The Context of Change

This exhibit will focus on and compare Russian architecture in two periods of time. The first period of time is medieval Russia, which can be defined to be from 980, the beginning of Vladimir I the Saint's reign over the principalities of Kievan Rus’, to 1584, the end of Ivan IV the Terrible’s rule over an integrated Russian state positioned around Muscovy. The second period of time is the Russian Revival period, which mostly took place in the last quarter of the 19th century, but whose influences can be documented as early as 1826.

Very broadly, these stylistic periods represent a Hegelian dialectic: from the thesis of a distinct Byzantine-influenced Russian style in the medieval period; to the antithesis of a number of deviant styles such as the gothic and baroque; to a synthesis found in the Russian Revival style, which was a modern but nostalgic interpretation of Byzantine style and pre-Peterine Russian design.

But to fully understand the significance of Moscow's architectural trajectory, one must consider a number of contextual trends that stretch between medieval and late imperial Russia with similar oscillations.

Naturally, we must first consider the role of religion and secularism in Russian culture. The medieval style arose after Kievan Rus' adopted Christianity in 988. Byzantine culture, derived from the Eastern Roman empire, is both that which forever differentiated Eastern Orthodoxy from its Western counterparts, and that which eventually lended legitimacy to ___'s claim that Moscow was the "Third Rome."

Then, consider the fluctuating position of Moscow within Russia. Moscow emerged as a centrally important city in tandem to the emergence of a unified Russia, and was therefore always strategically positioned for cultural importance. It served as the epicenter of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, a nearly 500-year period during which Moscow was of cultural and political paramounce. In 1712, However, it was relegated to be in St. Petersburg’s shadow for a few hundred years.

Third, given Russia's unique political trajectories, 

And finally,