Execution ground is located in the historical center of Moscow - on Red Square. This monument of ancient Russian architecture is a rounded rise of stone, surrounded by a stone parapet with carved gates at the top.
Etymology
There are three main versions of the origin of the place name. One says that the Execution Ground in Slavic translation from Hebrew means "Golgotha" - a small rock, the place of execution, where many skulls were piled in ancient Jerusalem. The structure of the Executioner resembles the shape of the skull in its contours. Another version says that executions were often carried out here - they "chopped off their foreheads" or "folded their foreheads." Although in reality only two executions took place on Execution Ground: Nikita Pustosvyat and Stepan Razin were publicly deprived of their lives. The most common version says that the Execution Ground owes its name only to its location: Vasilievsky Descent, on which the monument is located, was called the "forehead" in the 15th-16th centuries.
History
There are also some difficulties in determining the date of creation of the Execution Ground. According to legend, it was erected in 1521 in honor of the deliverance of Moscow from the Tatar invasion. According to some ancient documents, it was believed for some time that it originated in Moscow in the 1540s. More precisely, there is a manuscript with a speech by the still young Ivan the Terrible, which he allegedly delivered from Execution Ground in 1549. Upon further study of the document, this version was questioned - it was drawn up at the beginning of the 17th century and was not a historical fact, but a political pamphlet. The very first official mention of the Execution Ground dates back to 1599. It is described in the Piskarevsky Chronicler.
For more than a century, the Execution Ground was the main tribune of Moscow, where state decrees were announced and public events were held. Twice a year the tsar presented his heir to the people without fail. This event continued until the heir reached his majority. Here, the relics of the revered saints were often presented to the public. Religious processions began here and here the patriarchs blessed the kings with a willow branch. After the transfer of the capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg, Lobnoe Mesto lost its significance in the life of the city and the state.
In 1751, by decree of the Senate, the Execution Ground was restored under the supervision of the chief architect of Moscow D. V. Ukhtomsky. The second restoration, or rather rebuilding, took place in 1786, during which the Execution Ground was shifted slightly east of its original location, taking on its modern appearance. Previously, it was a brick platform with a wooden lattice and a tent on pillars.
Currently, Lobnoe Mesto is an element of Red Square, and tourists have a tradition of throwing coins at it in order to return here again.
