IN THE KREMLIN OF MOSCOW.
The guide led his party directly to the Tower of Ivan Veliki, though the students saw the great bell and a dozen other objects which challenged their attention at the same moment. The curious spires, domes, and cupolas, so different from anything they had seen before, were full of interest. They were covered with gold, and glittered in the sunshine. These domes are not such as are seen in the United States, but are purely Oriental. They are somewhat in the shape of an inverted onion. But there are also cupolas of almost every other shape—round, square, and octagonal, and even all three in the same one. The doctor hurried the boys into the tower, wishing them to obtain a general view before they attended to the details.
This tower is a very singular structure. It was built in 1600, by Boris Godunoff. It is three hundred and twenty-five feet from the ground to the top of the cross, and contains five stories, the first four of which are square, and the last circular, with a dome. In the lower story is a chapel, and the next three contain thirty-four bells of all sizes, the largest of which weighs sixty-four tons. Though it is a pygmy comparedwith the great bell at the foot of the tower, it is a monster beside those in ordinary use, for our church bells rarely exceed one sixth of its weight. There are forty or fifty bells in the entire tower, all of which are rung at Easter, to proclaim anew that "Christ is risen." The great bell thunders forth the glad tidings, which are also gently chanted in the sweet tones of the small silver bells.
From each story of the tower a view of the city is obtained, but in the highest beneath the dome, the most sublime panorama is presented. There is no such city as Moscow in the world, and the sight is therefore as unique as it is beautiful. For half an hour the students gazed with wonder and admiration upon the beautiful picture.
The party descended, and hastened to the Great Bell, called theCzar Kolokol, or Czar of Bells. Some say that it was never hung, though a Polish traveller, in 1611, speaks of a bell he saw that required twenty-four men to swing the clapper in ringing it. The present bell was recast by order of the Empress Anne, in 1733, its predecessors having fallen in the several fires, and been broken. This one also had a fall in a fire in 1737, which knocked a piece out of the side. It lay buried in the ground where it fell till Nicholas caused it to be placed on a stone platform in 1836. The bell weighs about two hundred and twenty tons. The piece broken out weighs eleven tons. The interior is twenty feet high, with a diameter of twenty-one feet. It is two feet thick, and has figures in relief of Alexis and Anne, and of some sacred subjects, with an inscription relating to its origin and size. On the summit isa cross, and the interior has been consecrated as a chapel. The bell is regarded as holy by the people. At five cents a pound, the material would be worth over twenty thousand dollars. As the thing is utterly useless either for service or as a work of art, and perpetuates no historical event, this dead capital would be better employed in planting school-houses in the villages, the influence of which would soon transform the shanties into houses, and add wealth to the nation by the more intelligent and rapid development of its vast resources.
The party next visited the palace occupied by the members of the royal family when they visit Moscow. On this locality stood the palaces of the ancient sovereigns, which were partially destroyed by fire, and rebuilt. The present structure was built in the reign of Nicholas, and all that was left of the old palaces was incorporated in it. A porter was detailed to accompany the students, and they passed through the private apartments of the emperor and empress, which are very elegant, and the boys looked with no little curiosity into bed-rooms, cabinets, bath-rooms, where royalty slept, wrote, and took its bath in marble tubs. The guide was very particular to show an elevator in which the empress is raised to her apartments above; but it was hardly a curiosity to the young Americans, who had seen vastly superior machines of this kind in the hotels of their own country.
In the palace are three magnificent halls, which are not surpassed by anything in Europe. The one devoted to the order of St. George is two hundred feet long. The old parts of the palace, which have been restored in the ancient style are as curious as they are interesting.Connected with the main building are the throne-room and banqueting-hall, where the emperor, after his coronation in the church, sits in state, wearing for the first time the imperial insignia; and here also he dines with the nobles. Near this is the Terema, a most singular edifice, four stories high, but each of them diminishing in size till the upper one contains but a single room. In ancient times it was occupied by the Czarina and her children. Above the first, each story opens upon a balcony on which the inmates could walk. The affair looks more like a pyramid than a house. It contains many relics of the ancient sovereigns.
Near the palace is the treasury, in which are kept the venerable relics of Russian history. It contains vast quantities of armor, weapons, banners, and other military trophies. In one room are original portraits of the Romanoff family, and the coronation chairs of several sovereigns. In the next room is the throne of Poland, brought from Warsaw; an ivory throne brought by Sophia from Constantinople on her marriage with Ivan III. Another throne came from Persia, and is studded with diamonds and rubies, nearly a thousand of the former. An orb sent by the Greek emperor to Vladimir is covered with precious stones. In a wardrobe are the masquerade dress of Catharine I., her coronation robes, and articles of dress which belonged to Peter the Great, Peter II., and Paul I. There are also in this room the crown of the Kingdom of Kazan, and several others, all of them glittering with jewels; that of Anne, containing over twenty-five hundred diamonds; with more thrones and coronationrobes. Millions upon millions of dead capital lie here, which, however, would make diamonds and rubies a drug, if thrown upon the market. The walking-stick of Ivan the Terrible, having a sharp point, with which the fiery Czar used to punch the feet of those who vexed him, may be seen. Another room, up stairs, is filled with curious plate, cups, jugs, jars, candlesticks, and other articles of silver—most of it presented to the Czars. But the students were tired of curiosities, and hardly glanced at the old carriages of the court in the last apartment.
Opposite the great bell is the little palace, in which Nicholas sometimes lived, and in which the present emperor was born. One of the rooms contains a number of loaves of bread presented to the emperor on his visits to the city. When the sovereign arrives at Moscow, it is the custom for the chief magistrate to present to him a silver salver, on which are a gold vessel filled with salt, and a loaf of bread, requesting him to taste the bread of Moscow. The emperor nibbles the loaf, and invites the official to dine with him in the palace. By this time the Cathedral of the Assumption was open, and the party entered. It does not conform to the idea of a cathedral in other countries, for it is rather contracted in its dimensions. It is crowded with pictures and shrines. On the screen is a picture of the Holy Virgin of Vladimir, which the visitor is informed was painted by St. Luke, adorned with jewels to the value of over two hundred thousand dollars. On the other side is the shrine of St. Philip, the patriarch of the church, who had the courage to say to Ivan the Terrible, "As the image of the Divinity, I reverence thee; as a man, thou art but dust and ashes," and who wasfinally murdered at a monastery in Tver by Ivan's order. His tomb is in this church, which also contains the remains of other holy men. Behind the altar-screen there is a gold model of Mount Sinai, in which is a gold coffer to contain the Host, the whole worth about a quarter of a million dollars. Under it are deposited some of the most important state papers, including the Act of Succession, decreed by Paul I., the abdication of Constantine, and similar documents. Belonging to the cathedral is a Bible, presented by the mother of Peter the Great, weighing a hundred and twenty pounds, the cover of which is studded with precious stones, worth nearly a million dollars.
Royal Palace, Moscow.
Royal Palace, Moscow.
Royal Palace, Moscow.
The Temple of the Saviour, Moscow.
The Temple of the Saviour, Moscow.
The Temple of the Saviour, Moscow.
MOSCOW PHOTOGRAPHS.
In front of the platform is a throne for the empress, another for the Patriarch, and a third is the ancient throne of Vladimir. Behind the screen are several chapels, one of which contains tombs of the patriarchs; in another are some sacred relics, as a nail of the true cross, a robe of the Saviour, and part of one worn by the Blessed Virgin, with a picture of the latter, said to have been painted by one of the apostles. The Assumption is the holiest and most highly venerated church in Russia. The coronation of the emperor, which takes place here, is a most solemn ceremonial, for it is the consecration of the sovereign. It is preceded by fasting and seclusion for preparation. The Czar recites aloud the confession of faith, and on his knees offers the prayer for the empire. He places the crown upon his own head, and walking through the royal gates, takes the bread and wine from thealtar without the aid of the priest, as in ordinary cases, the recipient is not permitted to touch the elements himself.
Close by the Assumption is the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael, which is the mausoleum of the sovereigns of the Rurik and Romanoff families from an early period down to the time of Peter the Great, and of Peter II. since that time. The cenotaphs are covered with faded crimson palls, badly spotted with grease from the candles above them. The tomb of young Dimitri, son of Ivan the Terrible, murdered by Boris Godunoff, is venerated by the faithful, because, after the anarchy and bloodshed produced by the false Dimitris, the coffin and body of the true one were discovered by a miracle. The tomb of Ivan the Terrible is next to the altar, though he often broke the canons of the church. His cross, set with very large pearls and an emerald a third of an inch in diameter, is preserved here.
The churches of the Annunciation and of the Redeemer are close by; but the students declared that they had seen churches enough for one day, and they entered the House of the Holy Synod, containing the wardrobe and treasury of the church, where robes, mitres, and crosiers, decked with precious stones, are exhibited. In this house is prepared the holy oil used in baptism, in consecrating churches, and in anointing the emperor at his coronation. The vessels used in compounding it are of solid silver, weighing thirteen hundred pounds. It is composed of thirty different ingredients, the principal of which is pure Florence oil,with wine, fragrant gums, balsam, and spices. It is made according to the ancient rule, and a few drops of the chrism brought from Constantinople is mingled with it. Some say this is a part of the ointment used by Mary Magdalen in anointing the feet of the Saviour; and a portion of the new chrism is returned to the "Alabaster," which contains it, each time any is used. All the children of Orthodox parents are anointed with this oil at their baptism.
The baptism of the child consists of four ceremonials. By its sponsors it first makes the confession of faith. The priest, after crossing the child and saying prayers, blows upon it, to drive away evil and unclean spirits. After the prayer the parents leave the room, thereby symbolizing the entire giving up of the child to the sponsors; and this custom is followed even in the imperial family. The second step is the immersion; and the priest, in full canonicals, blesses the water, and anoints the infant, for the first time, on the breast for "the healing of body and soul;" on the ears for "the hearing of the Word;" on the hands, because "Thy hands have made and fashioned me;" on the feet, that they "may walk in the way of thy commandments." He then rolls up his sleeves, takes the child in his hands, stopping the ears with his thumb and little finger, the eyes with two other fingers, and the mouth and nose with the palm of his right hand, and holding up its body with the left, he skilfully plunges it into a font three times, in the name of the three persons of the Trinity.
The next step is the sacrament of unction, in which the child is again anointed with the holy oil, the brow, eyes, nose, ears, lips, breast,hands, and feet being touched with the chrism, by means of a pencil or feather: it is "the seal of the gift of the Holy Ghost." The last step is the washing of the child, and the cutting off its hair in four places, forming a cross, which is regarded as a sacrifice, its hair being the only gift the infant has to offer to its Maker. As it is cut, the priest says, "The servant of God, Nicholas, is shorn in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." The service is accompanied by prayers and litanies.
Near the Redeemer Gate of the Kremlin are the Miracle Monastery and the Ascension Convent, in which are the tombs of many Czarinas, including the mother of Ivan the Terrible, and four of his six wives, the wife of Michael, the first wife of Peter the Great, and others. The arsenal contains the cannon lost by the French in the disastrous campaign of 1812, represented by three hundred and sixty-five guns.
The huge piece at the corner of the building weighs forty tons. Outside of the original Kremlin, in the part added by Helena, the mother of Ivan the Terrible, and the regent during his minority, and called theKitai Gorod, or Chinese Town, is the most remarkable building in Moscow, the Cathedral of St. Basil. It has no less than eleven domes, each different in shape and color from the others, over as many chapels, with other spires and cupolas. It looks like a little forest of grotesque temples. One dome is gilded; another is checkered with green over a ground of yellow; another is bright red, with white stripes; another looks like a honeycomb, and another like a coat of mail. Some forty years ago a mechanical diorama was exhibited in the United States, called"Maelzel's Burning of Moscow," in which the French troops marched into the place, the Russians fired the city, the show ending with the "terrific explosion of the Kremlin." The prominent object was a building like the church of St. Basil, which was popularly understood to be the Kremlin, and which was blown sky high at the conclusion. Happily it is still safe, though other buildings in the Kremlin fared worse. The visitor winds about in the little circular chapels inside, open to the roof of the domes, and perhaps thinks he has fallen into a nest of chimneys. They are dedicated to different saints, and are half filled with relics and holy vessels. On the site of it stood an ancient church and cemetery, where St. Basil, a prophet and miracle-worker, was buried in the middle of the sixteenth century. He was said to be "idiotic for Christ's sake." Ivan the Terrible ordered a church to be built over him, and this was erected by an Italian architect. The cruel tyrant was so delighted with the curious edifice, that he ordered the eyes of the architect to be put out, so that he could not see to build another to equal or surpass it.
The view of St. Basil closed the labors of the day, and the tired party walked back to the hotel, where dinner was served. Mr. Agneau's first inquiry was for De Forrest and Beckwith, but nothing had been seen or heard of them.
"Can anything have happened to them?" asked the troubled chaplain.
"I think not," replied the surgeon. "Probably they have done as others have—run away for a time."
"Impossible!" exclaimed Mr. Agneau. "They were officers, and well-behaved young gentlemen."
"Very likely; but they have been much dissatisfied since the election. Ihave feared that De Forrest would make trouble."
"But in a strange land, like Russia, unable to speak a word of the language, they would not be likely to run away."
"We have the fact, which is better than theory."
"Who saw them last?" asked the chaplain, turning to the students.
"They were in the compartment with me," said Vroome, the third master. "Early this morning, when we crossed the river,—I forget the name of the place—"
"Tver," suggested the surgeon.
"Yes, sir; that was it. They took their bags and said they were going to change their seats," added Vroome.
"That makes it all plain. They have taken the steamer down to Nijni Novgorod, and very likely we shall find them there. Give yourself no uneasiness about them, Mr. Agneau. I will warrant that they are safe enough, and will return when their money is gone, if not before. I will look out for them."
Dr. Winstock, who had been in the ship since she was launched, understood the boys better than the meek, gentle-hearted clergyman, and had seen too much running away to be alarmed for the safety of the absentees. The party were somewhat rested in the evening, and, taking carriages, drove to the Petrofski Park and Gardens, where a band played, and where the people of the city in large numbers were to be seen. On the return they visited an immense restaurant, in order to see more ofthe people. In this place there was a large orchestrion, a musical instrument, which, being wound up, plays a variety of airs with all the effects of a full orchestra, with drums, cymbals, and trumpets. It executed the Russian National Hymn nearly as effectively as a band could do it. The waiters in this establishment were all Tartars, dressed in loose white pants and tunics. The visitors were drinking tea generally, but a few indulged in beer and stronger drinks.
The students slept soundly that night, for they were generally very tired, and even Scott's jokes were of the most sickly character. But at eight o'clock in the morning they were on their feet again, exploring the city on their own hook, in the vicinity of the hotel. Lincoln find Scott ventured to enter a shop to purchase some photographs. One of the salesmen spoke French very well, and the business was made easy to them. After breakfast, the party started together again, and their first point was the Romanoff House, the birthplace of Michael, the first sovereign of the present dynasty. The original was built in the sixteenth century, but it has been carefully restored after suffering much from fire and the sack of the invading French. It is filled with relics of the ancient time, and in the nursery are a cradle, and the toys and playthings of the Czar. The furniture of the bed-room is rather curious, and in a box are the slippers of the monarch, and the night-dress of his wife. The walls are covered with stamped leather.
From this house the party went to the Bazaar in theKitai Gorod. Its stalls contain everything that can possibly be wanted by a Russian oranybody else, from old clothes up to paintings and statuary. Second-hand articles of every description form a considerable portion of the trade. Siberian and Circassian wares, and specialities from other remote regions of the empire, are on view and sale here. The Bazaar is a perfect labyrinth of stalls, and the scene is sometimes quite exciting. Opposite the principal entrance are the statues of Minin and Pojarski; the former, a peasant, urging the latter, a boyar, to deliver Moscow from the dominion of the Poles, which was accomplished by their inspiration and labor. Outside of the walls of theKitai Gorodis the Winter Market. As soon as the cold weather comes, the farmers slaughter their live stock in vast numbers, and the carcasses are immediately exposed till they are frozen, and then sent to market. Housekeepers then lay in a large supply of frozen provision, which is always ready for use, the quantity required for cooking at any time being first thawed in cold water. Frozen oxen, sheep, calves, and other animals stand up in the market, ready to be chopped and sawed into pieces. Fish from the White Sea, the northern lakes, and the great rivers, are brought to the market in this condition. Sometimes, but very rarely, a sudden thaw produces sad havoc among the frozen provisions.
Between the two gateways which form the principal entrance to the Chinese Tower is the chapel of the "Iberian Mother of God." It Is a picture brought from Mount Athos, a holy mount of the Greeks, where four thousand monks dwelt, during the reign of Alexis, who is said to have invited the saint to take up her abode in Moscow. The picture, placedin a sanctuary at the end of the chapel, is believed to have the power of working miracles, and is regarded with the deepest veneration by the Russians. All who pass bow and cross themselves, and many kneel and prostrate themselves on the ground. On a holiday several hundred may be seen at their devotions. Elegantly dressed ladies leave their carriages, and bow down with the beggars. The emperors frequently visit it, and Nicholas, when he could not sleep at night, is said to have roused the monks at midnight to enable him to attend to his devotions in this chapel. The religious zeal of the people in Moscow even exceeds that of St. Petersburg. Donations for the church are received at this chapel to the amount of about fifty thousand dollars a year, of which thirty-five thousand is appropriated to the salary of the Metropolitan of Moscow, who need not starve on this sum, though it is not the whole of his income.
The party next walked to theManège, or Great Riding School, which is believed to be the largest apartment in the world with the roof unsupported by columns. It is five hundred and sixty feet long, one hundred and fifty-eight feet wide, and forty-two feet high. Two regiments of cavalry can go through their evolutions at the same time in this vast space. It is heated by twenty immense stoves, so that it can be used in the coldest weather. At this point carriages were taken for a ride to Sparrow Hills. On the way, not far from the Kremlin, the tourists stopped at the new Temple of the Saviour, in process of erection. It is the noblest church in Russia, and was built to commemorate the expulsion of the French. It was to have been erected at Sparrow Hills, from which Napoleon had his first view of the city,and doubtless his last; but a good foundation could not be obtained, and it was commenced on the present site, more than fifty years ago. Like other Russian churches, it is in the form of a Greek cross. Though sculpture is not often seen on Greek churches, this one is ornamented on the outside with scenes from Scripture and the national history in high relief, the figures being of colossal size. As these "human and divine forms" are not for purposes of worship, they do not seem to be inconsistent even with the Russian belief. The stone is of a light color, and the structure is crowned with a magnificent golden dome, which surpasses everything else in beauty in the country. The interior was filled with stagings, though a glimpse of the rich and beautiful paintings on the inside of the dome could be obtained. The walls are covered with variegated marble. The building has already cost ten million rubles, and it is said that the entire cost will be fifteen millions.
Crossing the Moskva River, the carriages proceeded by a very broad, straight avenue, through a gate, into the suburbs. The ascent of the hill is by a soft, oozy road, so trying for the horses that most of the students preferred to walk. The summit was gained. On it is a villa of the empress, and an estate of Prince Galitzin; but the party went to a cottage, where tea, coffee, and other refreshments are furnished. In the rear of it is a spacious veranda, with tables, where the students seated themselves, and from which a splendid view of Moscow is obtained. Beneath them flowed the Moskva, which could be seen for miles, winding through the level plain. The party drank coffee, enjoyed the view for anhour, and then returned to the city, visiting one of the monasteries on the way. Near the Kremlin they encountered a funeral on a grand scale, and the drivers of the carriages stopped at once. The aspect of the street was suddenly changed, for all business was suspended, all heads uncovered, and every passer-by halted. The procession was headed by a body of priests, clothed in black robes, and bearing lighted tapers and various religious emblems in their hands. The hearse was drawn by four horses, caparisoned in black, which covered their legs, with plumes on their heads. The vehicle was an open platform on wheels, upon which lay the coffin, covered with a pall. It had steps at the sides, on which stood priests, holding images over the body, while others followed it. The bells were tolling, and a strange chant rose from the procession. The spectators uttered prayers for the repose of the dead, which they always do on meeting a funeral, though the deceased be an entire stranger to them. The students took off their caps, and this custom, not entirely unknown in our own country, is worthy of respect.
"In Russia, it is believed that a person cannot die easily, if at all, when there is a pigeon feather in his pillow," said Dr. Winstock, as the carriages continued on their way. "When the sufferer seems to die hard, they think there must be a pigeon feather in the pillow under his head, and they often change it, so as to be sure on this point."
"What harm does the pigeon feather do?" asked Lincoln, curiously.
"The dove, or pigeon, is the emblem of the Holy Ghost, and the bird isnever eaten by the most rigid believers; and on no account would they use its feathers to make a pillow, for the bird is held in the highest respect."
The party arrived at the hotel, where an early dinner was ready for them, after which the Volga partook droskies for the Nijni Novgorod Railroad. The first division, visited the Troitsad Monastery, forty miles distant, the next day. It was founded by St. Sergius, in the fourteenth century. He was the most holy of all the monks, and the monastery is the most sacred shrine. Russian tradition says that he was visited in his cell by the Virgin, attended by the apostles Peter and John. It is a fortress, in fact, and has withstood many sieges. Neither plague nor cholera has ever entered its walls. It includes ten churches, is endowed with immense riches, and at one time held over a hundred thousand serfs. The monks in Russia are called the Black Clergy, to distinguish them from the White Clergy, who are the priests that officiate in the churches. When the wife of one of the latter dies, he must either secularize himself or enter a monastery. The highest officers in the church and the members of the Holy Synod, however, are taken from the monks.
The division returned to Moscow in the afternoon and on the following day took the train for St. Petersburg. The second division arrived on the forenoon of the same day, and proceeded to see the sights already described.