The Cycle ‘Credo' in the Frescoes Decoration of the Archangel Cathedral of Moscow Kremlin

Abstract

The cycle «Credo» in the decoration of the Archangel cathedral is the first survived example in Ancient Russian art. These frescoes were created in 1652-1666, but we know, that they repeated the iconographical program of Ivan Terrible's time decoration (1564-1565). Besides, the frescoes of XVI с. followed the composition scheme of the icon, ordered for Kremlin Annunciation cathedral after 1547. The main peculiarity of the cycle «Credo» in Archangel cathedral is that every composition here has an inscription-citation from prayer «Credo». The compositions illustrate every paragraph. To create some compositions of this cycle ancient iconographical schemes were used. Sometimes they were composed with new, original motives. In a number of compositions, we could discover the motives, taken out of sophisticated scheme of icon «The Last Judgment», which also was created for Annunciation cathedral after 1547. Sometimes absolutely new compositions were generated using Western European art iconographical motives. There is a persistent opinion, that Eastern Christian art by contrast with Western European art had not the tradition to illustrate «Credo», and so its first example was born under western art influence. Indeed, in Byzantine Art we don't know works of art, which relation with Credo is confirmed by texts. But we know, that the theological content of the decorative system of byzantine cathedral comported to the sense of prayer Credo. Some examples of byzantine and ancient Russian art, as for instance, Alexeevskyi Cross, decorated with scenes from Nativity to Resurrection, show us, that in Eastern Christian Art its own line of this theme development existed. The cycle «Credo» in the Archangel cathedral rolls call not only with West European works of art, but uses deeply internal resource, which byzantine roots are common for West and East.