The Kanzas news., 1858-10-23
From Bayard Taylor's Letter in the N. 7. Tribune.
The Kremlin at Moscow.
Moscow June 1874

Moscow, June, 1853.
If Moscow is the Mecca of the Russians
the Kremlins is It's Kaaba Within its an
cient walls is gathered all that is holiest in
religion or most cherished in historical ira
dition. Kiev and Novgorod retain but a
dim halo of their former sanctity; their glo-
ry lies wholly in the Past. The kingdoms
of which they were the centers had ceased
to exist before the foundation of Russian
power. On the bill of the Kremlin was
first planted that mighty tree whose branch
es oversbadow the continents. The fact
that Tartar, Swede and Frenchman have
laid their axes at the very root, without be-
ing able to lop off single bough. though
the world awaited its fall, only endears this
spot the more to the Russian people and
strengthens their superstitious faith in the
Divine protection vouchsafed to it. The
Tartar plsnted his crescent on Its holy spires,
and thefs it still glitters, but under the con-
quering cross. Napoleon housed in its an
Gent palace, and thousand of his can
non are now piled in the courtyard. Its
very gates are protected by miracles, and
the peasant from distant province, enters
them with much the same feeling as jew
ish pilgrim enters the longlost city of Zion.
The Kremlin hill stands very nearly in
the center of the city. It is triangular in
form, the longest side facing the Moskva,
about mile in circumference and some
what less than hundred feet iR1N ght. =
The main entrance is at the northeastern
angle, through double lowered portal, call
ed the Sunday Gate. AS propose acting
as valet de place for my fellow traveller
readers, shall decsribe to them the nota-
ble sights of the kremlin, in the order in
which they meet US. We shall not enter,
therefore, without pausing moment be-
fore this gate, to inspect more closely a lit
tie chapel, or rather shrine, built. against
the wall, between the two arch-ways. Be
fore the shrine is platform, thronged with
a bare headed crowd, whose heads are con-
tinually bobbing up and down as they cross
themselves. Every one who passes, going
in or out. does the same, and many an Of
fcer, grave citizen or respondent lady de-
scends from the droshky, presses through
the throng and falls on her knees before the
the holy picture inside the sanctuary. We
press in, among haekmen, beggars, mer-
chants and high officials, all so intent on
their manipulations that they do not even
see us, and finally reach niche lighted
with silver lamps, before a screen dazzling
high-born lady in silk and lace and a lousy
bearded serf are kpeeling side by side and
kissing with passionate devotion the glass
cover over Byzantine mother and child,
of dark mulstto complexion, whose hands
and face alone are visible through their gild
ed and jeweled mantles. This is the ''Ibe-
rian Mother of Coda miraculous pic
ture, which, after working wonders in
Georgia and on Mount Athos, has for the
last two hundred years been the protect
ress of the Moscovites. Her aid is in
voked by high and low. in all the circum-
stances of life, and doubt whether any
other shrine in the world is the witness o..
such general and so much real devotion
Let US now pass through the Kremlin
wall by the Spass Vorota, or Gate of the
Redeemer. This is even more peculiarly
sacred than the chapel of the Iberian
Mother. Over the hollow arch hangs a
picture of the Savior, which looks with be-
niguity upon the Russians, but breathes
fire upon their foes. The Tartars, so srys
tradition, have been driven back again and
again from this gate by miraculoas resist
ance, and, though the French entered at
last, all their attemps to blow it up were in
vain. The other entrance, the Gate of St.
Nicholas, has also its picture, but of lesser
sanctity. Here the French succeeded in
cracking the arch, aa far as the picture
frame, where the rent suddenly stopped
No man dare pass through the Gate of the
Redeemer without uncoyering his head
not even the Emperor. This is not the on
II L Il
ates wide circle around it. have fire.
quendy seen men performing their devo-
tions in the market-plsce or the middle of
the street, and, by following the direction
of their eyes, have discovered, at eonsid-
cradle distance, the object of reverence.
At last we tread the paved court of the
Kremlin. Before US rises the tower of
Ivan Veliki, whose massive, sturdy walls
seem to groan under its load of monster
bells. Beyond it are the Cathedral of st.
Michael, the Church of the Assumption
and the ancient church of the Tzars, all
crowded with tiaras of gilded domes. To
the right rises another cluster of dark-blue,
pear shaped domes over the House of the
Holy Synod, while the new Palace (Grano-
vitaya Palata), with its heavy French front
and Wings above which
''The light aerial gallery. golden-railed.
Burns like fringe of fire.
fills up the background. The Tartar tow
ers of the Kremhn wall shoot up, on our
left, from under the edge of the platform
whereon we stand, and away and beyond
them glitteFs the southern part of the won
derful city-a vast semicircle of red, green
and gold. know not when this picture is
most beautiful-when it blinds you in the
glare of sunshine; when the shadows of
clouds soften its piercing eolors and extiu-
guish half its reflected fires; when even
ing wraps it in violet mist. repainting 1t
with sober tints, or when il lies pale and
gray, yet sparkled with points of silver
light. under the midnight moon.
At the foot of the tower stands or gran
ite pedestal the Tar RnLnEoL or EnI,ernr