Методическая разработка с заданиями к уроку английского языка на тему: "Территория Кремля" ( "The Territory of the Kremlin")
методическая разработка

    Territory of the Kremlin

The word Kremlin means «a fortress», and for many centuries the Moscow Kremlin protected the people of Moscow from all kinds of enemies, but mostly from the Tatar raids. The 1st fortification wall was built in 1156. It was made of oak. During its long history the Kremlin was more than once raided by nomads, it was the arena of numerous feudal wars and devastating fires, but each time it returned to life and continued to grow. In the 14th century during the reign of Dmitry of the Don its area grew 7 times and was surrounded by a white stone wall. Further changes were made in the 15th century under Ivan lll. During his reign the brick wall that we see today was built. The wall is 1,5 miles long, up to 55 feet high and up to 15 feet thick. The wall is decorated with the swallow`s tale (fish tail) design modeled after medieval Italian fortresses. The wall was built by Italian architects Marko Ruffo and Pietro Antonio Solari and completed in 1506.

The wall has 20 towers and 3 of them are entry towers. Today area of the Kremlin is 28 hectares or about 64 acres.

As a matter of fact the Kremlin today incorporates starting from the 14th and the 20th century.  Among them are church buildings, museums, palaces, service buildings and other hallmarks.

THE STATE KREMLIN PALACE

It was inaugurated in 1961 for the delegates of the 20th Congress of the Communist Part.  The  Congress Hall seats 6000 people. It strikes a sharp contrast to the other structures and somehow not to affect the beauty of the ensemble the height of the building was lowered 45 feet down in the ground. Today it is the home of the Kremlin Ballet Company and it is also used for concert, New Year parties and other social activities. Soon after it was built crossed Kremlin out of the UNESCO list of the main tourists’ attractions of the world for a few years. But now it’s on the list again.

Opposite the Palace is the former ARSENAL. It was built by the order of Peter the Great in 1736. It took over 30 years to build it. It was the only building commissioned by Peter the Great in Moscow when he was a Russian emperor. During its long history the building was damaged several times – in the 18th century by the fire and in the 19th century by the French troops. It underwent a series of reconstruction until it gained the present appearance. It was built as a storehouse of weapons, but it was never used in that function. Today it houses headquarters of Kremlin guards. Its façade wall is adorned with stucco molding representing various military objects. In front of the main façade are over 800 canons both Russian and foreign ones. Most of them were taken as trophies during Napoleon war.

The celebrated Russian architect Matvey Kazakov constructed the former SENATE building in the 18th century. It was designed for the Russian Parliament. Now the building houses the President’s office. On the 1st floor was the study of Lenin where he worked until 1922. Then he fell ill and had to move to the country. There he died in 1924 at the age of 54. Next to the Senate is a yellow-and-white building constructed in the 1930s. The President’s Staff also uses it.

One of the hallmarks is the TSAR CANON. A Russian master cast it in 1586. It weights 40 tons and has a bore of 36 inches. The canon balls are decorative each weighing 1 ton. The canon was designed to fire with stone shrapnel but never fired.

The TSAR BELL claims to be the heaviest bell in the world. It was constructed in 1735. There was a fire in 1737. The bell was still in the pit surrounded by wooden scaffolding. The wooden scaffolding caught fire, the bell got red hot, people poured water on the scaffolding to put out the fire, an the bell gave many cracks. It remained in the pit for a hundred years. When they were lifting it from the pit a big piece of 12 tons fell off. The inside clapper does not belong here. The bell is adorned with relieves of Aleksey Romanov and Empress Anna.

IVAN THE GREAT BELLFRY was completed in 1600 under Boris Godunov. It took almost 100 years to build it stage by stage. And until the mid 20th century it was the highest structure in Moscow. Its height is 240 feet or 81 meters. In its time it was not allowed to build up any structure higher than the belfry. And when prince Menshikov, Peter’s best friend and follower built a bell tower a little bit higher than this one it was destroyed by a lightning. People saw God’s punishment in that fact.

Next to this fall belfry there are two more bell towers built by an Italian architect in the 16th century. One of them has the largest bell of Moscow, its weight is 70 tons and it was cast in 1817. This huge bell gave the signal for the other Moscow churches on the Easter night. In 1812 the French blew up the top of these 2 belfries. They were rebuilt but not to the original state. As for the Great Ivan Bellfry it gave a crack but survived.

THE GREAT KREMLIN PALACE

The palace was commissioned by Nicolas I and was completed in 1849. The old palace that stood on its place was a mixture of various chambers, chapels and service buildings. It was a picturesque ensemble haphazardly joined together by passageways, corridors, and stairways. The structure was not suitable for use as an imperial residence, and when building a new palace most of the premises were renovated, repaired and brought back to life after a long period of neglect. Thus, the survival of the oldest part of the Kremlin is due to the construction of the new palace. The palace was built as the official Moscow residence of Russian emperors when the capital of Russian. The cornices, the pilasters and the window surrounds are richly adorned with stone carving. Inside are the halls of Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov, Nicholas I, etc. There are two big halls dedicated to Russian military orders. The hall of St. George is used for receptions, presentation of orders and medals now. It’s here that the President greets visiting heads of foreign states. In St. Vladimir’s Hall international treaties are usually signed.

THE FACETED PALACE

The east wall of the palace is faced with rusticated stone in the form of diamond facets. The palace was built as an audience hall for the tsars. Here Ivan the Terrible received ambassadors from his throne and his boyars, Russians medieval aristocrats used to sit along the walls on benches. They had long beards, tall hats and long coats. The hall could house up to 600 guests. Today the F.P. is still used to host formal receptions and official dinners for visiting dignitaries. Italians built it; it’s the oldest secular building in the Kremlin.

THE TEREM CHURCHES

Are a group of small churches which were built in the period between the 14th and 17th cent. Originally there were 11 of them, but only 6remained after numerous alterations.

THE CHURCH OF 12 APOSTELS

And the adjoining palace was built for Patriarch Nikon in the 17th century. They are a museum now.

THE CHURCH OF LAYING OUR LADY’S HOLY ROBE

To the left of the Assumption Cathedral is the church of Laying Our Lady’s Holy Robe, which was Rizpolozheniye. The feast of Laying Virgin’s Robe was established in the 5th century in Byzantine Empire. According to an old legend, Virgin Mary’s Robe was taken from Palestine to Constantinople and laid in the church of the Holy Virgin in Blachernae to be kept there for good. From then on, the 15th of July, was widely celebrated by all Christians.

In Russian history there was an episode connected with the feast when Tatars after several days of siege retreated for some unknown reason without attacking. It happened on the day of Laying Our Lady’s Holy Robe and was attributed to the sacred power of the Robe in memory of which the church was built.

The entrance is located on the eastern side. Walking upstairs, you will find yourself on a gallery; from here, you can enter the church’s central section. The 4-tiered iconostasis in the silver frame has been preserved almost intact, except for the icons in the local tier. It is one of the best masterpieces of the Russian art of the first half of the 17th cent. Up in the higher tier, are images of the prophets; below them, are the festivity icons (12). The deesis tier is in the central place, with the icon “Savior Almighty”. Christ sits on a throne, holding the opened Gospel in his hand, in the sphere filled with cherubs, seraphs and angels. On his left, are Our Lady, archangel Michael, apostle Peter, St. Basil the Great, metropolitan Peter; on his right, are John the Precursor, archangel Gabriel, apostle Paul, St. John Chrysostom, and metropolitan Johan who ordered to construct the Kremlin’s first Church of Laying Our Lady’s Holy Robe. The main icon of the church “Laying Our Lady’s Holy Robe” was painted by an unknown artist in the first half of the 17th cent.

The surfaces of the walls, vaults and pillars are covered with paintings made in 1644 by Иван Борисов and Сидор Поспеев. An interesting feature of the wall-painting is the absence of the Doomsday images on its western wall. Otherwise, the wall-paintings is quite conventional: in the central dome you can see the Savior Almighty; on the drum, the prophets and the evangelists. On the vaults and the adjacent lunettes, classical images: Christ’s Nativity, Purification, Baptism, Resurrection of Lazarus, Entry into Jerusalem, Transfiguration, Raising to the Cross, Crucifixion, Mourning, Descent into Hell, Ascension and Trinity.

The paintings on the southern, western, and northern walls are dedicated to the Holy Virgin. The two upper tiers of the southern and northern walls, the second tier of the western wall and small vaults of the church are covered by 15 images of the Proto-Evangelical cycle. The two lower tiers are illustrations to the solemn chant in honor of Our Lady, Acathistus, created in Byzantium in the 6th cent. The Acathistus consists of 25 strophes praising Christ and the Holy Virgin. The composition on the southern wall in the middle tier tells about the miraculous power of Our Lady’s Robe. The fresco depicts a scene of the siege of Constantinople. The legend has it that when the hostile navy was threatening Constantinople the patriarch moistened the Robe in the waters of the sea and the sea storm that broke after drowned the enemy’s boats.

                                ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

1. Where is the Moscow Kremlin situated?
2. When was the first wooden Kremlin erected?
3. When did the Kremlin become the headquarters of the Russian Orthodox Church?
4. Under whose rein and when was the White Stone Kremlin built?
5. When was the Kremlin surrounded with a new red-brick wall?
6. What do you know about the Palace of Facets?
7. What cathedrals and churches stand on Cathedral Square?
8. What does the word Terem mean in Russian?
9. When were the Terem churches built?
10. What was the Assumption Cathedral in the Russian state?
11. What was the Assumption Cathedral famous for?
12. Who and when built the Annunciation?
13. What was the Archangel Cathedral for centuries?
14. Where does the name of the church of Laying Our Lady’s Holy Robe come from?
15. What can you tell about the icon stand and paintings of this church?

TRANSLATE INTO ENGLISH:

I.Архангельский собор

1.  В юго-восточной части Соборной площади в 1505-1508 годах итальянский архитектор Алевиз Новый возвёл здание Архангельского собора. 2. Алевиз Новый следовал традициям русского храмового зодчества. 3. Фасады собора необычно нарядны. Они украшены пилястрами с коринфскими капителями. 4. Фрески южной и северной стен повествуют о деяниях архангела Михаила. 5. Архистратиг Михаил- предводитель небесного воинства – приходит на помощь сражающимся православным. 6. Иконостас и интерьер собора сильно пострадали во время Отечественной войны 1812 года. 7. Фрески западной стены- «Страшный суд» и иллюстрация Никео-Цареградского символа веры (the Nicene Creed), который был составлен на  Первом и Втором Вселенских соборах. 8. Направо от царских врат помещен храмовой образ «Архангел Михаил с деяниями».

II. Территория Кремля

1. При великом князе Иване lll началось сооружение краснокирпичных стен и башен Кремля. 2. Соборную площадь окружают выдающиеся памятники древнерусского зодчества: Успенский, Благовещенский и Архангельский соборы, церковь Ризположения, колокольня Ивана Великого с Успенской звонницей, Грановитая палата, Патриаршие палаты и церковь Двенадцати апостолов. 3. Царь-пушка предназначалась для обороны Московского Кремля. 4. В наши дни в здании Сената находится резиденция Президента Российской Федерации. 5. С северной стороны Соборной площади находятся Патриарший дворец и церковь Двенадцати апостолов. 6. Фасад этого здания украшают два аркатурных пояса. 7. Грановитая палата долгое время была большим парадным залом в Москве.

III. Церковь Ризположения

1.Церковь Ризположения была названа в честь праздника положения ризы Пресвятой Богородицы,  который отмечается Православной Церковью 2 июля (15 по новому стилю).

2.Центральный образ деисусного чина- икона «Спас в силах».

 3. Перед Христом предстоят (справа и слева) Пресвятая Богородица и Иоанн Предтеча, архангелы Михаил и Гавриил, апостолы Пётр и Павел, отцы церкви, святители Василий Великий и Иоанн Златоуст.

 4. Последними в этом ряду заступников за человеческий род помещены московские святые – митрополит Пётр и строитель первой Ризположенской церкви митрополит Иоанна.

5. Росписи церкви Ризположения были созданы в 1644 году при патриархе Иосифе.

6. Два нижних яруса росписей стен отведены иллюстрациям Великого Акафиста, который является замечательным произведением византийской литературы VI века.

7. Фреска на южной стене изображает чудесное спасение Константинополя от нашествия неприятеля.

8. Патриарх, вышедший за городскую стену, погружает в воды залива ризу Богоматери, и поднявшаяся буря уничтожает вражеские корабли.