Crypts in the History of the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin: Discovery, Origin, Dating.

Abstract

The article is devoted to the crypts recorded during earthworks in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin and next to it. In different years, brick, white stone and underground crypts were recorded in the cultural layer on this territory. These funerary structures are atypical both for temples-tombs of the XIV- XV centuries North-Eastern Russia, as well as for the medieval dirt cemetery, which was located on this site before the construction of the cathedral. The subject of the study is the origin of these crypts and the history of their discovery. The purpose of the study is to review the history and details of the discovery, summarize all known information about the objects of research and, based on this information, propose hypotheses about the origin and dating of these burial structures. The results of the study were the generalization of information about the crypts, the interpretation of their origin and dating. The results obtained can be applied in the field of studying the history of the formation of the oldest cult center of Moscow. The scientific novelty of the article is the generalization of fragmentary information about the crypts found in the underground space of the Assumption Cathedral and next to it. For the first time, the question of the origin of these crypts is considered, on the basis of which their typology and dating are proposed.The brick and white-stone crypts found near the cathedral, apparently, were disposable structures. In this case, their origin is connected with the secondary reburial of the disturbed remains of a medieval cemetery located on this site before the construction of the Assumption Cathedral. The time of construction of the white stone crypt can be attributed to the 1470s, the brick one - to the middle of the XIX century. The crypt found directly under the floors of the cathedral should be dated to the end of the 1470s. This structure, apparently, marks the burial place of the only prince buried in the temple - Yuri Danilovich. External crypts will be considered in the article in the order of their discovery. The intra-temple crypt will be considered last.