An in-depth travel guide that delves into all of Moscow's culture and history!

This is a friendly and detailed travel guide introducing Moscow, a city still somewhat unfamiliar to us.
Everyone who thinks of Moscow thinks of St. Basil's Cathedral with its vibrant colors and onion-shaped domes, the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts with its world-class collection, the Tretyakov Gallery where you can feel Russian colors more deeply, and even the Kremlin and Red Square, which can be called the heart of Moscow, so you can understand the culture and history of Russia and Moscow by exploring every nook and cranny.
When traveling to Moscow, the political center of Russia, the country's most populous city, a center of industry, culture, science, and education, and the spiritual center of the Russian Orthodox Church for over 600 years, this book will provide you with an excellent, knowledgeable travel guide that will help you fully understand and see what you see.

Moscow, which would later grow into the Grand Duchy of Moscow and become the center of Russian history, was originally nothing more than a small village.
In the early days of Russian history, when several principalities developed and competed with each other, centered around the Principality of Kiev.

When the Kievan Rus' power was exhausted by power struggles between brothers and uncles and nephews, Vladimir Monomakh (Vladimir II) ascended to the throne.
It is said that during his reign, when he was known for his gentle nature and valued principles, the country was relatively peaceful.
That is probably why he is evaluated as 'the last leader who dreamed of restoring the Kievan Rus'.
The hat (crown) he received from his maternal grandfather, the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX Monomakh, is a treasure that past emperors wore only during their coronations, and is currently kept in the Armory in the Moscow Kremlin.

--- p.15 From “The Principality of Kyiv and the Grand Duchy of Moscow”

The east side of the Basilica of the Assumption, the first thing you encounter, is lined with three golden cupolas, each with a painting on its upper wall protected by a round arch below.
The east side is where the altar is installed, so there are no doors and therefore no ornate decorations like those around the south and north doors. However, the three frescoes have special meaning and are worth looking at carefully.
Of the three frescoes, let's first look at the painting in the middle.
The one sitting on the right is God the Father, the one sitting on the left is Jesus the Son, and the white bird in the middle is a dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit.
This expresses the doctrine of the Trinity, which states that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have the same hypostasis.
Since it is an important concept in Christianity, it can be said to be the most important of the three paintings, and it is the most common composition among paintings expressing the Trinity.
The blue round object placed between God and Jesus, depicting the sun, moon, and stars, symbolizes the universe and tells us that they are the rulers of the universe.
The mural on the left is titled 'The Eulogy of the Virgin' and depicts Christian saints adoring the Virgin Mary and Child on either side.
A common type of icon depicting the Virgin Mary sitting on a throne holding the baby Jesus, flanked by archangels and saints.
The mural on the right depicts 'Sophia, the Holy Wisdom'.
'Sophia' is a word that refers to the sacred wisdom that comes from God himself, and we are familiar with it through the Hagia Sophia (Hagia Sophia) in Istanbul.
--- p.30~31 From “Exterior of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary”

Okay, now we've entered the cathedral.
The space is not very large, and the ceiling, the walls, and even the four circular pillars are covered with icons, making it feel suffocating.

In any cathedral, the side where the altar is installed (usually the east) is the center.
However, all the Russian Orthodox churches I saw in Moscow and St. Petersburg had their altars covered by iconostasis.
The iconostasis is also called a sacred wall or a sacred screen, and the interior of the Assumption Cathedral, which is filled with icons, also has an iconostasis.
-syncopation-
The iconostasis of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin was created in 1653 by order of Patriarch Nikon.
It consists of four levels and 69 icons, so it is difficult to examine them all carefully. However, since it is the most important space in the cathedral, let's take a closer look at it as much as possible.

Let's take a look at the first tier, which depicts God holding the baby Jesus and the 16 Jewish patriarchs; the second tier, which depicts the Virgin Mary and the prophets; the third tier, which depicts the life of Jesus; the fourth tier, which depicts Deisis and Jesus' disciples; and the gate leading to the Holy of Holies (the King's Gate) at the very bottom center, and the surrounding sacred paintings.

--- p.39 From “The Sanctuary and the Holy Wall of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary”

Russia, which had accepted Greek Orthodoxy through the Byzantine Empire at the end of the 10th century, fell into great turmoil over the issue of religious reform in the mid-17th century.
Patriarch Nikon, the newly installed Patriarch, established a new liturgy (religious rite) for the Russian Orthodox Church.
Patriarch Nikon advocated religious reform with the intention of returning the Orthodox liturgy to its original form, combining it with the indigenous Russian faith, breaking away from the original form of Christianity, but many clergy and believers rejected it and tried to cling to the old ways.
They resisted Nikon's religious reforms because they saw them as politically motivated attempts to take control of the religious order.

At this time, Tsar Alexei Romanov supported Nikon, giving the reformists strength, while the separatists (conservatives who opposed Nikon's religious reforms and insisted on preserving the traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church) who opposed the reforms were crushed.
The tragic event occurred when Archbishop Avvakum Petrovich, the leader of the schismatics, was burned at the stake, and numerous believers committed suicide by burning themselves in protest.

The reformists and separatists clashed fiercely over issues that seemed trivial to modern eyes.
For example, when making the sign of the cross, Orthodox Christians make it with three fingers to symbolize the Trinity, but in the Russian Orthodox Church, it has changed to making it with two fingers.
Nikon demanded that it be made with three fingers, a practice the Separatists ultimately refused to accept.

--- p.343 From “Controversy on the Confession of Faith”

The king, the owner of the golden-maned horse, tells Ivan, “I will forgive your sins if you bring me the beautiful princess Elena from a neighboring country.”
Ivan tells the Gray Wolf, and the Wolf decides to help Ivan once again.
With the help of the wolf, Ivan meets Princess Elena and takes her to the king, but he suddenly falls in love with the princess.
So, as he was saddened by the separation from the princess, the wolf said, “Run away with the princess while I transform into Princess Elena and deceive the king.”
Ivan gave the fake Princess Elena, who had been transformed into a wolf, to the king and received a golden horse in return, and they escaped from the palace. The gray wolf fooled the king for a while and then ran back to Ivan.
But the main reason Ivan went on this adventure was to obtain the Phoenix.
So, Ivan had to give the golden horse to the king who had the phoenix in exchange for the phoenix, but Ivan also wanted the horse.
So I poured out my heart to the wolf.
Then the wolf said that he would turn into a horse with a golden mane and deceive the king, and that he should take the firebird and run away with Princess Elena.
Ivan did as the wolf told him and was able to take possession of Princess Elena, the golden-maned horse, and even the Firebird.

After saying goodbye to the gray wolf who helped him, Ivan heads to his father's palace.
Perhaps he was filled with joy at the anticipation of his father's praise and the words of praise that would be bestowed upon him.
But unfortunately, before he could reach the palace, he met his two older brothers, and they, consumed by jealousy, took everything he had.
Even life itself.
The gray wolf happens to see crows pecking at Ivan's abandoned body, and threatens the mother crow to get the Water of Life, which he uses to revive Ivan.
And he goes to the palace with Ivan and kills his brothers who have committed evil deeds.
What follows is an ending that everyone can predict.
Ivan married Princess Elena and lived happily ever after, and of course, after his father passed away, he inherited the kingdom and became a great king.
Viktor Vasnetsov's "Prince Ivan Rides the Gray Wolf" depicts Ivan and Princess Elena riding through the forest on the gray wolf that helped them.
I'm not sure exactly which part of the overall plot this is referring to, but judging by the tense expression on Prince Ivan's face, it's either when he takes Princess Elena out of her kingdom, or when the Gray Wolf transforms into Princess Elena, tricks the King, and then rejoins them to run away.
--- p.359~360 From “Prince Ivan Riding the Gray Wolf”

Fyodor II reigned as Tsar for only 49 days, making him the shortest reign in Russian history.
The reason he reigned for such a short period was because he was assassinated by False Dmitry I (June 10, 1605).
The picture we saw earlier depicts what happened at that very moment.
Boris Godunov's lust for power ultimately led to the downfall of his family, with his entire family except for his sister Ksenia being annihilated.
False Dmitry I, who assassinated Fyodor II in June 1605 and took the throne, ruled Russia until May of the following year.
So what was his end, and in what direction did Russian history flow?
Although he ascended the throne on the back of opposition to the Godunov dynasty, False Dmitry I quickly lost the trust of the people.
The main reason appears to be his actions, such as marrying a Catholic, which offends Russian Orthodox believers.
At dawn on May 17, 1606, when rebels stormed the Kremlin, False Dmitry I resisted with a sword and then tried to escape through a window.
It is said that he was captured by the rebels and killed after suffering serious injuries, and his body was left in Red Square for three days to be displayed to the public.
He was a man of great fortune in history who appeared like the wind and then disappeared like a light.
After the death of False Dmitry I, two more pretenders to be Dmitry, but they all met tragic ends, and the throne of Russia eventually went to a 16-year-old boy named Mikhail Romanov.
This was in 1613, and the last dynasty of Russia, the Romanov dynasty, began.

--- p.365~366 From “Fyodor Godunov, Assassinated by False Dmitry I”