The Kremlin

2008.04.23

From outside the Kremlin (15th to 17th century) Wall - politics seems to be dominated by religion.

Ivan the Great Bell Tower from the 16th Century - 81 m tall.

Cathedral of the Annunciation - the private church of the (former) Russian nobility.

All this - and much more - is inside the Kremlin Walls.

The Presidium - home to the Supreme Soviet. Now government offices.

The State Armory has a stunning collection of royal artifacts dating from 14thC. Most under light and behind tinted glass.

There was an important story to this chair, but I've forgotten what it was!!

The Tsars Bell never got up there! It is the largest bell in the world and cracked from heat in the casting pit in 1735..

Church of the Deposition of the Robe - dates from late 15th Century.

Cathedral of St Michael the Archangel, Italian designed - 14th Century.

Many of us in the west associate the Kremlin with cold-war politics, horrendous stories of political black arts, purges and larger-than-life deadly dictators. Depending on your take on history, some or much of this may be true, but I was surprised to find that the Kremlin itself is a very attractive and calm place, dominated by a group of beautiful orthodox cathedral churches with their ubiquitous onion domes, shimmering gold in sunlight and moonlight alike.