The Nikolskaya tower of the Kremlin is one of the elements of a large-scale architectural ensemble with access to Red Square. There is a gate from which, until the end of the 15th century, ul. Nikolskaya. The total height of the building is 70.4 m, if you include the star crowning it. We learn a lot of interesting and useful information later in the article.
Historical data
Nikolskaya Tower was built in 1491. It was designed by the Italian P. Solari. The name of this building is associated with the Miracle Worker Nikolai, whose icon adorns the facade in the eastern part.
There are those researchers who adhere to the point of view that the name is connected with Nikola Stary, whose monastery was located very close. In 1612, the gates of this tower were passed by the militia, whose leaders were D. Pozharsky, as well as K. Minin, thanks to which it went down in history.
In 1737, the Nikolskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin was engulfed in flames and burned completely. It was restored under the leadership of I. Michurin. Baroque décor appeared, similar to the arsenal's original style. In 1780, the structure was completed by C. Blanc, who created a round top and a low tent. In the period 1805-1806's. a major reconstruction was carried out under the supervision of A. Ruska and A. Bakaeva. At the place of the superstructure above the quadrangle appeared the Gothic octagon, a high tent made of white stone and beautifully openwork ornaments. Thanks to the Gothic style, the Nikolskaya tower is very different from other structures in the Kremlin.
Interesting Facts
In 1812, an explosion was carried out, as a result of which the structure received severe damage. The culprits were the French who left the city. The tent fell, the gate for passage was damaged. The quadrangle and the icon of Mozhaisky Nikola, which they considered a miracle, did not catch.
Emperor Alexander I soon found out about this. Then, by his decree, the restoration of the Nikolskaya Tower was carried out. A marble plaque appeared under the saint’s face, on which the ruler made inscriptions with his own hand. The text said that the salvation of the image is due to the grace of God.
Recovery processes lasted from 1816 to 1819. The project was led by architect O.I. Beauvais, who introduced some design innovations. The tent made of white stone was replaced with an iron frame base. Violets were placed in the corners of the fours, which strengthened the gothic look of the building. V. Bakarev also showed his architectural genius in this work. At the end of the update, the Nikolskaya tower acquired a snow-white color. In the neighborhood were the chapels of the Wonderworker Nicholas and A. Nevsky, which were rebuilt many times. The last time this happened in 1883.
Changes
In October 1917, the building was seriously damaged due to shelling by artillery. It was restored in 1918. The process was led by N. Markovnikov. The white color changed to brick, characteristic of the entire architectural ensemble.
A marble board on which Alexander I once painted his words was dismantled. In October 1935, a star was placed on top of the tent in place of an eagle with two heads, which was changed from a gem to a ruby in 1937. One ray contains 12 faces.
Damage
The Nikolskaya Tower (Moscow) was damaged when in 1917 the city became a battlefield. Shells hit it, which to a greater extent destroyed the bottom of the gate. This time, the image of St. Nicholas was unlucky, and he was mutilated by bullet holes and fragments flying at him, but the face remained unharmed, only the elements around it touched. Of course, such a coincidence made Muscovites again convinced of the sanctity of the image.
Icon painting began to use the image of the shelled icon. The building was restored in 1919, when the renewal was removed from the image. Restorers reached the original pattern and eliminated unnecessary traces. In the years 1920-1922. murals with images of angels were eliminated.
Repeated miracle
In April 1918, preparations were underway for the celebration in honor of May Day, which was then celebrated for the first time. The facade with the icon was draped with red kumach. Information has been preserved that there was a strong wind then, and he freed the image for gaze, having thrown off the canvas. The people who were present at the same time claimed that there were no prerequisites even for a light storm, and the fabric itself was torn, as if cut by a sword. At the same time, Lenin and the people's commissar were present, as well as large crowds of people who were pretty impressed by this event.
For the umpteenth time, the Nikolskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin acquired a mystical halo. This story has added to a solid list of local wonders and even hit the newspapers. Of course, popular imagination was played out in earnest, and some eyewitnesses even claimed that the image was shining.
Public response
Pilgrims came here who were dispersed by soldiers of the Red Army. Talk about this event has not subsided for a long time. One woman even said that on May 1 she saw the Wonderworker Nicholas with a fire sword in his hands, with which he cut a veil of red. The same version was confirmed by another person.
These stories only fed human interest, the topic of conversation appeared excellent. In order to somehow control this hysteria, the sentinels periodically fired from a gun into the air to disperse the audience, which was so much interested in the Nikolskaya tower. Gossipers scattered, but quickly returned to their former places. Tikhon visited here - the patriarch, who had previously served the liturgy in the walls of the Kazan Cathedral. A prayer was held in front of the gate in honor of St. Nicholas.
The chapel buildings were demolished in 1925, because the towers had to be freed from old layers. During 1929, a stone mausoleum was built here. The holy relics contained in the walls of the chapels were transferred to the premises of the temple of John the Warrior, which is located on Yakimanka. In the vacant places, public toilets were built.
Recent finds
The architecture of the Nikolskaya tower is beautiful, but nevertheless the most interesting element here was precisely the famous icon depicting Nikola Mozhaisky. In 2010, they discovered this ancient image, which for many years rested under layers of plaster. There were no documents about its safety.
Stumbled upon the face of a saint in the process of probing the icon cases. Then, active work was carried out to give the Kremlin its historical appearance. In June, scaffolding was installed over the gate for restoration. Experts conducted analyzes during which it was possible to judge the state of the icon.
Then they began to clear the path to her and really saw the image of the saint. Experts have concluded that a layer on top is applied in the 15-16 centuries. I had to work pretty, because cracks and some lags were found. When the tower was shelled, part of the plaster fell out, so that the relic was only half preserved. Now there are plans to create a glass fence that will protect the image from adverse weather conditions. To prevent condensation from accumulating inside, a ventilation system will be used.
