursor, Archangel Michael, Archangel Gabriel) and icons of twelve Apostles (six from each side).

Traditional images of Christ and our Lady in the local tier to the right and to the left from the King’s gate are “Our Lady the Favoured Heaven” and “saviour the Great Pontiff”.
The church icon of Archangel Michael in deeds is the most ancient one. It was painted c. 1399 and adorned the iconostasis of the ancient Archangel’s Church.
The icon of the Annunciation of Ustyug is a copy of the illustrious icon of the XIIth century, executed in the XVIth century on the order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible.
The wooden frame of the iconostasis was also executed in the reign of Theodore Alexeevich by a team of carvers following the best traditions of the Moscow Baroque style.
Smooth wooden shapes of the pillars of the tree upper tiers combine with exuberant carving of the central part of the iconostasis and its local tier. Here the  twisted columns are adorned with ornamental grapes, bunches of fruits and leaves.
Initially, the iconostasis was painted different colours, both gilded and silvered. Total gilding was executed in the mid XIXth century.

Icons of the Festive tier of the iconostasis. 1679-1681.

 
   Architecture
 
   Plan-scheme
 
   Wall-painting
 
   Iconostasis
 
The King's Gate
 
"The Annunciation of Ustyug"
 
"Archangel Michael with scenes of his deeds"
 
   Burial place

InformationKremlin mapKremlin museumsPages of historyExhibitionsEducationMuseum collections
Main page Site map Ðóññêàÿ âåðñèÿ News Library Guestbook
The Moscow Kremlin The Moscow Kremlin GAZPROMBANK RBC SOFT
You  Ðåéòèíã@Mail.ru  visitors of the site since November 28 1997
 
  Ìóçåè Ðîññèè - Museums of Russia - WWW.MUSEUM.RU  Ñåðâåð îðãàíîâ ãîñóäàðñòâåííîé âëàñòè Ðîññèéñêîé Ôåäåðàöèè