Armory Chamber

Despite the fact that much of the tsar's treasure trove was lost over the years in terrible fires, the sheer pace of accumulation was so great that the volume of remaining items makes this one of the great royal museums. Among the most ancient treasures are gold and silver ware, church plate, and jewelry dating from the 10th century. The collection of fabrics including ecclesiastical vestments includes items to the 12th century. There is also the chalice of Yurii Dolgoruki. The helmet belonging to Yaroslav Vsyevolodovich is the earliest example of Russian armor. The collection is particularly rich with objects such as saddles, horse trappings and harness from the workshops of the Cavalry Office, which formerly occupied an area in the Kremlin.

German, English, and Dutch silverware is well represented along with Imperial regalia, thrones, crowns, scepters and orbs. The items include both those created by the numerous craftsmen who worked here and those presented to the grand dukes, tsars and patriarchs by foreign visitors. The armor collection includes personal pieces belonging to Yermak, Dmitrii Pozharski and Peter I. Of particular interest are the various examples of dospek, including zertsalo, bakterets, and baidana. (See our large section on medieval arms and armor for illustrations and descriptions.)
The earliest written inventory of the kremlin treasures dates to the will of Ivan Kalita (1325-41). The first mention of a treasure building dates to 1485 when it was built between the Cathedrals of the Annunciation and the Archangel Michael. The great fire of 1547, which leveled the Kremlin, destroyed much of the precious items in the armory, treasury and household chambers. Even so, in 1572, when the tsar's treasure was sent to Novgorod for safekeeping from the expected attack by the Crimean Tatars, it was loaded on 450 sledges. During the 16th and 17th centuries as the power of Moscow expanded the treasure poured in in increasing volume. It became the custom to display this wealth to impress foreigners. The kremlin was plundered again during the Time of Troubles (1605-1612) first by the forces of the False Dimitri and then by the Poles. But by 1620 in the reign of the new tsar, Michael Romanov, the silver collection was begun again. The production of the workshops reached a peak in the second half of the 17th century.
Peter the Great, inspired by his introduction to the museums of the West, renovated the building and turned the Armory into a public museum. In 1709 the trophies taken at Poltava were added. In 1711 most of the master artisans were transferred to the new capital at St. Petersburg. Much of the treasure was moved then also. In 1804-5 the first formal inventory was completed. In 1812 the collection was moved to Nizhni Novgorod just two days ahead of Napoleon's arrival. It was moved to the new building in 1851.

Its nine halls are a luxurious glimpse of the power and splendor of tsarist Russia. In Hall III visitors can see the fabled Faberge eggs, the gem-studded Easter gifts of the Romanovs, while Hall IV is devoted to the robes and raiment of the tsars, including the gown that Catherine the Great wore to her coronation. Hall VI displays the unusual Double Throne once occupied by Peter the Great and his brother Ivan V, the diamond throne of Tsar Alexis, and a glittering throne studded with 2,000 precious stones, the gift of a Persian shah. In Hall IX is the world's largest collection of carriages. Other highlights include the fur-trimmed Crown of Monomakh, with which every tsar was crowned, and the Orlov Diamond, the gift of an ardent courtier to Catherine the Great.