Fyodor the horse became famous for what. Fedor Kon

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Sculptor - Oleg Komov.

Fedor Savelyevich Kon(around - after) - “sovereign master” during the reign of Boris Godunov, one of the few ancient Russian architects whose name is recorded by sources.

Projects

Fyodor Kon is known as the builder of the following fortifications and temples:

The buildings of Fyodor Kon were distinguished by high construction techniques, thoughtful designs, and great architectural skill. Their stylistic features show influence from the Italian Renaissance.

Biographical information

Researchers presumably consider Fyodor Kon to come from the Trinity Monastery in Boldin. In 1594, Fyodor Kon made a contribution to the Boldin Monastery (35 rubles), Kon’s relatives were also connected with Boldin: in 1600, “from Moscow, from the cloth row, Fyodor Petrov’s son, and Fyodor Kon’s stepson, gave the contribution 20 rubles; Among the workers of the Boldin monastery is Konya’s son Martin Ivanov.”

Little is known about the life of the architect: brief and fragmentary records in sources of the late 16th - early 17th centuries give only some ideas about him. Such sources include the receipt and expenditure books of the Boldin-Trinity Monastery near Dorogobuzh for the year -1607, orders and letters of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich of the city and city, various chronographs and chroniclers of the 17th century.

The last mention of Fyodor Kon (1606) was published by R.G. Skrynnikov. In popular literature, some buildings from the Romanov era are attributed to the Horse without any reason (for example, the fortifications of the Novospassky Monastery).

Biography

A biography of Fyodor Kon, describing his origins and flight abroad, was published by Vera Zhakova in 1934. In it, Fedor is presented as a rebel and an atheist. When writing her biography, Zhakova used documents (petitions), one of which was subsequently found and published in 1966 by V. N. Prishchepenko. Subsequent examination of this document revealed a forgery (created or copied in the 19th or early 20th centuries, i.e., at least in this case, Zhakova was working with an already existing document).

Memory

Dmitry Kedrin sang the Horse in the poem “The Horse”.
At the foot of the Smolensk fortress wall there was a monument to Fyodor Kon.

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An excerpt characterizing the Horse, Fyodor Savelyevich

In the Lavra hotel, the Rostovs were allocated three large rooms, one of which was occupied by Prince Andrei. The wounded man was much better that day. Natasha sat with him. In the next room the Count and Countess sat, respectfully talking with the rector, who had visited their old acquaintances and investors. Sonya was sitting right there, and she was tormented by curiosity about what Prince Andrei and Natasha were talking about. She listened to the sounds of their voices from behind the door. The door of Prince Andrei's room opened. Natasha came out from there with an excited face and, not noticing the monk who stood up to meet her and grabbed the wide sleeve of his right hand, walked up to Sonya and took her hand.
- Natasha, what are you doing? Come here,” said the Countess.
Natasha came under the blessing, and the abbot advised to turn to God and his saint for help.
Immediately after the abbot left, Nashata took her friend’s hand and walked with her into the empty room.
- Sonya, right? will he be alive? - she said. – Sonya, how happy I am and how unhappy I am! Sonya, my dear, everything is as before. If only he were alive. He can’t... because, because... that... - And Natasha burst into tears.
- So! I knew it! Thank God,” said Sonya. - He will be alive!
Sonya was no less excited than her friend - both by her fear and grief, and by her personal thoughts that were not expressed to anyone. She, sobbing, kissed and consoled Natasha. “If only he were alive!” - she thought. After crying, talking and wiping away their tears, both friends approached Prince Andrei’s door. Natasha carefully opened the doors and looked into the room. Sonya stood next to her at the half-open door.
Prince Andrei lay high on three pillows. His pale face was calm, his eyes were closed, and you could see how he was breathing evenly.
- Oh, Natasha! – Sonya suddenly almost screamed, grabbing her cousin’s hand and retreating from the door.
- What? What? – Natasha asked.
“This is this, that, that...” said Sonya with a pale face and trembling lips.
Natasha quietly closed the door and went with Sonya to the window, not yet understanding what they were saying to her.
“Do you remember,” Sonya said with a frightened and solemn face, “do you remember when I looked for you in the mirror... In Otradnoye, at Christmas time... Do you remember what I saw?..
- Yes Yes! - Natasha said, opening her eyes wide, vaguely remembering that Sonya then said something about Prince Andrei, whom she saw lying down.
- Do you remember? – Sonya continued. “I saw it then and told everyone, both you and Dunyasha.” “I saw that he was lying on the bed,” she said, making a gesture with her hand with a raised finger at every detail, “and that he had closed his eyes, and that he was covered with a pink blanket, and that he had folded his hands,” Sonya said, making sure that as she described the details she saw now, that these same details she saw then. She didn’t see anything then, but said that she saw what came into her head; but what she came up with then seemed to her as valid as any other memory. What she said then, that he looked back at her and smiled and was covered with something red, she not only remembered, but was firmly convinced that even then she said and saw that he was covered with a pink, exactly pink, blanket, and that his eyes were closed.
“Yes, yes, exactly in pink,” said Natasha, who now also seemed to remember what was said in pink, and in this she saw the main unusualness and mystery of the prediction.
– But what does this mean? – Natasha said thoughtfully.
- Oh, I don’t know how extraordinary all this is! - Sonya said, clutching her head.
A few minutes later, Prince Andrei called, and Natasha came in to see him; and Sonya, experiencing an emotion and tenderness she had rarely experienced, remained at the window, pondering the extraordinary nature of what had happened.
On this day there was an opportunity to send letters to the army, and the Countess wrote a letter to her son.
“Sonya,” said the Countess, raising her head from the letter as her niece walked past her. – Sonya, won’t you write to Nikolenka? - said the countess in a quiet, trembling voice, and in the look of her tired eyes, looking through glasses, Sonya read everything that the countess understood in these words. This look expressed pleading, fear of refusal, shame for having to ask, and readiness for irreconcilable hatred in case of refusal.
Sonya went up to the countess and, kneeling down, kissed her hand.
“I’ll write, maman,” she said.
Sonya was softened, excited and touched by everything that happened that day, especially by the mysterious performance of fortune-telling that she just saw. Now that she knew that on the occasion of the renewal of Natasha’s relationship with Prince Andrei, Nikolai could not marry Princess Marya, she joyfully felt the return of that mood of self-sacrifice in which she loved and was accustomed to living. And with tears in her eyes and with the joy of realizing a generous deed, she, interrupted several times by tears that clouded her velvety black eyes, wrote that touching letter, the receipt of which so amazed Nikolai.

At the guardhouse where Pierre was taken, the officer and soldiers who took him treated him with hostility, but at the same time with respect. One could still feel in their attitude towards him doubt about who he was (whether he was a very important person), and hostility due to their still fresh personal struggle with him.

Fyodor Savelyevich Horse (XVI century)

In Russian chronicles of the 16th century. Records of the construction of fortresses - cities and monasteries - run like a red thread. As if anticipating the battle for their freedom and independence, the Russian people laid the foundation for their defense. Concerns about protecting the borders and strengthening the military power of Rus' worried Ivan III, his son Vasily, Ivan the Terrible, and Boris Godunov equally. The entire century passes under the sign of the construction of defensive structures not only of the capital - Moscow, but also of other important cities of the state. Cities are followed by monasteries - small fortresses that vigilantly guarded state borders and approaches to cities. In the conditions of this rapid military-defensive construction, a whole generation of Russian city builders grew up and were educated, whose specialty was the construction of fortress walls and towers. The builders of the early 16th century - the authors of the defensive fortifications of Novgorod and Pskov, Tula and Zaraysk - remained unknown to us. But since the middle of the century, documents increasingly mention the names of architects. The title of “sovereign master” crowns famous Russian architects of the late 16th century. The famous names of Andrei Maly, Grigory Borisov, Barma and Posnik are joined by the name of Fyodor Kon, the builder of the White City of Moscow and Smolensk.

Fyodor Savelyevich Kon apparently came from the Smolensk region, since his relatives are mentioned as investors in the Boldin monastery near Dorogobuzh. It is possible that he owned interesting buildings of this ancient monastery - a cathedral and a bell tower with a pyramid of small semicircular kokoshniks carrying a small dome (blowed up by the Germans in 1943). The date of birth and biography of F. S. Kon still remain unknown. But the mighty fortifications of the ancient cities and monasteries of Moscow Rus' created by his care and talent speak about him.

In 1586, the construction of the so-called White City of Moscow began - stone walls and towers located along the line of the present boulevard ring. The rapid growth of the capital led to the fact that outside the city - the Kremlin and Kitay-Gorod, which received its stone walls in 1534-1538 - the so-called posad grew up, spreading out into numerous vast settlements along the roads leading to Moscow. Moskovsky Posad constituted such a significant part of the city that it was necessary to think about its protection in case of military danger. The raid of the Crimean Tatars in 1571 served as a direct impetus for the beginning of the construction of the Bely, or Tsarev, city of Moscow.

The construction was entrusted to the “city master” Fyodor Kon. He had to build nine kilometers of walls with battle towers, ten of which were travelable. It is easy to imagine what remarkable abilities and organizational talent one had to have in order to build such a wall with twenty-eight towers within six years. The Moscow plan of 1610 gives an idea of these fortifications, built by Fyodor Kon. Mighty towers with low tetrahedral tents stand at almost the same distance from each other. High walls connect them to each other. Antioch Archdeacon Pavel of Aleppo, who visited Moscow in the 50s of the 17th century, left a colorful description of this work by Fyodor Kon. “The third wall of the city,” he writes, “is known as the White Wall, for it is built of large white stones... He built this wall on the southern side of the Kremlin and around the city. It is larger than the city wall of Aleppo and an amazing building, because from the ground up to half the height it is made of a slope, and from half to the top it has a protrusion, and therefore cannons do not act on it. Its loopholes, in which there are many cannons, are inclined downwards, according to the ingenious invention of the builders... There are more than fifteen gates in the White Wall, which are called by the names of various icons standing on them... Each gate is not straight, but is designed with bends and turns, is closed in this long passage with four doors and certainly has a lattice iron door, which is lowered from the top of the tower and raised through the gate. “We managed to open all the doors, but this one cannot be opened in any way: it cannot be broken, and it can only be lifted from above.”

The construction of the White City was basically completed in 1592. In this building, Fyodor Kon showed himself not only to be a remarkable builder, but also an outstanding military specialist, able to foresee and take into account the conditions of military defense, the firing angles of guns placed behind the walls in the towers, who created a whole series additional defensive structures covering the approaches to the walls.

In addition to the fortress walls, Moscow had another line of defense. From the south and west it was surrounded by a semi-ring of monasteries. The danger forced us to pay attention to these fortifications. It is possible that in these same years, following the completion of the construction of the White City, the construction of stone fortifications of the Simonov Monastery began. Its Dulo tower is one of the best fortifications of this era. It was apparently also built by Fyodor Kon.

The grand Dulo tower is distinguished not only by its size, but also by its great architectural merits. Blades on the edges of the edges, platbands of window loopholes, machicolations (arches under the overhanging upper part of the tower) - all these details make up its architectural outfit and show the skillful hand of a strong craftsman.

Tower "Dulo" of the Simonov Monastery

The works of Fyodor Kon include the fortress walls and towers of the Pafnutiev-Borovsky Monastery, built at the same time. Here the master improved his architectural techniques. The general plan of the monastery is close to the figure of a rhombus. The architectural decoration of the towers of the Pafnutiev-Borovsky Monastery is close to both the Dulo tower and, in particular, the towers of Smolensk.

The importance of Smolensk on the western border of the Moscow state was enormous. The wooden walls built for its defense at the beginning of the 16th century have already become unreliable. In 1549, the gathering of all those capable of the “Smolensk stone work” began. Boris Godunov "commanded to hire masons and brickmakers and potters." Construction material was prepared in huge quantities. In 1596, construction of the city itself began. The “Smolensk Affair” entered the consciousness of the Russian people as an event of enormous importance. All petitions written by masons of the 17th century. They always mention that they or their fathers “made the city of Smolensk.” During the construction of the Smolensk city, all stone buildings in the country were prohibited. “Yes, about this he would make a strong commandment, and command the privets to click on many days, so that... stone churches, and chambers, and cellars, and all kinds of stone works, and pots, and jugs, and ovens, and millstones, and sharpen , and no one made slabs on the coffins in any way...” Disobedience to this order was punishable by death.

The construction of the towers and walls of Smolensk - this “necklace of Moscow Rus'” (the words of Boris Godunov) - was the last grandiose construction enterprise of Moscow in the 16th century.

The city was built on the left bank of the Dnieper and surrounded by a stone wall, more than five kilometers long, with thirty-eight towers. The author of this mighty fortress was Fyodor Kon. The architect completed the new grandiose structure within four years.

The architectural decoration of the Smolensk walls and, in particular, the towers attracts special attention. Everything that was available in the Dulo tower was used here with no less perfection. The machicolations are placed in pairs, the loopholes are often arranged in a checkerboard pattern. They are decorated with platbands, as in the Borovsky Monastery. Light cornices complement the strict architectural appearance of the walls and towers. The latter sometimes reached twenty-eight meters in height. The walls were five meters thick.

The name of the “city master” Fyodor Kon is included in the history of Russian architecture not only as the name of a major military builder, but also as an architect who managed to give defensive structures the features of an architectural and artistic work. Architects of the 18th century learned from his work, creating the towers decorating the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the Spas-Efimev Monastery in Suzdal and the Novodevichy Convent in Moscow.

About F. S. Kon: Grabar I., History of Russian art, vol. II - History of architecture, M., 1912; Speransky M., Essays on the history of the order of stone affairs of the Moscow State, M., 1930; Zhakova V., About the black man Fyodor Kon, Almanac "Year XVII", M., 1934; Voronin N., Essays on the history of Russian architecture of the 16th-17th centuries, Leningrad, 1934.

What is known about the builder of the White City of Moscow and the Smolensk Fortress Fyodor Savelyevich Kon?
Let's face it: almost nothing!

Even the years of his life have not been established precisely (around 1540 - after 1606). Unfortunately, this often happens in history: a person left a great memory of himself to his descendants in the form of beautiful buildings, wonderful paintings or sculptures, interesting works (let’s remember, for example, “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”), but almost no information about the creator himself has been preserved.

One can only assume that Fyodor Kon came from Dorogobuzh peasants, or perhaps from the courtyard people of the Zvenigorod princes, who owned family estates in the region Trinity Monastery in Boldin .

These assumptions are based on one firmly established fact: Fyodor Savelyevich Kon made rich donations to the monastery and lived in it for a long time.

In 1585 - 1593 in Moscow, under the leadership of Kon, aWhite City - powerful fortress walls with 27 towers, standing along the line of the modern Boulevard Ring.

The White City on Matthaus Merian's plan (1638) highlighted in yellow:

After the completion of this unprecedented construction, Fyodor Kon apparently lived in Boldin.
In 1595, by royal charter, he was sent to city work in Smolensk . In this letter he is named by name and patronymic, which was awarded only to very high-ranking persons. The official position of the Horse was called "sovereign master" , which emphasized his experience and skill in military construction.

In addition to purely construction issues, Fyodor Kon certainly had knowledge of the siege of fortresses and the organization of their defense, and understood artillery and the capabilities of these weapons.

One of his most important construction projects was Smolensk Kremlin .

Photo by S.M. Prokudin-Gorsky (1912):

And these are some of my photos (2017):

The talent of Fyodor Kon during the construction of the Smolensk fortress manifested itself so clearly that some modern researchers even rank him among the Italian masters who settled in Russia. They say that the Russian peasant is not capable of adopting Italian techniques and methods of bricklaying and construction (“There is no prophet in his own country”?).

Smolyan residents are rightfully proud of Fedor Kon, whom they consider their fellow countryman.
In May 1991, next to the Thunder Tower of the Smolensk Fortress, a monument (sculptor O. Komov, architect A. Anipko).

How closely everything is intertwined in this world!
In 1940, a wonderful Russian poet with a tragic fate wrote a story in verse about the Russian architect Fyodor Kon Dmitry Borisovich Kedrin (1907 - 1945).

This is a poetic story by my fellow countryman (Dmitry Kedrin lived in the village of Cherkizovo near Moscow since 1934, working in the large circulation of the Mytishchi Machine-Building Plant - MMZ - now Metrovagonmash)

that's what it's called - "Horse" .

Read it.
I assure you that you will not regret it.

P.S.:
Of course, the poet Dmitry Kedrin, in his story in verse about Fyodor Kon, depicted the figure of the architect as his poetic imagination and inspiration told him. But nevertheless, given the fact that in fact we know almost nothing about this brilliant Russian architect, I think that this poetic version of the Horse’s biography has a right to exist, and in order to at least become interested in the history of the distant time of the Russian Middle Ages, this story is worth reading.

And finally, a wonderful photo:

Thank you for attention.
Sergey Vorobiev.

I. Introduction................................................... ............................................... 2

II. Architect Fyodor Kon.................................................... ......................... 5

1. Gospodarev, master of stone crafts.................................................... . 5

2. Labor school................................................... ................................... 7

3. White City......................................................... .................................. 8

III. Construction of the Smolensk Fortress.................................................... 9

1. The largest construction project in Rus'................................................. ........ 9

2. A striking example of architectural art............................................... 12

3. Terrible with their inaccessibility.................................................... . 15

IV. Restoration of the Smolensk fortress wall.................................... 20

V. Conclusion................................................... ..................................... 23

VI. List of used literature................................................... 25

VII. Applications........................................................ ................................ 26

I. INTRODUCTION

The motto is inscribed on the coat of arms of the Smolensk land: “An unbending spirit will overcome everything.” The material embodiment of the spirit of the Smolensk people was the Smolensk fortress wall - a monument of ancient Russian defensive architecture, which has no equal in monumentality and richness of decorative decoration. In 1595, fully aware of the important strategic position of our city, Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich decided to build a fortress around Smolensk.

The “stone necklace of the Russian land” was built by all of Russia. Masons, brickmakers, stove makers were gathered from all over Rus'. The construction was headed by the great architect, our fellow countryman, Fyodor Savelyevich Kon. It took six years to build the wall, with great battles and severe trials ahead...

406 years ago, in 1602, the construction of the Smolensk fortress wall was completed.

For 406 years, towering above the steep Dnieper hills, at the crossroads of roads, the wall bravely took on the blows destined by fate.

History continues its indomitable run, and life does not stand still. Our beautiful city is changing along with it. But the fortress wall stands. And it will stand. After so much suffering and war, she found peace, but did not lose her greatness. The fortress wall became a monument to military valor and true patriotism.

Smolensk has risen above the Dnieper for more than a thousand years, and for four hundred and six of those years it was surrounded by a fortress wall that firmly connected its past and present. The wall is still a decoration of the city today. It is impossible to imagine our native Smolensk without her and understand its significance in the history of the Russian state.

About those who built the wall, who were its defenders, about the best sons and daughters of the Smolensk region, the memory lives on today in their descendants, and will live on in subsequent generations of Smolensk residents.

From the memory of the heroic past we draw strength for new achievements and victories today. As the poet rightly noted: “... And if you want to be stronger in spirit, stay at the Smolensk wall.”

The Smolensk fortress wall is a symbol of our common home, our heroic ancient Smolensk - the permanent guardian of the Russian state on the path of foreign conquerors, a warrior city, a working city.

I chose the topic of this essay based on the following reasons:

Fyodor Savelyevich Kon is our fellow countryman, a man whose name in the history of our city and all of Russia stands among the outstanding representatives of the Russian people. His name glorified the Smolensk region.

The Smolensk fortress wall, built by Fyodor Kon, is a brilliant page in Russian history and architecture. The city wall protected not only Smolensk, but also acted as a barrier on the way to Moscow.

This topic is relevant, because 406 years ago, in 1602, the construction of the Smolensk fortress wall was completed. For 406 years, towering above the steep Dnieper hills, at the crossroads of roads, the wall bravely took the blows destined by fate.

In my opinion, the history of the Smolensk fortress wall is the very history of Smolensk and the entire Russian state, the history of the selfless struggle of the Russian people for independence. Smolensk residents are obliged to know, remember and honor the memory of those who built and defended the Smolensk wall.

We, the descendants of Fyodor Kon, will always look at the Smolensk fortress wall with pleasure and surprise.

Therefore, I set a goal for myself:

explore the life path of the architect Fyodor Savelyevich Kon and his creations;

talk about how the Smolensk fortress wall was built, what hardships and hardships the people who built it endured;

show that the Smolensk fortress wall is a grandiose defensive structure, the best fortress of the time, an outstanding architectural creation.

II. ARCHITECT FEDOR HORSE.

1. Gospodarev is a master of stone crafts.

The name of Fyodor Savelyevich Kon stands among the outstanding representatives of the Russian people. Fyodor Kon was the first among Russian engineers and architects to carry out the construction of stone fortresses, which in their size, military-defensive power and artistic power were unmatched in the whole world. In the difficult conditions of tsarist oppression and lawlessness, Fyodor Kon managed to reach the heights of contemporary engineering art and architectural mastery.

The creation by Fyodor Kon of the walls and towers of the city in Moscow and the city fortress in Smolensk opened new pages in the history of fortification and architectural art.

The life path of Fyodor Kon is especially dear to us, Smolensk residents, who have the opportunity to admire his majestic creation - the city fortress, which adorns Smolensk and reminds us of the heroic history of the city.

The second half of the 16th century - the time of Ivan the Terrible and Boris Godunov - was a time of reforms aimed at strengthening the military and economic power of the Russian state. By the time of Ivan the Terrible, Moscow was a significantly fortified city. Tsar Ivan continued to strengthen and decorate the capital.

At this time, Dorogobuzh carpenter Savely Petrov came to Moscow to work. He brought his nine-year-old son Fyodor with him to the capital to teach him the craft of ward construction.

According to legend, Fyodor Kon was born on July 4, 1556 in Dorogobuzh in the family of a hereditary carpenter Savely Petrov. From an early age, the father taught his son to be a construction worker.

In Moscow, father and son worked together in one of the best carpentry teams, which constructed buildings on the orders of Tsar Ivan the Terrible.

In 1568, Fedor suffered a terrible grief. His father Savely died. News soon came from home about the death of his mother. But adversity did not break the guy. He did not give up his favorite carpentry work, continuing to do it on Moscow construction sites.

The name of the ancient Russian architect is shrouded in the haze of legend. He left no memories, no diaries, no letters for his descendants. It is known that Fyodor Savelyevich was a man of strong character, ready to stand up for his dignity and who knew his worth. He is the protector of the poor and disadvantaged.

2. Labor school.

Fedor was a tall and strong guy. He was distinguished by his extraordinary strength and endurance, dependability and reliability, for which he received the nickname Horse, which became his surname.

Fedor was not only a strong, but also an intelligent man who could handle any business. At the age of twelve he was already made a senior in the carpentry artel. He lived on Arbat, in the house of priest Gur Agipatov. It was he who taught the inquisitive guy to read and write. Master mason engineer Ivan Fryazin helped Fedor master mathematics and construction technology.

At Moscow construction sites, Fyodor Kon established himself as a true master with excellent artistic taste. Fyodor Kon came to the conviction that in order to build well, it is not enough to master construction techniques, you also need to be able to erect buildings taking into account the location and people's tastes.

Along with his growing hatred of the tsarist officials, Fyodor Kon loved his homeland, the Russian people, more and more deeply. More than once he dreamed of “erecting a truly wonderful temple for the glory of his fatherland, the likes of which had never existed before in all the heavens, and surrounding that temple with a city building unknown to mankind... Let truth triumph behind that stone fence and injustice disappear.” 1

Fyodor Kon, starting in 1573, built mansions for the German Heinrich Staden, participated in the construction of the Boldinsky Monastery, erected the Ivano-Predtechensky Monastery, and built the Vyazemsky City Cathedral.

Longing for big work forced Fyodor Kon to leave Vyazma in March 1584 and return to Moscow. Fyodor Kon is working in the Moscow region on the construction of the Pafnutiev Monastery in Borovsk.

3. White City.

The reign of Boris Godunov continued the policy of Ivan the Terrible to strengthen the Russian state. Godunov pays great attention to the defense of the Fatherland and especially the capital. In Moscow, every spring they expected a Tatar raid in order to protect the capital from the invasion of enemies; it was decided to build a third belt of its defense, which was called the White City. Fyodor Savelyevich Kon was entrusted with its construction. The work began in 1586 and was completed in 1592.

This is a grandiose fortification. It was adjacent to the Kremlin and Kitay-Gorod. The thickness of the walls reached 4.5 meters. The ground part of the walls and towers was lined with white stone, hence the name white city. The fortress was ten kilometers long and had 27 towers. Its walls had several tiers of loopholes. Contemporaries considered this Moscow fortress one of the strongest in Europe.

The White City was also the most important architectural structure that adorned the capital. The combination of bold engineering structures with white stone wall cladding produced a charming impression, both in its inaccessibility and external beauty. The White City brought fame and honor to Fyodor Savelyevich. He was awarded the high title of “Sovereign Master of Stone Works” 2.

III. CONSTRUCTION OF THE SMOLENSK FORTRESS.

The largest construction site in Rus'.

Godunov paid great attention to strengthening the security of the western borders of the state. According to his plan, Moscow was shielded by a semi-ring of fortified cities. But Godunov was especially concerned about the position of Smolensk, a border city, over the ownership of which there was a long-standing dispute between Moscow, Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Poland). Godunov considered it impossible to continue to leave Smolensk unfortified. The ancient walls of the Smolensk fortress, erected under Prince Rostislav Mstislavovich (1142), fell into disrepair. They could not resist the military equipment of their foreign neighbors.

Upon completion of the construction of the White City, Fyodor Kon received an order from Godunov to go to Smolensk to determine the scale of work and identify the number and condition of brick sheds, as well as establish places for stone quarrying and lime burning. Upon arrival in Smolensk, Fedor Kon draws up the final project, calculates the structures and, in accordance with local conditions, determines the foundation laying system.

The official government order for the construction of the Smolensk fortress wall followed on December 15, 1595. Prince Vasily Andreevich Zvenigorodsky was appointed head of construction and representative of the state. The actual organizer of all construction work was the architect and engineer Fyodor Savelyevich Kon.

Arriving in Smolensk on December 25, 1595, the builders received a blessing to begin work from the Archbishop of Smolensk and Dorogobuzh Theodosius. We drew up a project for the fortress wall and determined an estimate for its construction. Boris Godunov wished to personally inspect the sites of the future fortress and take part in its foundation. Having become familiar with the fortress construction project, Boris Godunov admiringly wrote to the Tsar in Moscow: “We will build such unspeakable beauty that there will be nothing like it in all the heavens...” 3 .

Story >> Literature and Russian language

Return quickly, luckily. Fedor Ipatovich lowered his eyebrows and thought: - ... complete indifference... - Indifference? -- Fedor Ipatych blinked his red eyes (intercepted..., don’t worry and Yegor Savelievich tell me not to worry either...

Grushetsky Russian nobility

Abstract >> History

Grushetskaya was the mother of the Tsar's wife Fedora Romanov Queen Agafya Semyonovna. ...to the steward, in 1681 the Tsar Fedor Alekseevich granted Aleksandrovo (now a village... there was a fire with the establishment, and Efim Savelyevich Egorov (hereditary honorary citizen), owner...

Fedor Savelyevich Kon(around - after) - “sovereign master” during the reign of Boris Godunov, one of the few ancient Russian architects whose name is recorded by sources.

Projects

Fyodor Kon is known as the builder of the following fortifications and temples:

Biographical information

Biography

Memory

Dmitry Kedrin sang the Horse in the poem “The Horse”.
At the foot of the Smolensk fortress wall there was a monument to Fyodor Kon.

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An excerpt characterizing the Horse, Fyodor Savelyevich

Radan's anxiety grew. The fame of the “miracles” performed by his careless nephew exceeded the Pyrenees Mountains... More and more sufferers wanted to turn to the newly-minted “miracle worker.” And he, as if not noticing the impending danger, continued to refuse no one, confidently walking in the footsteps of the deceased Radomir...
Several more troubled years passed. Svetodar matured, becoming stronger and calmer. Together with Radan, they long ago moved to Occitania, where even the air seemed to breathe the teachings of his mother, the untimely death of Magdalene. The surviving Knights of the Temple accepted her son with open arms, vowing to protect him and help him as much as they could.
And then one day the day came when Radan felt a real, openly threatening danger... It was the eighth anniversary of the death of Golden Maria and Vesta - Svetodar’s beloved mother and sister...

“Look, Isidora...” Sever said quietly. - I'll show you if you want.
A bright, but dreary, living picture immediately appeared in front of me...
The gloomy, foggy mountains were generously sprinkled with an annoying, drizzling rain, leaving a feeling of uncertainty and sadness in the soul... A gray, impenetrable haze wrapped the nearest castles in cocoons of fog, turning them into lonely veterans, guarding eternal peace in the valley... The Valley of the Magicians looked gloomily to a cloudy, joyless picture, remembering bright, joyful days, illuminated by the rays of the hot summer sun... And this made everything around me even more dreary and sadder.
A tall and slender young man stood as a frozen “statue” at the entrance of a familiar cave, not moving and not showing any signs of life, like a sad stone statue carved by an unfamiliar master right into the same cold stone rock... I realized that this was probably an adult Svetodar. He looked mature and strong. Powerful and at the same time very kind... A proud, high-raised head spoke of fearlessness and honor. Very long blond hair, tied on his forehead with a red ribbon, fell in heavy waves over his shoulders, making him look like an ancient king... a proud descendant of the Meravingleys. Leaning against a damp stone, Svetodar stood, feeling neither cold nor moisture, or rather, feeling nothing...
Here, exactly eight years ago, his mother, Golden Maria, and his little sister, brave, affectionate Vesta, died... They died, brutally and vilely killed by a crazy, evil man... sent by the “fathers” of the Holy Church. Magdalena never lived to hug her matured son, as bravely and devotedly as she, walking along the familiar road of Light and Knowledge.... Along the cruel earthly road of bitterness and loss...

“Svetodar could never forgive himself for not being here when they needed his protection,” Sever continued quietly again. – Guilt and bitterness gnawed at his pure, warm heart, forcing him to fight even more fiercely with the non-human, who called themselves “servants of God”, “saviors” of the human soul... He clenched his fists and swore to himself for the thousandth time that he would “rebuild” this “wrong” earthly world! Destroy everything false, “black” and evil in him...
On Svetodar’s broad chest was red the bloody cross of the Knights Templar... The Cross in memory of Magdalene. And no Earthly force could make him forget the oath of knightly vengeance. As kind and affectionate as his young heart was to bright and honest people, so ruthless and harsh was his cold brain towards traitors and “servants” of the church. Svetodar was too decisive and strict towards himself, but surprisingly patient and kind towards others. And only people without conscience and honor aroused his real hostility. He did not forgive betrayal and lies in any form they manifested, and fought against this shame of man with all possible means, sometimes even knowing that he could lose.
Suddenly, through a gray veil of rain, strange, unprecedented water ran along the rock hanging right above him, dark splashes of which sprinkled the walls of the cave, leaving eerie brown drops on it... Svetodar, who had gone deep into himself, did not pay attention to it at first, but then Having taken a closer look, I shuddered - the water was dark red! It flowed from the mountain in a stream of dark “human blood”, as if the Earth itself, no longer able to withstand the meanness and cruelty of man, opened with the wounds of all his sins... After the first stream, the second... third... fourth... Until the whole mountain streams of red water did not flow. There was a lot of it... It seemed that the holy blood of Magdalene was crying out for vengeance, reminding the living of her sorrow!.. In the lowlands, seething red streams merged into one, filling the wide river Aude, which, not paying attention to anything , swam majestically, washing the walls of old Carcassonne along the way, carrying its streams further into the warm blue sea...

Red clay in Occitanie

(Having visited these sacred places, I managed to find out that the water in the mountains of Occitania turns red due to red clay. But the sight of running “bloody” water really made a very strong impression...).
Suddenly Svetodar listened warily... but then smiled warmly.
– Are you taking care of me again, uncle?.. I told you a long time ago that I don’t want to hide!
Radan came out from behind the stone ledge, sadly shaking his gray head. The years had not spared him, leaving a hard imprint of anxiety and loss on his bright face... He no longer seemed like that happy young man, that ever-laughing sun-Radan who could once melt even the hardest heart. Now he was a Warrior, hardened by adversity, trying by any means to preserve his most precious treasure - the son of Radomir and Magdalena, the only living reminder of their tragic lives... their courage... their light and their love.