In ancient times, a special mystical role was attributed to the gate. The passage through the arch symbolized purification and the beginning of a new life. The gate also served to honor the victorious warriors. The first triumphal arches appeared in Russia at the beginning of the 17th century.
Instructions
Step 1
The history of the capital's square Krasnye Vorota begins in the 18th century. It was in this place in 1709, by order of Peter I, that the wooden Triumphal Arch was built. Through it, Russian troops entered Moscow, having won the Northern War. For its extraordinary beauty, the people called the Triumphal Gates "Red", that is, beautiful.
Step 2
In honor of the coronation of Catherine I, in 1724 the old gates were broken and in their place were erected new ones, also built of wood. They stood for eight years and burned down in a fire in 1732. The Triumphal Gates were restored only in 1742, on the day of the coronation of Elizabeth Petrovna. The Empress's cortege left the Kremlin and proceeded through them to the Lefortovo Palace.
Step 3
In the wooden Moscow of the eighteenth century, fires often blazed. In 1748, the Arc de Triomphe was again on fire. Another five years passed and the architect Dmitry Ukhtomsky began to erect new gates made of stone. The work was carried out with unprecedented enthusiasm. Moscow hoped that the daughter of Peter would free Russia from the rule of temporary workers and the hated ruler Biron. The money for the construction was collected by Moscow merchants.
Step 4
The stone building, located closer to Novaya Basmannaya Street, repeated the old architecture of the wooden arch, erected by the architects of Catherine. Ukhtomsky retained the shape of the old gate, but increased its height to 26 meters, added stucco. The walls were decorated with the coats of arms of the provinces and drawings that glorified the Russian Empire.
Step 5
The gate was decorated with eight gilded statues that personified Courage, Loyalty, Abundance, Vigilance, Economy, Constancy, Mercury and Grace. Above was the portrait of Empress Elizabeth, surrounded by a gleaming halo. The structure was crowned with a bronze figure of the trumpeting angel of Glory.
Step 6
Since the middle of the 18th century, the gate has been officially called Red. The legend connects this with the fact that the road to Krasnoe Selo passed through them. And in the 19th century, the original white walls were painted bright red. In 1825, before the coronation of Nicholas I, the arch was restored. At the same time, the portrait of Elizabeth was replaced with the image of a two-headed eagle. Later, the Red Gate was decorated with portraits of members of the government, and posters with the image of Lenin hung on them.
Step 7
Moscow developed, the arch began to interfere with city traffic. Since the middle of the 19th century, the authorities have repeatedly tried to demolish the Red Gate. In 1854, they were saved only thanks to the intervention of Baron Andrei Delvig. Trams appeared in the city and, despite the protests of the defenders of antiquity, one of the lines went right through the arch. By the beginning of the 20th century, the gate began to collapse. The magnificent paintings were lost, the stucco molding was repulsed.
Step 8
In the spring of 1926, the Red Gate was restored, the walls were returned to their original white color, and the coat of arms with the image of the two-headed eagle was removed as an element of autocracy. The statues of angels were also removed. Now they are in the Museum of the History of Moscow. In just a year, the expansion of the Garden Ring began, and the Red Gate was demolished. The place where they stood was called the Red Gate Square. On May 15, 1935, a subway station with the same name was opened here.
Step 9
The second exit to the Krasnye Vorota metro station is located on the first floor of a high-rise building. In its place was once the house of Major General Fyodor Tol, in which Mikhail Lermontov was born on October 3, 1814. The memory of the Red Gate has been preserved in the interior of the ground lobby, made of red marble. The pavilion is made in the form of an arch and is located along the axis of the former Red Gate. The lobby was designed by the architect Nikolai Ladovsky.
Step 10
In 1938, the project of the Krasnye Vorota metro station received the Grand Prix at the World Exhibition in Paris. Since 1962, the station was called Lermontovskaya. The historical name was returned to it in 1986.
