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The Kazan Kremlin
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Kurbsky's testament not only amazes on account of the geographical accuracy of the description regarding the Kremlin's location, but also gives an idea as to its contemporary size and capacity. Judging from this testimony, by the middle of the 15th century, the Kremlin already accommodated over thirty thousand people. It seems obvious that a citadel such as this would have had a long architectural history, and one which, despite major upheavals, would survive the fall of Kazan.
Traditional Tatar Islamic architecture, which characterized the appearance of the Kazan Kremlin throughout the preceding centuries, was soon replaced by traditional Russian Orthodox architecture, which, in its turn, reflected the key features of the then European way of building fortresses and temples. After the fall of Kazan, the walls and towers of the Kremlin were reconstructed - the living quarters and the administrative and religious buildings of the Tsar's court disappeared, as did the main Kul Sharif mosque, making way for the Russian administrative buildings and Orthodox churches, amongst which the Cathedral of the Annunciation, dating from the second half of the 16th century, stands out.
And yet, since no architectural traditions in the world exist by themselves, it could not be said that the Kremlin lost all traces of its previous incarnation in the mid-16th century. The remarkable unity of its architectural ensemble formed across the centuries once more reminds us of the fact that, in its historical genesis, Russian architecture itself experienced constant spiritual and conceptual influences from West European as well as Oriental traditions of architectural design and urban development. The builder of the Moscow Kremlin, Aristotle Fioravanti, recognized in the features of the ancient temples of the town of Vladimir the traditions of Italian and German masons, whereas the cupolas and the colorful ornamental palette of the old Russian churches clearly reflect an Oriental influence. It is far from incidental that the Scottish traveler Anthony Jenkinson, upon seeing the Kazan Kremlin from one of the Volga islands against the mouth of the Kazanka river, remarked:
"Kazan is a fair town, after the Rus and Tatar fashion, with a strong castle situated upon a high hill. It used to be walled round about with timber and earth, but now the Emperor of Russia has given order to pluck down the old walls and to build them again with free stone."
After the fall of Kazan to the Russians, the Kremlin not only remained the quintessential part of the stately and spiritual life of Kazan and the Middle Volga region, but also continued in its role as a military fortress for many years. In 1599, Oruj Bek, the secretary of the Persian embassy to the Tsar Boris Godunov, who subsequently became a Christian in Spain and then became known as Don Juan of Persia, impressed in his records not only the role of the Kazan Kremlin, but also the ethnic and religious make-up of its population, which had so drastically changed in half a century after the Russian conquest:<<back next>> Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6
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