Palace of the Facets
The Palace of Facets is the oldest secular building, not only in the Kremlinbut in the whole of Moscow.
Built in 1487-91 by MarcoRuffo and Pietro Antonio Solari,it is the only part of the huge complex constituted by the GreatKremlin Palace, the Terem Palaceand associated buildings which has been almost completely preserved inits original form. The name of the palace, which is almost exactly squarein plan, comes from the faceted limestone blocks which pattern the mainfront - a form of rustication which originated in the Early Italian Renaissance.
The Palace of Facets is a large chamber with high grained vaults restingon a thick central rectangular pillar. Its area is 495 square metres andits height is 9 metres. Murals were painted for the first time in the late16th century. In 1882 the Palekh painters, the Belousov brothers, restoredthe murals of the Palace of Facets from the copies made 200 years previouslyby Simon Ushakov. The Palace of Facets served as the tsar's audience chamberand banqueting hall.
© State Museums of the Moscow Kremlin.
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