10ADVANTAGE ОГ FAITH OVER DOUBT.
fortress. The saints are sometimes rather inattentive, but on this day they were on the look-out: the Kremlin Avas saved; and Russia lias continued to acknowledge, by a mark of respect renewed every moment, the remembrance of the divine protection in which she glories. There is in these public manifestations of a religious sentiment, more practical philosophy than in the incredulity of the nations who call themselves the most enlightened on earth; because, after having used and abused the faculties of intelligence, and lost all taste and relish for the true and the simple, they doubt the end of existence, as well as every thing else, and glory in such a state that others may be encouraged to imitate them, as though their perplexity were worthy of envy. These redoubtable sages deprive the nations of the springs of activity, v ithout being able to give any substitute for what they destroy : for a thirst for riches or pleasure inspires man with nothing more than a sensation as passing and feverish as his life is short. It is the temperament and the physical feelings, rather than the light of intellect, which guide the materialists in their wavering march, ever opposed by doubt: for the reason of a man, though he be the first in his country, though a Goethe himself, has not yet reached a height placed beyond the influence of doubt. Now doubt inclines the heart to tolerance, but it deters it from sacrifice. In the arts, in the sciences, as in politics, sacrifice is the basis of every durable work, of every sublime effort, This, people do not like to own —they accuse Christianity of preaching self-denial: — to act thus is to blame virtue. The priests of Jesus Christ open to the multitude a road which was once
CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION.11
only known and trodden by the higher orders of human intelligence.
I must not stay to again describe the wonderful aspect of the exterior of the Kremlin — its prodigious walls and towers, carried over hills and ravines, and rising above each other in every variety of style, shape, and design, forming altogether the most original and poetical architecture in the world. But how shall I describe my surprise when, on entering the interior of the enchanted city, I approached the building called the Treasury, and saw before me a little modern palace, with straight lines and sharp angles, ornamented in front by Corinthian pillars. This cold and puny imitation of the antique, for which I ought to have been prepared, appeared to me so ridiculous, that I stepped back some paces and asked my companion permission to delay our visit to the Treasury, under pretext of first admiring some ehurches. After having been so lono` in llussia, I ought to be surprised at no incoherence in the inventions of the Imperial architects; but this time, the discordance was so glaring, that it struck me as cµiite a novelty.
We therefore commenced our survey by a visit to the Cathedral of the Assumption. This church possesses one of those innumerable paintings of the Virgin Mary that good Christians, of all lands, attribute to St. Luke. The edifice reminds me rather of the Saxon and the Norman than of our Gothic churches. It is the work of an Italian architect of the fifteenth century. After the structure had sunk and fallen in several times, while being erected by the bad artificers and worse architects of the land, foreign aid в 6
'¿
THE ICHONOSTASIS.
was sought, which succeeded in making the work solid; but, in its ornaments, the taste of the country has been followed.
I am ignorant of the rule prescribed by the Greek church relative to the worship of images : but in seeing this church entirely covered with paintings in fresco, betraying bad taste, and designed in the stiff, monotonous style, called the modern Greek, because its models were brought from Byzantium, I asked myself, what then are the figures, what can be the subjects, the representation of which is forbidden in the Greek church ? Apparently they banish nothing from these buildings except good pictures.
In passing before the Virgin of St. Luke, my Italian cicerone assured me that it was genuine : he added, with the faith of a mugic, ¢í Signore, signore, ò il paese dei miracoli!" "It is the land of miracles !" I believe him, for fear is a potent thaumaturgist. What a singular journey is this, which in a fortnight conveys you into Europe as it was 400 years ago ! Nay, with us, even in the middle ages, man better felt his dignity than he does at the present day in Russia. Princes as false and crafty as the heroes of the Kremlin would never have been surnamed great in western Europe.
The ichonostasis of this cathedral is magnificently painted and gilded from the pavement to the roof. The ichonostasis is a partition, or panel, raised in Greek churches between the sanctuary, which is always concealed by doors, and the nave, where the faithful congregate. The church is nearly square, very lofty, and so small that in walking in it you feci as if in a dungeon. The building contains the
TOWER OF JOHN THE GREAT.13
tombs of numerous patriarchs; it has also very rich shrines and famous relics brought from Asia. Viewed in detail, the cathedral is any thing but beautiful, yet, as a whole, there is something about it which is imposing. If we do not admire, we feel a sense of sadness : and this is something: for sadness disposes the mind to religious sentiments. But in the great structures of the Catholic church there is something more than Christian sadness ; there is the song of triumph and victorious faith.
The sacristy contains many curiosities ; but I do not pretend to give a list of the wonders of Moscow. I speak of every thing that strikes me, and for more complete accounts refer the reader to Laveau, Sehnitz-ler, and, above all, to my successors. Fresh travellers cannot fail soon to explore Russia; for this country will not long remain so little known as it is at present.
The steeple of John the Great, Ivan Velikoï, is contained within the walls of the Kremlin. It is the loftiest building in the city ; its cupola, according to Russian custom, is gilded with the gold of ducats. This singular tower is an object of veneration to the Muscovite peasants. Every thing is holy at Moscow, so strong is the sentiment of respect in the heart of the Russian people.
The church of Spassna Boron (the Saviour in the Garden), the most ancient in Moscow, was also shown to me ; and near to it a bell, a piece of which is broken off, the largest bell, I believe, in the world. It is placed on the ground, and is in itself a cupola. It was re-cnst after a fire which had caused it to fall, in the reign of the Empress Anne.
We likewise visited two convents within the
14CONVENT OF THE ASCENSION.
Kremlin, those of the Miracles and. the Ascension, in which latter are the tombs of several Czarinas ; among others that of Helena, the mother of Ivan the Terrible. She was worthy of her son : unmerciful like him, talent was her only recommendation. Some of the wives of the same tyrant are also buried here. The churches of the Convent of the Ascension astonish foreigners by their riches.
At last I summoned courage to face the Corinthian columns of the Treasury; so braving with closed eyes those dragons of bad taste, I entered the glorious arsenal, where are ranged, as in a cabinet of curiosities, the most interesting historical relics of Russia.
What a collection of armour, of vases, and of national jewels! What profusion of crowns and of thrones, all gathered into the same place ! The manner in which thcj are arranged adds to the effect. It is impossible not to admire the good taste as well as the political wisdom which has presided over the disposition of so many insignia and trophies. The display may be a little boastful, but patriotic pride is the most legitimate of any. We forgive a passion which aids us in fulfilling our duties. There is here a profound idea, of which the things are but symbols.
The crowns are placed on cushions raised upon pedestals, and the thrones, ranged along the wall, are reared in separate alcoves. There is wanting only in this evocation of the past, the presence of the men for whom all these things were made. Their absence is equivalent to a sermon on the vanity of human life. The Kremlin without its Czars is like a theatre without lights or actors.
The most respect-worthy, if not the most imposing
CROWNS AND THRONES.15
of the crowns, is that of Mono
machus ; it was brought from Byzantium to Kiew in 1116. Another crown is also said to have belonged to Monomachus, though many consider it yet more ancient than the reign of that prince. In this royal constellation of diadems, are crowns also of the kingdoms of Kazan, Astrachan, and Georgia. The view of these satellites of royalty, maintaining a respectful distance from the star that governs all—the imperial crown — is singularly imposing. Every thing is emblematic in Russia: it is a poetical land — poetical as sorrow ! What are more eloquent than the tears that fall internally and gather upon the heart ? The crown of Siberia is found among the rest. It is an imaginary insignia of Russian manufacture, deposited as though to point out a grand historical fact, accomplished by* commercial adventurers and soldiers under the reign of Ivan IV., an epoch from whence dates, not exactly the discovery, but the conquest of Siberia. All these crowns are covered with the most enormous and the most costly jewels in the world. The bowels of this land of desolation have been opened to furnish a food for the pride of that despotism of which it is the asylum !
The throne and crown of Poland help to enrich the superb imperial and royal galaxy. So many jewels, enclosed in a small space, blazed in my eyes like the train of a peacock. What sanguinary vanity ! I muttered to myself, at each new marvel before which my guides forced me to stop.
The crowns of Peter I., of Catherine I., and of Elizabeth, particularly struck me : — what gold ! — what diamonds ! — and what dust ! ! Imperial orbs, thrones, and sceptres — all brought together to attest the gran-
16TREASURES OF THE CZARS.
deur of things, the nothingness of men ! And when we think that this nothingness extends even to empires, we are at a loss to which of the branches to cling that hang over the torrent of time. HowT can we attach ourselves to a world made up of the forms of life, but where no forms last? If God had not revealed a paradise, it would be found by souls of a mould and temper strong enough to fill this void in creation. The platonic idea of an unchangeable and purely spiritual world — ideal type of all the universe — is equivalent in my eyes to the existence of such a world. How can we believe that God is less fertile in conception, less rich, less powerful, and less equitable than the brain of man ? Can our imagination surpass the works of the Creator, from whom that imagination is derived ?* The idea implies contradiction and impossibility. It has been said that it is man who creates God in his image : yes, as a child makes war with wooden soldiers ; but does not his game furnish a proof to history ? Without Turenne, Frederick II., or Napoleon having lived, would our children amuse themselves by imitating battles ?
Vases chased in the style of Benvenuto Cellini, cups enriched with jewels, arms and armour, precious stuffs, rich embroideries, costly crystal ware of all lands and all aa`es, abound in this wonderful collec-tion, of which a real eurioso would not complete the inventory in a week. Besides the thrones of all the Russian princes of every age, I was shown the caparisons of their horses, their dress, their furniture ; and these various things perfectly dazzled my eyes. The palace in the Arabian Nights is the only picture I can suggest that will give an idea of this marvellous,
A CONTRAST.
17
if not enchanted abode. But here, the interest of history adds to the effect of the magnificence. How many curious events are picturesquely registered and attested by the venerable relics ! From the finely-worked helmet of Saint Alexander Newski to the litter which carried Charles XII. at Pultawa, each object recalls an interesting recollection, or a singular fact. The Treasury is the true album of the giants of the Kremlin.
In concluding my survey of these proud spoils of time, I recollected, as by inspiration, a passage from Montaigne — without whose works I never travel — which will serve to complete, by a curious contrast, the description of the Muscovite treasury :
" The Duke of Museovy owed anciently this homage to the Tartars. When they sent to him ambassadors, he came to meet them on foot, and presented them with a goblet of mare's milk (a beverage which they esteem as the greatest luxury); and if, in drinking, any drops fell on the mane of their horses, he was bound to lick them up with his tongue.
" In Russia, the army that the Emperor Bajazet sent there was overwhelmed with so tremendous a storm of snow, that, to save themselves from the eold, many killed and disembowelled their horses, in order to creep wTithin them and enjoy the vital heat."
I quote this last fact, because it reminds me of the admirable and fearful description which M. de Ségur gives of the battle-field of Moskowa, in his History of the Campaign in Russia.
The Emperor of all the E,ussias, with all his thrones and all his haughty splendours, is no other than the successor of these selfsame grand-dukes whom we
18
A CONTRAST.
see thus humiliated in the sixteenth century ; nor has his family's right to succeed even them been undisputed : for, without speaking of the election of the Troubetzkoï, annulled by the intrigues of the Ro-manows and their friends, the crimes of several generations of princes coidd alone place the children of Catherine II. on the throne. It is not, therefore, without motive that the history of Russia is concealed from the Russians, and that it is wished to be concealed from the world. Assuredly, the rigidity of political principles in a prince seated upon a throne thus founded, is not one of the least singular features in the history of our times.
At the epoch when the grand-dukes of Moscow wore the degrading yoke of the Mongols, the spirit of chivalry flourished in Europe, especially in Spain, where the blood flowed in torrents for the honour and independence of Christianity. I do "not believe, notwithstanding the barbarism of the middle ages, a single monarch could have been found in western Europe capable of disgracing monarchy, by consenting to reign on the conditions imposed on the grand-dukes of Muscovy, during the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries, by their Tartar masters. Better to lose the crown than to lower the majesty of royalty. Such would have been the words of a French or Spanish prince, or any other king of ancient Europe. But in Russia, glory, like every thing else, is of recent date.
On the ground-floor of the palace of the Treasury, I was shown the state-coaches of the emperors and empresses of Russia. The old coach of the last patriarch is also included in the collection. Several
MOORISH PALACE.
19
of its windows are of horn. It is not among the least curious of the relics in the historical repository of the Kremlin.
I was afterwards shown the little palace, which the Emperor inhabits when he visits the Kremlin. There is nothing in it worthy of notice, unless it be the picture of the last election of a king of Poland. That extraordinary diet which placed Poniatovski on the throne, and Poland under the yoke, has been curiously represented by a French painter, whose name I could not learn.
Other wonders awaited me elsewhere. 1 visited the senate-house, the Imperial palaces, and the ancient palace of the patriarch, which possess little interest beyond their names; and, finally, the little angular palace, which is a jewel and a plaything. It gives the idea of a masterpiece of moresque architecture, shining by its elegance in the midst of the heavy masses which surround it. It may be compared to a carbuncle set in common freestone. The structure consists of several stories, of which the lower ones are more spacious than those they support; this multiplies the terraces, and gives to the edifice a pyramidal form, the effect of which is very picturesque. Each story rises behind the one on which it stands, and the topmost of all is nothing more than a little pavilion. On each of these stories, squares of Delft ware, polished after the manner of the Saracens, indicate the lines of architecture with much taste and precision. The interior has just been refurnished, glazed, coloured, and generally restored, in a manner that shows good taste.
To describe the contrast produced by so many edi-
20MOORISH PALACE.
fices of various styles, all crowded together in one spot, which forms the centre of an immense city, to convey an idea of the effect produced by the co
ngregation of Arabesque palaces, Gothic forts, Greek temples, Indian steeples, Chinese pavilions, all confusedly mingled within a circle of Cyclopian walls, would be utterly impossible. Words cannot paint objects, except by the recollections which they recall; and the recollections of no one who has not seen the Kremlin can serve to picture it.
The lowest story of the little Moorish palace is almost entirely occupied by one enormous vaulted hall, supported on a single pillar, which rises from the centre. This is the hall of the throne; the emperors repah* to it on leaving the church, after their coronation. Every thing there revives the recollection of the magnificence of the ancient Czars, and the imagination goes back to the reigns of the Ivans and Alexis's. The appearance is truly Muscovite. The entirely new paintings, which cover the walls of this palace, struck me as being executed with taste: the tout ensemble reminds me of the pictures I have seen of the porcelain- tower at Pekin.
The group of these varied monuments gives to the Kremlin an aspect of theatrical decoration that is seen nowhere else in the world : but not one of the buildings in that Russian forum will bear a separate examination any better than those dispersed throughout the rest of the city. At the first view, Moscow produces a very powerful impression: to a bearer of despatches, travelling quickly past its Avails, it would, with its churches, convents, palaces, and strong castles, any of which might be taken for the abode
DESECRATION OF THE FORTRESS.21
of unearthly beings, appear the most beautiful of cities.
Unfortunately they are now building at the Kremlin a new palace for the Emperor. Нале they considered whether this sacrilegious improvement will not spoil the general aspect, unique as it is in the world, of the ancient edifices of the holy fortress? The present habitation of the sovereign is, I admit, mean in appearance ; but, to remedy the inconvenience, they are intrenching upon the most venerable portions of the old national sanctuary. This is profanation. Were 1 the Emperor, I would rather raise my new palace in the air, than disturb one stone of the old ramparts of the Kremlin.
Russia in 1839 -Empire of the Czar: A Journey Through Eternal Russia Page 63
