Give Russian equivalents of the following words and word-combinations.

watch-towers; gate-towers; two miles of unbroken walls; a tourist attraction; to keep off the grass; a forbidden zone; sitting capacity of 6000 people; an all-purpose building; the Kremlin’s military equipment; the special detachment of security troops; captured from; a triangular-shaped yellow building; a prominent Russian architect; which was cast in 1586; the cannon balls weigh about 2 tons each; for fear it would blow up; a believe-it-or-not sight; it was cast under the reign of.

Give the English equivalents of the following word-combinations.

город в миниатюре; официальные здания; туристическая достопримечательность; рабочее место российского руководства; соблюдать разметку; не ходить по газонам; запретная зона;
вместимость; универсальное здание; театрализованные представления;
великолепный образец архитектуры 18-го века; военная техника; специальный отряд войск; пушки, захваченные у интервентов;
здание треугольной формы; правительственное здание;
царь-пушка была отлита в 1586 году; пушечные ядра весят около 2 тонн каждое; из-за страха взрыва; в царствование царицы Анны Иоановны; покрыться трещинами во время большого пожара в 1737 году.

 

Read the second part of the text.

Inside the Kremlin

Part 2

The Granovitaya Palata (Palace of Facets) is the oldest public building in Moscow. It faces Cathedral Square. The Palace of Facets was constructed in 1487-91 by Russian craftsmen working under the direction of the Italian architects Marco Ruffo and Pietro Solari. It was here that Ivan the Terrible celebrated his victory over the Tatars at Kazan.

Crowded in among the older buildings behind the Palace of Facets you can see the Terems, which were the women’s quarters of the Palace. For centuries until Peter the Great westernized Russia the Tsaritsa and her court ladies had to live in a separate part of the Kremlin.

In front of us you can see the magnificent building of the Assumption cathedral. Beneath its five golden domes the Tsars of Russia were crowned. It was constructed under the supervision of Aristotele Fioravanti, an Italian architect who had studied thoroughly Russian church architecture before constructing this masterpiece in 1475-79. This is the church where Moscow Metropolitans and Patriarchs lie buried. Their shrines made of bronze and silver represent the summit of Russian applied art.

Between the Granovitaya Palata and the Assumption Cathedral there is a small jewel of the fifteenth century church architecture, which was once the private church of the Patriarchs. Its ancient name is the Church of the Deposition of the Virgin's Robe and it is really one of the Kremlin gems.

Patriarch's Palace and the cathedral of the Twelve Apostles. The Patriarch's Palace is another reminder that the Kremlin was the secular and the spiritual heart of the nation. Here lived the Patriarch of All Russia. Nowadays it is a museum of applied arts. Within its walls you can see rare books, manuscripts, fabrics and old jewellery. On the second floor of the Palace there is the Cathedral of Twelve Apostles which was completed in 1656.

The Grand Kremlin Palace is one of the loveliest of the Kremlin buildings. It stands on the crest of the Kremlin Hill. It was built in the middle of the 19th century as an official residence of the Tsars. Here were located the private apartments of the Imperial family during their visits to Moscow. As from the time of Peter the Great and foundation of a new capital on the banks of the Niva-river, Moscow lost its political significance but continued to be a religious centre of the country. Since 1703 all Russian Tsars and Traritsas lived In St. Petersburg (as Peter the Great called the new capital) but rather often came to Moscow on different official occasions and of course all of them were crowned in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin. It was constructed by the prominent Russian architect Konstantin Ton (Thon).

The Armoury Chamber is a must. Considered the finest museum of the Russian applied and decorative art it contains an overwhelming display of masterpieces amassed by The Tsars and Tsaritsas down through the centuries. Among them the collection of coronation robes and armour, thrones that belonged to various Tsars, their crowns, orbs and scepters, and also a wonderful collection of coaches and sleighs. In a special Sliver room you can see a collection of goblets, tableware, drinking cups and of course The Faberge collection.

We are leaving the Kremlin through the Borovitskaya Gate. The Russian word “bor” means “a dense forest” and it was from this place that the construction of the Kremlin began.

Answer the questions.

1. Who was the Palace of Facets constructed by?

2. What did Ivan the Terrible celebrate here?

3. What were the Terems used for?

4. What is situated between The Granovitaya Palata and The Assumption Cathedral?

5. What is located now in the Patriarch Palace?

6. Where did Russian tsars and tsaritsas live?

7. What is on display in the Armoury Chamber?

Complete the sentences.

1. The Palace of Facets was constructed in _______ by Russian craftsmen working under the direction of ________.

2. For centuries until Peter the Great westernized Russia the Tsaritsa and her court ladies had to live in_________.

3. The Tsars of Russia were crowned in ________.

4. Moscow Metropolitans and Patriarchs lie buried in _______.

5. Between the Granovitaya Palata and the Assumption Cathedral there is _______.

6. The Cathedral of Twelve Apostles which was completed in ______.

7. All Russian Tsars and Traritsas were crowned in ________.

8. The Armoury Chamber is considered the finest museum of the Russian applied and decorative art; it contains _______.