The legend is widespread that the architects of Barma and Postnik, who built one of the most famous cathedrals in Russia, were deprived of vision after their work so that they would not repeat their masterpiece. We decided to figure out if this is so.
The story of blinding architects is often found on the Internet - in social networks, on tourist sites, on the website of the magazine "Poster". However, everywhere it emphasizes that this is one of the many legends surrounding the temple of Basil Blessed. There are references to this episode in fiction. The most famous is the poem "Architects"(1938) of the Soviet poet Dmitry Kedrin, where there are such lines:" And then the sovereign ordered to blind these architects so that in the earth his church stood alone. "
In the 20th century, a historical tradition was established, according to which the builders of the Cathedral of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that Barma and Postnik were considered on the moat (as officially called the Temple of Blessed Vasily). Their names are mentioned in several sources. First of all, this is one of the lists "The lives of Metropolitan Jonah"(XVI - XVII century), where Barme and Postnik is said in the part dedicated to the transfer of the relics of the Metropolitan to the Pokrovsky Cathedral. Other sources - ""Piskaryov Chronicle", Preserved in the list of the beginning of the 17th century, and"The legend of the holy miraculous icon of the Holy Wonderworker Nikola"(List of the end of the XVII - early XVIII century).
Differences in these sources and the lack of biographical details about architects led to disputes among historians. IN "Legends about the holy miraculous icon of the Holy Wonderworker Nikola", The most late and most detailed document of the listed, describes how Ivan the Terrible decided to build a church" near the Frolovskiy Gate must be a moat ", that is, where the church of Blessed Vasily is now standing. Then the text says: “And then the god of the two masters of Russians, according to the post -worker and Barma, and the past, and the pastry of wise and is convenient for such a business case.” Word "Relay»You can interpret both as a name and as a nickname. In this case, we are obviously talking about nicknames, since such names are not indicated in the holy.
Another source, ""Piskaryov Chronicle", Gives only one name. Under the year 7068 (according to the modern chronology, this is 1559-1560) there is the following record: “The same year with the command of the king and the sovereign and great prince Ivan, the Church is promised, the hedgehog was promised to capture Kazan: the trinity and seven limits, the hedgehog is called“ on the ditch ”. And the master was Barma with the comrades. ” That is, only Barma is mentioned here, which allowed researchers assumethat the main architect was alone and, perhaps, his name was a post -member of Barma.
None of the above documents have not a word about the future fate of the builders of the cathedral. The only source that mentioned the dashing of the architect is "Travel to Muscovy and Persia»Golstein diplomat Adam Olearia. This book was published in 1647, and the visit to Moscow, described by the traveler, took place in 1636. Olearia writes: “Outside the Kremlin, in the part of Kitay-Gorod, on the right side of the Big Kremlin Gate, there is a skillfully built church of the Holy Trinity, whose builder, at the end of it, was blinded, according to the order of the tyrant, so that he could no longer do another similar.” The architect Adam Olearius does not give a name of the architect (there was only one in his presentation), he does not speak about the source of his knowledge.
It could be assumed that the episode with blinding architects is not mentioned in Russian sources intentionally so as not to denigrate Ivan the Terrible. But then it is worth returning to the "Piskary chronicler", where there is not a word about this. This chronicle was based on more ancient sources, but was compiled with Shuisky, at the beginning of the 17th century. Shuisky in this text is mentioned extremely complimentary. But the main feature of the "Piskary chronicler" is the maximum Detailed description Oprichnins and state terror under Ivan the Terrible, including executions and torture. Therefore, it is quite possible to conclude that the episode with the blinding of the builders of the cathedral would most likely be mentioned if this really happened and was known.
Opponents of the version of blinding have another argument. In December 1555, when the construction of the cathedral has already begun, Ivan the Terrible ordered Direct the architects to Kazan for the construction of a stone fortress, that is, the Kazan Kremlin. Several names are listed, including the "church and city master of the Spirit (in the text so. - approx. Ed.) Yakovlev." Moreover, a little further in the text of the post -member is given the widest powers - to choose materials at their discretion and report on the progress of construction to the tsar.
It is reliable to establish that it is about the same post -member is not possible. But if this is true, then the architect built not only the cathedral, but also other structures at the same time - and blind it so that he could not repeat his masterpiece, would be absurd.
Thus, the story of the blinding of the creators of the Blessed Vasily Temple is found in only one source, and quite late - 75 years after the start of the construction of the cathedral. There are no such episode in Russian chronicle and life works, including in the annals, telling in detail about terror during the reign of Ivan the Terrible.
Photo on the cover: Jakomo Kvarengi. The Pokrovsky Cathedral and the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin, 1797. Source: Wikimedia Commons / State Hermitage
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