RUSSIA - MOSCOW (2)

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The Tsar-Canon probably never fired a shot. It was cast by craftsmen Chohov in the 17th century and was originally placed on Red square as a threat to the enemies of Russia. The canon weighs 40 tons.

The Cathedral was the central cathedral for Moscow from the 15th century onward and served as the location for the crowning of all Tsars from Ivan the Terrible (16th cent.) forward. Patriarchs and metropolitans of the church were also installed and buried  in this, the premier cathedral in Moscow. The design of the cathedral is by the Italian architect Fiorovanti who was called to Moscow in 1475 to begin its construction. He completed the project in four years time. This church replaced the 14th century church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mother. The large cathedral became a symbol for the unification of the Russian state. Interestingly, the church has 3 entrances: south, west and north. The southern entrance, guarded by two angels, faces Cathedral Square. Above the angels are the Russian saints and above those Our   Lady of Vladimir who was the primary saint of Russia. Today the cathedral remains the  main church of the state.  Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov, Mikhail Romanov and young Peter I, also known as Peter the Great, were all crowned here. Even when Peter I declared St. Petersburg a new Russian capital the Kremlin maintained its significance as the court of Russian state power and the Russian emperors and empresses traveled to Moscow for coronation.  Following the solemn liturgy at the Assumption cathedral the Tsar went to the Archangel Cathedral where he paid tribute to his ancestors by bowing in front of their tombs and asking them to bless his reign. He then proceeded to the Annunciation Cathedral, all in the same complex of the Kremlin.

This is the tallest of the buildings in the Kremlin complex. It is  81 meters or  266 feet. Ivan the Great's Bell Tower was built to serve the Assumption, Archangel and Annunciation Cathedrals which did not have belfries.When it was first built, it was c. 60 meters in height, but was increased and earned the name "...,the Great".  There are three parts to the complex that contains the bell tower: the Assumption belfry, Filaret's annex and the Great Bell-Tower. The units of the complex were not added all at once, but over 120 years. When Napoleon over-ran Moscow, he commanded the complex be destroyed and it was. The only remaining piece of the complex was the column of the bell tower. The Assumption belfry, near by, today has the largest of Moscow's bells, called the Uspenskij bell. It is rarely rung, generally on Great Russian Orthodox holidays.