Alexey Mikhailovich's house. Kolomenskoye. Palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Kolomenskoye. Historical reconstruction of the palace of Alexei Mikhailovich

Kolomenskoye is the oldest village in the Moscow region. Previously, this place was the patrimonial possession of the Russian tsars, which housed the grand ducal and royal residences. The most visited of them is the palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Kolomenskoye. During his reign, he repeatedly carried out work to rebuild and expand the Kolomna residence.

Tsar Alexei treated Kolomensky with trepidation and often spent time in the palace. As a big fan of hunting, while on a country estate, he went falconry. The royal residence was also a favorite place for official events and receptions. Large-scale construction of the royal monastery in Kolomenskoye began in 1660. At the beginning of May 1667, the foundation of the new building was laid. The solemn event was accompanied by prayers.

History of construction

The wooden palace was erected according to sketches and drawings by a team of carpenters, led by the head of the Streltsy Ivan Mikhailov and the headman Semyon Petrov. In the winter-spring period of 1667-1668. Carving and door trim work was carried out in the palace. After this, the building was prepared for painting, and already in the summer of 1669, painting and sketching of icons were completed. After the completion of the work by blacksmiths, ironworkers and locksmiths in the summer of 1670, Alexey Mikhailovich, having examined his property, considered it necessary to decorate the building with picturesque images, which were carried out over almost 2 years, in the distant years 1670-1671.

Completion of construction

Throughout the entire construction period, Tsar Alexy Mikhailovich very often visited his residence in Kolomenskoye, delved into construction issues, carefully monitored the implementation repair work. In the fall of 1673, the palace of Alexei Mikhailovich in Kolomenskoye was completed. Almost immediately it was consecrated by Patriarch Pitirim. At the solemn consecration ceremony, Hieromonk Simeon of Polotsk gave a speech in honor of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who loved Kolomenskoye so much.

Alexei's Palace is a magnificent building with an asymmetrical layout, with many different sized cells, which were decorated in accordance with the hierarchical traditions of the family foundation. The cages of the palace were connected to each other using vestibules and passages. The palace consisted of 26 towers, varying in height - from 2 to 4 floors, and about three hundred rooms, which were illuminated by several thousand small windows.

Housing stock

The living quarters were mostly located on the top floor of the building. During construction, the palace premises were divided into several territorial zones: men's and women's. The men's part of the buildings included the mansion of the king, his sons and the front vestibule. And the women's part included the chambers of the queen and princesses. The Palace of Tsar Mikhailovich in Kolomenskoye is one of the first Russian buildings made almost entirely of wood. The elegant facades and interiors of the palace, created using the principle of symmetry and decorated with multi-colored carved elements and figured compositions, amaze with their splendor even today.

The fate of the palace under the new ruler

At the end of the 17th century, the magnificent residence was a favorite place of entertainment for Alexy Mikhailovich and his family, and was also often used for diplomatic events. After the enthronement of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich in 1676 - 1682, significant changes occurred in the village of Kolomenskoye. The palace of Tsar Alexei was radically rebuilt.

Dining Chamber

In the spring of 1681, carpenter Semyon Dementyev, a peasant of the nobleman P.V. Sheremetev, began the construction of a luxurious Dining Chamber, which was combined with the ruler’s mansion with a vestibule. The dining chamber is a large castle building in ceremonial decoration. It was within its walls that important palace ceremonies took place. As usual, any reception was crowned with an invitation to the royal table and the ceremony of serving the “sovereign cup”. At the end of the official part and completion of all preparations, a feast followed. Before the feast began, the suppliers decorated with silk fabrics. The canopy in front of the Dining Chamber consisted of 2 small buildings, which were connected to each other by a passage in the wall. It was from this building that the royal feasts were served. Exquisite delicacies were placed on the sideboard counters, jugs with various drinks were placed on other stands, and fragrant baked goods were placed in the Bread Yard; In the Feed Yard, before the start of the feast, jugs with unusual drinks were brought out for the guests.

front gate

The Grand Entrance or Red Porch is the main entrance to any royal residence. The Tsar's Palace in Kolomenskoye is no exception. According to the rules of existing etiquette, only the king had the opportunity to arrive at the entrance on horseback or in a cart. Those who dared not follow the established rule were punished. In Kolomna Castle, during diplomatic meetings, even revered foreign guests dismounted from their horses in front of the main gate. The reception procedure was very complex and required special pomp when welcoming distinguished, honored guests. A clergyman or a boyar with a steward always walked towards visitors. Foreign guests or especially close gentlemen were greeted more than once - first at the entrance near the stairs, then on the porch and the last time at the door of the chamber.

All along the way, there were two rows of courtyard and service people in luxurious clothes and with ceremonial weapons, which were specially issued from the royal treasury for receptions. The sovereign always approached his subjects through the front porch. Here the king gave an audience, listened to reports, and accepted all kinds of offerings. An obligatory and important part of the state ceremony was the ceremonial distribution of festive pies, which were baked especially for members of the royal family in honor of Angel Day. The magnificent architecture of the building and the decoration of the porch, in which it was used state symbols, gave a feeling of solemnity. The main entrance to the palace was overshadowed by icons of the Savior, the Mother of God and John the Baptist. After completion of construction, the majestic building with new buildings was repeatedly depicted in various engravings and paintings. In the period from 1682 to 1696, Kolomenskoye (Alexy's palace) was visited by Tsars Peter and Ivan, and Princess Sofya Alekseevna. Peter I and his mother Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina spent a lot of time in the palace and controlled the condition of the building. During the emperor's visit to the estate, a new foundation of the palace was built. And in subsequent years, emperors and empresses of the Romanov boyar family often visited Kolomenskoye. The palace at that time was filled with life.

Destruction and dismantling of the palace

Despite the efforts made to maintain the buildings and structures of the palace, during the 18th century its decoration became old, and gradually the palace was almost completely destroyed. In the 18th century, despite all attempts at preservation, the buildings were destroyed. In 1767, Catherine II issued a decree on dismantling the palace, and for 3 years, from 1767 to 1770. Dismantling work was carried out, during which a detailed plan for the new building was drawn up. Along with 18th-century inventories and other materials, he recreated a complete picture of the magnificent monument architecture XVII century. In the 1990s, the idea arose to rebuild Kolomna Palace, which was approved and supported by the Moscow government.

Reconstruction of the royal residence

They were sent to work on recreating the royal residence the best specialists. More than two hundred people of various specialties: weavers, sculptors, artists, carpenters, and many others. Basically, all manual work was carried out in workshops in Moscow. But some of them were also performed by masters from other major cities Russia. Before construction began, archaeological work was carried out and the surviving foundations were studied. As a result of the fact that centuries-old trees had been standing on the site of the palace for many years, they decided to move the construction. And the territory of the once existing village of Dyakovskoye became the place for recreating the palace. Modern building recreated in life-size, which the palace had during the time of Alexei Mikhailovich.

Alexey's Palace today

Work to recreate the palace was carried out according to the surviving drawings. But many changes were made during the construction of the new building. The palace was built not from wood, but from reinforced concrete structures covered with logs. Also, it was not possible to recreate the original structure due to a change in the orientation of the cardinal directions, which was intentionally disrupted as a result of the fact that the building model was turned in the other direction. What we managed to recreate inside the palace were the ancient interiors and paintings from the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich. The total area of ​​the entire building is more than 5 thousand square meters. m., and the area of ​​all premises is more than 7 thousand square meters. m. As a result of all the work carried out to reconstruct the palace, the palace interiors of the Romanov era were recreated. A huge number of visitors visit the palace with pleasure to plunge into the reign of the emperors of the Romanov family, to see interior items that recreate the image of the era and tell the story of the foundations of the royal family. Today the residence is not only a museum, but also a wedding palace. You can have an unforgettable wedding in Kolomenskoye. All conditions have been created for this here. All this beauty is located at the address: Moscow, Andropov Ave., 39, building 69.

The former royal residence Kolomenskoye is located along the right bank of the Moscow River between the Kolomenskaya and Kashirskaya metro stations. This is the most famous landmark of Moscow, located outside its center. The village of Kolomenskoye was founded by residents of the city of Kolomna who fled from Batu Khan. During the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Kolomenskoye became the royal residence. In 1660, a wooden palace was built here. Foreigners who visited the palace tirelessly admired its rich decoration. Contemporaries called the Kolomna Palace the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” Despite the fact that the palace was originally planned only as summer residence, it became the favorite estate not only of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, but also of his successors. The future Empress Elizaveta Petrovna was born in Kolomenskoye in 1709. Tsar Peter I spent part of his youth on the estate.
The palace existed until Empress Catherine II came to power, who ordered it to be dismantled. The modern wooden palace in Kolomenskoye is a model built according to original drawings.
Wooden palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Kolomenskoye. Engraving.
During his reign, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich demolished all the wooden buildings in Kolomenskoye and erected a new wooden palace in their place, which became famous for its outlandish, fairy-tale roofs. The palace was an outstanding example of Russian wooden architecture and amazed everyone who saw it with its beauty. The palace, which consisted of about 250 rooms and a labyrinth of corridors, was decorated with wood carvings and various decorative elements, such as hipped roofs and other roof superstructures of unusual shapes, weather vanes and gilded figurines of double-headed eagles.
After the capital was moved to St. Petersburg, the wooden palace fell into disrepair, and Catherine II refused to make it her Moscow residence. The Empress made an attempt to restore the palace and ordered an estimate to be drawn up, however, she later changed her mind.
In 1768, the wooden tower was dismantled by order of Empress Catherine II, and a more modern stone palace was built in its place.
The palace built by Catherine was, in turn, destroyed in 1872.
Fortunately, the original drawings according to which the wooden palace of Alexei Mikhailovich was built were preserved, and in 2010 the Moscow government was able to build a life-size replica of the palace.
The modern replica is located approximately a kilometer south of the place where the wooden palace of Alexei Mikhailovich stood, near a 16th-century stone church. The recreated palace is built of concrete and clad with wooden logs.
In addition to the model of Alexei Mikhailovich’s palace, on the territory of the Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve you can also see many old wooden buildings brought from different corners former USSR.

The ancient village of Kolomenskoye near Moscow is located in Yuzhny administrative district capital of Russia on the banks of the Moscow River. Since ancient times, this territory was considered a princely and then a royal fiefdom. The first buildings appeared here at the beginning of the 14th century. The best time for Kolomensky came during the reign of the second tsar from the Romanov dynasty, Alexei Mikhailovich. Favorite place the sovereign was inspired to build it magnificent palace, which later became a masterpiece of Russian wooden architecture of the 17th century.

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Modern Kolomenskoye is a museum in a protected area. Surrounded by birch and apple trees, the original residence of the king has been restored. History buffs, as well as tourists, are impressed by the atmosphere of life of the king and his family. Visitors to the estate can study the details of the decoration of the sovereign's chambers.

In 1667, Alexei Mikhailovich personally laid the foundation of the Kolomna Palace. Despite his high position, the king did not shy away from doing crafts. For him, the beginning of the construction of personal choirs was a personal outlet and a kind of political move. The construction of the chambers demonstrated to foreign ambassadors the power and steadfastness of the Russian state. The second half of the 17th century in Russia was marked by important events. Since 1654, a fierce war was waged with the neighboring Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Russian troops conducted a series of triumphant campaigns against the Poles, as a result of which a truce was signed for 13 years.

The Kolomna Palace was built by an artel of carpenters. The craftsmen erected the most beautiful royal chambers in the best traditions of Russian architecture. The wooden estate consisted of many asymmetrical towers, connected by vestibules and passages. Hip roofs of unusual shapes were decorated with fine carvings, and above them towered weather vanes and double-headed eagles. In 1673, all finishing work was completed. The living area of ​​the premises was more than 7,000 square meters. The ceiling height exceeded 20 meters. There were 270 halls in the palace. The palace was divided into male and female halves. The completion of construction was celebrated with ceremonial feasts and festivities.

For Alexey Mikhailovich Kolomenskaya estate had a high status. He often received foreign ambassadors and important guests here. As befits a decent family man and father, the tsar allocated separate rooms for his children, as well as for his second wife Natalya Naryshkina. Subsequently, the heirs of Alexey Mikhailovich were engaged in the reconstruction of the Kolomna Palace. During the reign of Fyodor Alekseevich, dilapidated buildings were rebuilt, and under Peter the Great the foundation of the building was restored. After the capital of Russia was moved to St. Petersburg, the estate gradually collapsed and fell into disrepair.

Empress Catherine II planned to restore the palace, but the wooden structures were severely rotten and could no longer be repaired. The Empress ordered the estate to be dismantled. At the same time, she ordered to preliminarily measure each element of the structure, draw up a plan of the palace and describe all material values. It was this decision that allowed her contemporaries to enjoy the Kolomna Palace in all its original beauty several centuries later.

In 2010, with the support of the Moscow city government, the original palace was recreated according to surviving drawings. More than 200 people were involved in the construction of a unique work of architectural art. For reliability, wooden structures were replaced with reinforced concrete elements lined with wood. This is the only deviation from the original structure.

Exhibition and interior decoration

The sovereign valued objects of art and luxury. In the restored palace there is an exhibition with the interior decoration of the 17th century as close as possible. Entering the chambers of the royal estate, guests are amazed by the rich furnishings and ancient household items. All the walls of the palace are painted popular view decor of that era - floral ornaments. The herbal letter depicts stylized flowers, leaves, and bunches of grapes. The windows and doors are framed with wooden patterned frames. Stained glass mica glass shimmers with bright colors. Persian carpets are spread on the floor and benches.

The painted ceilings and tapestries tell biblical and mythological stories. The elegance of the decor gives the palace premises a special beauty. The royal estate contains exquisite carved furniture, according to an 18th-century inventory. Each chair, armchair, table, cabinet are unique works of art. Lanterns, lamps, and gilded chandeliers add pomp and elegance to the chambers. Guests of the museum are shown royal household items: dishes, books, ancient maps, knightly armor and halberds, watches, paintings, icons and much more. In the corners of all the chambers there are multi-colored tiled stoves.

Mansions of the Tsar and Princes

The main entrance to the palace is a red porch decorated with rich carvings. According to palace rule, only the king had the right to ride a horse up to the wooden steps. Foreign ambassadors and noble boyars had to walk to the main entrance, where they were greeted by a guard of honor. Through a double door decorated with gilding and state symbols, visitors to the palace enter the royal chambers.

The most spacious and elegant hall is the refectory. Overseas guests were received here and holidays were celebrated. The king sat on the throne, and the guests on benches. A wide and long table was located along one of the walls. The ceiling of the refectory features a delightful painting of the zodiac signs revolving around the sun and moon. The Duma Chamber served as a room for negotiations with ambassadors and boyars. Notable nobles gathered here to discuss government affairs, present letters and salaries. In the corner of the hall there is a royal chair, above which hang iconostases with images of the faces of saints.

The Throne Chamber, where the ceremonies took place, demonstrates the greatness and power of the Russian state of that time. The walls, ceiling and window openings are replete with multicolor paintings. On the pedestal stands the royal throne, made of precious wood and decorated with applied gold, silver and ivory. Alexey Mikhailovich sought to amuse and surprise his guests. Near his chair there are delightful moving sculptures in the form of lions. When you press a mysterious button, they growl, their eyes sparkle and their heads turn.

The king spent most of the day in his office. In this secluded place, hidden from prying eyes, the sovereign worked with documents, wrote decrees, and read books. The furnishings in the chamber include a table, carved chairs and a bookcase. Behind the wall of the study is the royal bedchamber. An integral traditional attribute of the ancient Russian home was the soap house. There are four baths in the Kolomensky Palace. Massive wooden fonts were intended for bathing the royal family.

The mansions of Alexei Mikhailovich’s sons deserve special attention. Fyodor's large room personifies the colorful Polish pomp of the interior. The walls are framed with special leather wallpaper. Bright chairs, a massive table, a cabinet with an abundance of books characterize the sophistication and education of the owner. Peter's mansions are distinguished by their strict German-Dutch style. The room is decorated without any frills. Oak table, grandfather clock, carved chairs. The environment is conducive to concentration in studies.

The country palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Kolomenskoye is an ensemble of exceptional beauty and splendor, an outstanding work of Russian wooden architecture of the 17th century; contemporaries called it the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. 26 towers with green roofs in the form of tents, “barrels” and “bulbs”, around which porches, galleries,
requiring walking around and inspection from all sides.

Alexey Mikhailovich Quiet is the second Russian Tsar from the Romanov dynasty (1645 - 1676), son of Mikhail Fedorovich and his second wife Evdokia, father of Peter the Great.
The palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Kolomenskoye is a monument to the art and life of the last, most vibrant period of the Muscovite kingdom, in which modern Russia has its roots.

In 1667-1668. Alexey Mikhailovich built a magnificent wooden palace (100 meters long, 80 meters wide and 50 meters high), which became the personification of all the achievements of Russian architecture of that time. The single complex of the Sovereign's courtyard included wooden mansions with the house Kazan Church, Sytny, Kormovoy, Khlebny or Khlebenny courtyards or palaces, Order Chambers, Colonel's Chambers and guardhouses.




The sovereign's courtyard was surrounded by a fence with three gates: Front, Back and Garden. Gardens were laid out around it, surrounded by a high fence.




This intricately decorated system of buildings was erected not for the convenience of the royal family, but to impress foreign guests with its pomp. And this was a success, and Simeon of Polotsk even called the Kolomna Palace “the most amazing marvel,” that is, the 8th wonder of the world.


But after the death of Alexei Mikhailovich and the transfer of the capital to St. Petersburg, Kolomenskoye fell into decay. Under Catherine II, the dilapidated palace was dismantled. Catherine wanted to restore the palace, but 56,934 gold rubles turned out to be too much for her. Then careful measurements and inventories of the building were made. It was they who helped in the recent reconstruction of the palace.

It is interesting that the place where Alexei Mikhailovich’s palace stood stood untouched for 300 years. Nothing was built there. And in 2010, the recreated palace of Alexei Mikhailovich was opened. At the same time, the only deviation from the original was the use of a reinforced concrete frame in order to protect the building from fire.

In total, there were 270 chambers in the palace, which were illuminated by 3000 windows. The Kolomna Palace had an asymmetrical layout and consisted of independent and different-sized cells, the size and design of which corresponded to the hierarchical traditions of the family way of life.

On the Front Porch, birthday cakes were distributed on the day of the angel of one of the members of the royal family - an obligatory, important part of the state ceremony, demonstrating the unity of the ruler and his subjects. The decoration of the porch and its architecture enhanced the feeling of solemnity.

The outside facades are decorated with carved platbands with many multi-colored details. When decorating the Kolomna Palace, for the first time in Russian wooden architecture, carved platbands and planking imitating stone were used.

The current building is a life-size model of the Alexei Mikhailovich Palace. Construction was carried out according to drawings made at the behest of Catherine II. However, the new building is not entirely wooden: all structures are monolithic, reinforced concrete, then covered with logs.

Front porch of the Palace of Alexei Mikhailovich

Red, or Front, porch - main entrance to any royal palace. According to etiquette, only the king could ride up to him on horseback or in a cart; Violation was punishable by severe punishment. In Kolomenskoye, even foreign ambassadors and boyars dismounted in front of the Front Gate of the Sovereign's Court. An elaborate reception ceremony was developed. He demanded that distinguished guests be greeted with due solemnity outside, in front of the house, on one of the landings of the Red Staircase.

Main entrance to the mansion

Fragment of the front doors of the palace of Alexei Mikhailovich

At that time, the palace was simply huge. The total building area is over five thousand square meters, and total area premises - more than seven thousand square meters.

Interiors of the palace in Kolomenskoye

At the entrance to the palace there are two cannons from the times of the Northern War. The presence of guns a few meters from absolutely wooden palace, which can catch fire from one match, is perplexing. Perhaps they did not have a combat significance, but gave some kind of solemn signal?

Near the palace there is a statue of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. This is a model of a monument made for the city of Baltiysk in 2004 by sculptor Georgy Frangulyan. The Empress looks at Europe and points to Russia with her hand. Elizaveta Petrovna was a brilliant horsewoman, she loved horse riding and even took part in parades on horseback.

statue of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna

Inside, each room has mica windows from the 17th century. The transparent mineral mica was often used to glass the windows of temples and palaces. Glass in those days was quite thick and did not transmit light well, and Russian mica was considered the best in the world. In addition, household members tried not to look out the windows, fearing the “evil eye.”

Stained glass windows of the palace in Kolomenskoye

Room (office) of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich

Room (office) of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The sovereign spent most of the day in this room. He could admit members of the nearby Boyar Duma here, but first of all the room served as a place of solitude. Here the tsar was engaged in state affairs, wrote letters and notes, and “edited documents with his own hands.”

Cabinet-cabinet – reconstruction, imitation of an Italian cabinet from the early 17th century.

In the 17th century, the word cabinet was used to describe a piece of furniture - a special cabinet with many drawers, secret and not so, for storing various writing items. Cabinets were invented in Italy at the turn of the 14th-15th centuries. Gradually, the fashion for such cabinets spread throughout Europe. Since cabinets were located in study rooms, they also began to be called cabinets. The cabinet in the palace room is a reconstruction, an imitation of an Italian cabinet from the early 17th century.

Chess and checkers sets

Alexey Mikhailovich was very fond of quiet games - chess, checkers, he was a wonderful family man, he played these games with his sons. Sets of chess and checkers were specially purchased in the 17th century for the Kolomna Palace.

The reading circle in Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich's room is marked by copies of books and manuscripts (the originals of which are stored in the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts). Among them is the Gospel, obligatory for an Orthodox person, printed at the Moscow Printing House in 1663. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich used glasses to work with books and papers.

The walls are decorated with leather wallpaper. Such wallpaper was usually made by Italians, later they began to be made in Turkey. In the Kolomna Palace the wallpaper is Turkish, although in the 17th century it should have been Italian. The arrangement of the icons in the office is curious. Usually icons were hung in the red corner. But if there were a lot of them in the chambers and there was not enough space in the red corner, then they could be hung on all the walls where there was space. In the “room” they used exactly this kind of hanging of icons. All icons presented here date back to the 17th century. The icon of the holy princes, passion-bearers and martyrs Boris and Gleb is not located here by chance. The palace was founded on May 3, 1667 - on the day of remembrance of Saints Boris and Gleb.

fragment of a tiled stove

Room of Tsarevich Fyodor Alekseevich

The room of Tsarevich Fyodor Alekseevich. Fyodor, the ninth child of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, was born sickly. They did not have much hope for him as a future ruler. But in 1676, the sixteen-year-old prince was crowned king in place of his father who unexpectedly died. Fyodor Alekseevich became a very active sovereign and during his short six-year reign he managed to change a lot in Russian society.

Window fragment

Fragment of a tiled stove

Chandelier fragment

They say that Fyodor Alekseevich was in poor health. But this is not true. In the sovereign's chamber stands western armor and halberds. This is not only a hint at military reform. In childhood, among the toys of both Alexey Alekseevich and Fyodor Alekseevich there were some funny armor. Western weapons introduced the heirs to Western culture, Western civilization.

Cabinet of Peter I

The walls are covered with green cloth. It, like red, was the most favorite for a tent outfit. The room is illuminated by simple rectangular windows with small Dutch frames. There is an authentic Dutch cabinet here, and in it there is real Dutch crockery from the turn of the 17th-18th centuries.

The window glass is opaque. The glass rolling mill had not yet been invented. The glassblower blew a large bubble and rolled it with a rolling pin. The result was an uneven wavy surface. There are manuscripts and books on the table. The manuscripts are facsimile copies of the handwriting of Peter I himself. The tsar’s handwriting was terrible, however, like that of his father and his elder brother. Two books are very characteristic of Peter the Great's era. These are “Arithmetic” by Leonty Magnitsky and “General Geography”.

In the office of Peter I. Fragment of a tiled stove. The stove in Peter's room is a historical reconstruction. It is decorated with modern tiles made according to the model of early Peter the Great. These tiles date back to the first decade of the 18th century.

In the office of Peter I. Portrait of Catherine I

The portrait depicts Catherine I. Ekaterina Alekseevna, Marta Skavronskaya, a Livonian either a peasant or a city dweller, who was destined to become the All-Russian Empress. Her portrait was placed here because it was in the Kolomna Palace that Ekaterina Alekseevna gave birth to Peter’s daughter, Elizaveta Petrovna. It is unknown in what exact room Catherine gave birth; maybe, according to the old Russian custom, it happened in a soap house.

Canopy in front of the Dining Chamber

The canopy in front of the Dining Chamber is a kind of pantry from which the royal feasts were served. Everything that was later served on the tables was placed here: from Sytny Dvor - vessels with wines, beer, honey and kvass; from Khlebny Dvor - rolls, loaves, pies; From the Feed Yard, before the start of the feast, there were jugs of vinegar and lemon pickle.

The king's dining chamber

The dining chamber is the largest, ceremonial and solemnly decorated room of the palace. The most important palace ceremonies took place in the chamber. Foreign guests were received here, family and church holidays were celebrated, and a reception could be held in honor of an important appointment.

"The guests in the palace are like seeds in a cucumber. One is from Sweden, the other from Greece,
The third one is from Hawaii - and give everyone something to eat! One - lobster, the other - squid,
The third one gets sardines, but there is only one earner!”

Food and drink were served on the royal table following court ritual. Each dish was tried many times for fear of poison or spoilage. When leaving the kitchen, the cook tasted the dish in the presence of the solicitor; the housekeepers accepted the dishes from him (each individual dish) and carried it to the palace under the guard of the solicitors.

Royal feast

Serving the dishes to the stern supply, the housekeepers tried each from their own dish; finally, the butler (head of the Order) tried the food Grand Palace, responsible for products for royal table) and gave it to the steward to “carry before the sovereign.” Before serving, the food was tasted by the kravchiy, and the drinks by the chashnik.

Tiled stove in the Dining Room. Reconstruction based on 17th century tiles

Fragment of the painting of the ceiling and walls in the Dining Chamber

Duma Chamber

The Duma Chamber served as a place for senior officials (boyars) to wait for the royal exit, or for an invitation to even more solemn and important chambers.
In terms of design, this chamber is very similar to the canopy in front of the dining room, the same carvings, the same tent cloth outfit, the same wall benches traditional for Rus'.

Fragment of a tiled stove in the Duma Chamber.
Reconstruction based on 17th century tiles

The Throne Chamber served as the Throne Room in the royal palaces. The Emperor sat on this throne. Below are two golden lions. They are with a secret. Alexey Mikhailovich was a great lover of mechanics and, on his orders, for the amusement of the guests, mechanical lions were installed near the throne, which shook their heads and sparkled their eyes, which led to the “slight” surprise of foreigners to the great pleasure of the Russian Tsar.

Fragment of ceiling painting on scenes from the Old Testament

The female half of the palace was arranged for the queen. Alexey Mikhailovich was married twice. In 1648, the tsar married Maria Miloslavskaya. Until her death, the tsar was an exemplary family man; they had 13 children, including the future tsars Fyodor and Ivan, as well as the princess ruler Sophia.

After the death of Maria Miloslavskaya, Alexey Mikhailovich in 1671 married Natalya Naryshkina, a relative of the nobleman Artamon Matveev, who began to exert great influence on the monarch. The young wife bore the Tsar three children and, in particular, the future Emperor Peter I.

Blue drawing room of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna

Recreated blue drawing room of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. The daughter of Emperor Peter I, Elizabeth, was born in 1709. As children, he and his sister Anna spent a lot of time in the royal “moscow suburbs” (there was even a legend about the birth of Elizabeth in Kolomenskoye). In 1741, the daughter of Peter the Great, relying on the guard, managed to ascend to the throne.

Elizabeth Petrovna's chambers

In the hall there are portraits of Elizabeth Petrovna, Peter the Great and the Swedish king of that time. The emperors considered each other brothers and kept images of the monarchs of other states who ruled at the same time as them. The walls are decorated with damask wallpaper, created specifically for this room according to ancient samples.

Elizaveta Petrovna’s room represents the Baroque era, the classical Baroque of the 18th century. "Triumph of Mars and Venus" is written on the ceiling. The chandelier is made from Venetian glass, it is modern, but stylized in the 18th century.

The chandelier is made of Venetian glass, it is modern, but stylized in the 18th century.

The room reflects the era of Elizabeth Petrovna. She was born in Kolomenskoye. And she often came here before and after the coronation. Perhaps during her reign some of the chambers were painted in a similar way. Although this room is not particularly suitable for such pomp. For a luxurious baroque it is small and low. The queen was very fond of fruits from Kolomna gardens. Apples and pears sprinkled with rye in a special way were specially delivered to her from Kolomenskoye to St. Petersburg so that they would not spoil along the way.

Queen's throne room

In this chamber the Empress held receptions regarding
- your name day
- birth of an heir, name day of children
- Easter, Christmas and other important holidays.
Women were allowed to these receptions, sometimes men were also present, but in this case the king himself was present at the reception. He stood nearby and could receive elected officials with gifts from different levels of society, not just the nobility. In this chamber there were elected representatives of merchants and townspeople.

Tsaritsyn's Throne Chamber differed significantly from the Tsar's Throne Chamber. The closed lifestyle of the female half of the king’s family and general position Women in the pre-Petrine era did not allow them to see strangers often - in everyday life, the queen was visited only by females, and among men - by close relatives and clergy.

Nevertheless, the queens also arranged audiences: they were visited by people from the Tsarina’s Workshop Chamber, managers and residents of the settlements subordinate to the chamber, the clergy with offerings and requests, as well as other petitioners - queens and princesses often petitioned the king to commute their sentences.

Allegories of the seasons are written on the ceiling. They are made in a very interesting manner. We are accustomed to parts of the world being depicted in female images, but here the four seasons are depicted by men of different ages. Winter is represented as an old man, spring is a young man, almost a boy, autumn is a mature husband, summer is a young man.

Below, in the lower register of the wall, landscapes – lanchaks – appear for the first time in the painting. These are echoes of Western culture, when landscapes appeared in art. At court they knew that they should be depicted, but they didn’t quite understand where, so in the palace they were carefully placed in the lowest tier. In the photo of the stove below you can see one lunchbox.

An icon of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary was chosen for the altar chamber. An embroidered shroud “Golgotha ​​Cross” is suspended under the icon. This embroidery serves as an example of needlework, sewing with pearls by a noble woman of the 17th century. The Empress-Tsarina herself did this kind of sewing.

Queen's workshop

In the workshop chamber, the empress was doing needlework.
This chamber can conditionally be called the “Ministry of Handicrafts”.

The “Tsarina Workshop Chamber” was in charge of gold embroidery workshops in the Kadashevskaya and Khamovnicheskaya settlements of Moscow. The Empress had to give out lessons, i.e. tasks, instructions to workshops and accept their work. If the work was done poorly, then she herself had to show how to do it well. The queen was a craftswoman, the best embroiderer and needlewoman. She had to be able to work brilliantly with a needle.

tiled stove in the Tsarina's workshop chamber

All embroidery work in the Tsarina’s workshop was done for the palace or for the church - embroidered icons, hanging airs, funeral shrouds. There was competition among the craftswomen. Each workshop and craftswoman tried to show that they were the best. During the reign of Ivan the Terrible, two workshops competed - Tsaritsyn's, Anastasia Romanova and Efrosinya Staritskaya - the wife of Ivan the Terrible's cousin. Many people then said that the Staritsa workshops were better than Tsaritsyn’s.

Prayer (Chamber of the Cross of the Empress)

Iconostasis in the Cross team, from icons of the 17th century. It is worth paying attention to the icon of Our Lady Hodegetria. It was believed that this icon must be in the queen’s iconostasis. She was also revered in Byzantium.

It is much larger than the men's prayer room. Whether this was actually the case is unknown, but museum workers came up with the idea that all children up to a certain age lived in the queens’ half before they were transferred to separate chambers - the prince’s and the princesses’. There should be enough space in the women's crusade for all the children, but the king, as a rule, prayed in solitude.

Royal bedchamber

As expected, the beds in those days were short, as they slept sitting up so that the blood would not rush to the head (this was considered life-threatening). Access to the room was strictly limited. No one could enter here except the courtiers closest to the king. His bed-keeper spent the night in peace with the sovereign.

Pillars and a canopy were always installed above the bed. Beds in those days were short, people slept on them almost sitting up. If the sovereign deigned to rest with the empress, then he went to the queen’s half. Even if the queen was in this bedchamber, she did not stay overnight. Chests. The most protected part of the royal property, called the white treasury, was kept in them. The white treasury or linen treasury is underwear and bed linen, as well as towels. Linen was kept more than the eyes, because through it, through what is closer to the body, it was easiest to cause damage.

One day, not in Kolomenskoye, but in the Kremlin, some roots were found in the underwear. And the roots are always a hint of sorcery and witchcraft; potions were made from them. A brutal search was launched to find out where it came from. They found some portomoi who foolishly put them there. They didn’t punish her too much, but they dismissed her from palace service and, just in case, sent her to some northern city, like Kargopol. Also, just in case, the bed staff was changed. Thrift is what it is.

Cross Chamber - private room for the sovereign’s prayer

There were several cross chambers in the palace. Each adult family member necessarily had his own separate chamber of the cross. The morning and evening prayer rules were performed there. Alexey Mikhailovich was distinguished by his piety and such pious deeds took about 5-6 hours of his time every day. royal schedule. On major holidays, he spent up to 8-9 hours at services and in prayer. Attending divine services was the direct responsibility of the king. It was believed that if the king prays well, then the country lives well, and if the sovereign neglects these duties, then nothing good should be expected for the country. The Cross Chamber is formed as a kind of special, spiritual, personal space of the person who prayed in this chamber.

Teacher's Chamber

Alexey Mikhailovich was a wonderful family man, the father of 16 children from two marriages. Not all of his children survived, but the sovereign's offspring and heirs were present in considerable numbers in the palace. The king paid great attention to the education and upbringing of his children. Alexey Mikhailovich himself received a traditional ancient Russian education, which consisted of learning reading, writing and church singing.

In the Teacher's Chamber

Soap box and "movie" canopy

"movie" canopy

The soap house includes the “moving” canopy and the soap house itself. In the hallway in front of the soap house they not only undressed, but also rested after the bath, so along the wall there were benches with carved edges and a “wash” bed. In addition to the benches in the hallway in front of the soap house, there were tables, one of which was intended for “wash cooking” (things that were used during washing - caps, sheets, fans, etc.).

in the "movement hallway"

going to the soapbox

IN royal palace the soap room (movnya, movnitsa - the old name for the bathhouse) was arranged in the basement or on the same floor as the living rooms, separated from them by small passages-corridors or vestibules. In the hallway in front of the soap house they not only undressed, but also rested after the bath, so benches with carved edges and a “wash” bed were placed along the wall.

And here is the “soap box” itself. Along the wall from the stove to the opposite wall there was a shelf with brackets and a headboard. The higher the step of this unique bath ladder, the hotter it was. Along the other walls there were benches where people washed. Fresh hay with aromatic herbs was laid out on shelves and benches. In the center of the soap house there is a large wooden bathtub with a bench and sheets inside; it was in it that the king washed himself.

If we proceed from traditional ideas about the Russian bathhouse, then the royal soap chamber is quite spacious. However, this is exactly what it was according to the plans of the palace. It is worth paying attention to the floors. The floor in the soap shop is arranged “in a solution”, as it was called in the 17th century. The boards lie quite sparsely with a noticeable distance between them. Lead plates are laid under the floor. They lie tilted so that water flows through the cracks in the floor along these plates.

Tiled stove in the bath room

ALL IN THE GARDEN!...

We leave the palace of Alexei Mikhailovich and go down to the apple orchard.
Of course, none of the current apple trees can remember the king, how much time has passed, but the garden very well complements the atmosphere of the palace.

Both the palace itself and the surrounding gardens were supposed to symbolize a kind of paradise or Eden,
and therefore the apple trees here are not ordinary, but something special, bright red or even burgundy, emitting an amazing aroma. This place has long been called “Dyakovo Settlement”,
the cultural part of it is called “Dyakovsky Garden”, thousands and thousands of apple trees, but these red ones grow only in one place, near the palace.

The palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich is a fabulous beauty; the opening of this palace in Kolomenskoye took place in 1672. In the seventeenth century, the original palace in Kolomenskoye aroused great delight among contemporaries, and it was not for nothing that foreign guests called it “the eighth wonder of the world.” He is so beautiful and unusual.

THE PHOTO IS NOT MY!!! Many thanks for the photos provided

The sovereign's courtyard was surrounded by a fence with three gates: Front, Back and Garden. Gardens were laid out around it. This magnificent and intricately decorated system of buildings was erected not for the convenience of the royal family, but to impress foreign guests. It was a success: Simeon of Polotsk even called the Kolomna Palace the eighth wonder of the world.

After the death of Alexei Mikhailovich and the transfer of the capital to St. Petersburg, Kolomenskoye fell into decay. Under Catherine II, the dilapidated palace was dismantled. She wanted to restore it, but the 56,934 gold rubles required for this turned out to be too much. Then the building was carefully measured and described. This helped in the reconstruction of the palace.

The place where Alexei Mikhailovich's palace stood stood untouched for 300 years. Nothing was built there. And in 2010, the palace of Alexei Mikhailovich, recreated on a different site, was opened. Another departure from the original was the use of a reinforced concrete frame to protect the building from fire.

Now in the palace of Alexei Mikhailovich in Kolomenskoye there is a museum. The exhibition is divided into two halves: male and female. You can see recreated interiors and household items of the royal family.

The artistic decoration of the premises is rich: carved frames and cornices of windows and doors, burning enamel of Tsenin stoves, shimmering mica and glass windows, multicolor painting of walls and ceilings, patterned fabrics on walls and furniture, carpets. The lamps were also recreated according to Russian and Western European designs from the 17th – 18th centuries.

The ceiling in the dining room is originally painted: the four parts of the world and the signs of the zodiac. It was carried out according to Western European analogues of the late 16th - first half of the 17th centuries. And the paintings of the royal chambers depict the biblical kings David and Solomon. It is no coincidence that Simeon of Polotsk compared the palace of Alexei Mikhailovich with “Solomon’s beautiful chamber”. And the mansions of the Empress Queen are decorated with paintings on the theme of the seasons and “Parables from the Book of Esther.”

They say that......in the 17th century a real drama took place in Kolomenskoye. One of Alexei Mikhailovich’s close associates was Prince Lvov. But he had a rival - boyar Streshnev. One day, the manager of Kolomenskoye, Ivan Alekseev, informed Lvov that the local peasant Simeon Danilov was practicing witchcraft, and the boyar Streshnev was contacting them. Lvov reported to the tsar that the tsar’s sister Irina Mikhailovna also turned to the sorcerer’s services through the mediation of Streshnev. The investigation began.
Irina Mikhailovna admitted that she wanted to bewitch the Polish prince. And boyar Streshnev said that he turned to the sorcerer for treatment, and on his estate people got sick and died less often than on others. This interested the king, and he decided to test Danilov’s abilities.
Frightened Lvov interrogated Danilov’s young children, who reported that their father, following the teachings of boyar Streshnev, wanted to poison the tsar. However, Alexey Mikhailovich took mercy on Streshnev and simply exiled him to Vologda, and Danilov and his wife were burned. During the execution, the sorcerer cursed the entire Romanov family, Lvov and the informer Alekseev. Soon Lvov was caught embezzlement and imprisoned; the manager of Kolomenskoye, Alekseev, died in a fire in his own house. It is difficult to say whether Danilov’s prediction came true, but there were the words: “when the son breaks his father’s head” (similar to the death of Emperor Paul) and “everything will end with the sorcerer” - perhaps an allusion to Grigory Rasputin.

The Palace of Alexei Mikhailovich in Kolomenskoye and its interiors in photographs from different years: