Construction of stone Tobolsk Kremlin was launched

At the beginning of the history of Tobolsk, before the Kremlin's construction, there were formed two independent parts of the city - the prison and the Sophia Court. The first prison was located on the left side of the Pryamsky Vzvoz (street) in 1587, and in 1600 it was moved to the right side of the street. In 1621, the Siberian Archdiocese resided in the place of the former prison. The civil buildings of the Maliy (Voznesensky) Gorod and the churches of the Sophia Court were wooden.

In 1697, according to the Decree of the Siberian Prikaz (territorial office functioning on behalf of civil authorities), it was planned to build a fortress with brick walls and towers near the "smaller upper city", and ancient stone ruins. An architect S. Remezov was instructed "to make a drawing" of Tobolsk "with every city house and prison". He studied the stone building in the Moscow Armory, which was responsible for the construction of fortresses at that time. Remezov learned a lot about the best examples of Russian and Western European architecture. Then he was graduated with a special diploma and appointed as a chief architect of the stone Tobolsk Kremlin.

The first building of the stone Tobolsk  Kremlin was launched on May 9 (20), 1700. It was the house the main Siberian administration - the Prikaz Chamber. On October 7 (18), 1701, the governor M. Cherkassky reported to the Siberian Prikaz on the readiness of the Prikaz Chamber. Baked brick was very expensive, to reduce the cost of construction, only the outer layer of the wall was made of it, adobe brick was used for the inner layers. Stone masters were well aware that brick was not the best material for the buildings' bases. Therefore, 50 thousand larch logs were delivered for the construction of the stone Tobolsk Kremlin. They were used as piles for the bases. Larch is not afraid of water, but, on the contrary, it is more strength in a humid environment.

According to the tsar's decree of 1702, it was decided to build the Gostiny Dvor to promote trade with Central Asia, India, China, and Afghanistan. In 1702–1706, the Gostiny Dvor was built in the northwestern corner of the Kremlin. It was a closed complex with corner defensive towers, 67 shops, and 27 cellars.

The Kremlin by Remezov used to be a new administrative center of Siberia. It repeated the broken configuration of the previous walls and corner towers. However, civil buildings had all the stylistic features of Moscow architecture of the XVII century. Remezov's unique talent brought a new interpretation to the composition of the Kremlin. According to his project, it was necessary to rise to the sixty-meter height of the Trinity Square, pass through the triumphal Dmitrievskie Gate, paying tribute to the conqueror of Siberia Ermak, and then - walk along the dense vertical of the tall buildings of the Sophia-Assumption Cathedral and the Ascension Church. The exit from the Kremlin was planned to be at the Spassky Gate with a tower.

Peter the Great patronized Tobolsk with all his might and wished to see the Siberian capital as a city with a respectable image. Prince M. Gagarin, who was appointed as the first governor of Siberian Province in 1708, planned to create in the Kremlin the impressive buildings of the military administration and trade complex, which were to form a monumental center along with the Sofia Court. Captured Swedes, lived in Tobolsk exile, worked on construction. Johann Indrik Wencke was appointed as the director.

In 1715, S. Remezov died. The construction of the multi-storied tower of the Dmitrievsky Gate was frozen. Stone construction in Tobolsk was delayed for almost thirty years.

In 1743-1746, the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin was built as an "additional" building (like the refectory) to the Sophia-Assumption Cathedral. In 1748, the Holy Gates were erected in the northern wall of the Kremlin, reminiscent of the Zaborovsky Gates (Main Gates), constructed in the same year in Kiev.

In 1782, the governorship was established in Tobolsk with function of the Western Siberian cities’ administration. The first provincial architect A. Guchev, who was brought up in the capital's architectural tradition, developed a new master plan of the city, a project for its restructuring. The stone back walls of the Sofia Ravine were erected. In 1799, a new multi-storied bell tower was built, which was the tallest building in the city. In 1799, the governorship was abolished and the construction of large public buildings was finished.

The castle of the transit prison and penitentiary is a special monument in the Kremlin's ensemble of the XIX century. The growth of the reactionary policy in the epoch of Nicholas I significantly increased the flood of exiles and convicts to Tobolsk. It required special facilities. In 1838, the project of the prison castle by the architect Weigel, which provided 250 places for defendants, and 500 for prisoners, was approved in Saint-Petersburg. Taken into consideration a special situation in Tobolsk, the project was different from the projects of ordinary Russian prisons and was designed to 1,500 prisoners. In 1839, Tobolsk lost its former status as the capital of Western Siberia and officially became a distributing city of exiles and convicts. The construction of a prison castle on the territory of the Kremlin was completed in 1855.

The move of the Local Lore Museum to the Bishop's House in 1925 was beneficial for preserving the monuments of the Kremlin. In 1939, the Tobolsk Kremlin was recognized as an architectural and historical monument subject to state protection. In 1952, progressive brickwork destruction was discovered and a restoration project was launched. In 1961, the Tobolsk Museum received the status of a historical and architectural museum-reserve. The conference on the study and protection of monuments in Tobolsk in 1969, prompted the beginning of restoration work. Within 15 years, the walls and towers of the Kremlin as well as the lost painting of arched gables of the St. Sophia Cathedral and the facade of the Gostiny Dvor have been restored. The base of the Rentereya (official building) was strengthened. The Tobolsk Kremlin became an ensemble again.

The Tobolsk Kremlin is the only stone Kremlin in Siberia. The unique landscape and genius of the architect Semyon Remezov, who managed to perfectly unite architecture with the natural environment, made Tobolsk one of the most beautiful cities. "... The one who is willing to see something beautiful must go to Tobolsk", is written about Tobolsk in the historical anthology "Sibirsky Vestnik" ("Siberian Herald").

 

Lit.: Княжев В. Связь времён // Сибирское богатство. 2002. № 6 (с. 35-39); Кочедамов В. И. Строительство кремля // Тобольск: как рос и строился город. Тюмень, 1963 (с. 46-71); Панишев Е. Прогулки вокруг Тобольска вслед за Словцовым и Знаменским. Сказ о Кремле // Югра. 2003. № 5 (с. 30-33); Рахимов В. Г. Тобольский кремль // Большая Тюменская энциклопедия. Т. 3. Р-Я / ред. Г. Ф. Шафранов-Куцев. Тюмень, 2004 (с. 221).

 

Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:

Голодников К. Город Тобольск и его окрестности: ист. очерк. Тобольск, 1886;

Успенский кафедральный собор в г. Тобольске с запада: [фотография] / С. М. Прокудин-Горский. 1912;

Вал и часть ограды Успенского собора в Тобольске: [фотография] / С. М. Прокудин-Горский. 1912;

Тобольск. Павлинная башня Тобольского кремля. XVII в.: [открытка] / А. Мусин. 1969;

Свердловская дорога. Нефтяные поля Приобья: [документальный фильм] / режиссёр: Д. Дьяконов. М., 2012 (про Тобольский кремль с 09:15)

 

The article is based on the materials of the Tyumen branch of the Presidential Library