The Kremlin's hidden past: Remains of buildings, graves and people Soviets tried to destroy discovered under Russia's seat of power

It is the ultimate symbol of Russian power – an imperial palace that was commandeered by the communists and remains the seat of government today.

But now archaeologists have discovered some clues to the Kremlin’s distant past that the Soviets attempted to wipe out after they came to power.

Hidden beneath the foundations of a military school erected within the Kremlin in 1932 they have unearthed the remains of a monastery that dates back 635 years and pottery from 100BC.

Excavations in basement of the current building, known as the 14th Corpus, have revealed some of the original foundation stones that formed the Cathedral of the Miracle of Archangel Michael.

It formed part of Chudov Monastery that stood on the site before it was torn down by the communists as part of an attempt by Joseph Stalin to wipe out the 'imperial past' of the Kremlin.

The modern building is currently used as an administrative building by the Russian government.

Scattered among these 14th Century foundations, archaeologists have also found inscribed tomb stones and metal keys that were used by the original settlers on the Kremlin hill in the 12th Century.

Silver crosses, glass bracelets and even the remains of people buried under the cathedral in the 16th Century have also been unearthed.

A statement released by the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which has been leading the excavation, said archaeologists had also found ceramics from around 100BC, which would have been when Finns populated the area around the Moscow River.

They have also found the layers of soil containing remnants from the original Slav settlement on the east side of the Kremlin hill.

The statement said: ‘The most ancient of Moscow’s city life, which preceded the founding of the monastery, is represented by grooved palisades which divided the city’s yards, and by rectangular pits dug into the ground to a depth of 1.5-2 metres (5-6.5 feet).

‘These were cellars of substantial houses standing above ground – they were below the ground floor and were used for storing provisions.

‘This type of cellars has a southern origin on the Dnepre, but spread northwards to the cities of Vladimir and Suzdal and then later to Moscow.

‘Six such cellars were found during excavations dating from the latter 12th to the 13th centuries. They provide evidence of intense building development in this area of the Kremlin, which must have begun not later than the end of the 12th century.’

Among the items archaeologists found from this early period were jewellery, knives, keys, locks, writing styluses and book fasteners.

Carbon dating has put these at around 1215 to 1280AD.

One unique find was set of stone molds for casting metal weights, some of which bore half a dozen letters that read RIYAN. Experts believe these were used by a jeweller or other craftsman.

In around 1365, the Chudov Monastery was established in the eastern Kremlin by Saint Alexius, Metropolitan bishop of Moscow and All Russia.

The Cathedral of the Miracle of Archangel Michael, which formed part of the monastery, was rebuilt twice – once in 1438 and later in 1501-1503.

Many of the stones used to build the original cathedral were resused in the later constructions. 

However, it was destroyed in 1932 when the 14th Corpus was built to house a new military school for the Soviets.

The ground beneath the 14th Corpus is being excavated as the building is being demolished.

The basements of the 14th Corpus buildings conceal an area of 500 square metres, but archaeologists found that some of the ancient foundations that preceded it remain beneath its concrete floor.

That official statement said: ‘The most ancient deposits, along with a section of burials from the monastery’s churchyard, have been well preserved.’ 

‘Directly below the concrete floor of the 1930s basement there are untouched cultural strata of the 12th to the 14th centuries.’

The excavations also uncovered part of the monastic cemetery that sat outside the cathedral. The arcaheologists found 100 burials from between the 15th and 17th century.

Some were found in sarcophagi made from white stone featuring semiciruclar headrests.

This suggests they were perhaps for members of the nobility and the highest caste of the boyar aristocracy.

The statement said: ‘Regrettably none of the burials now feature any kind of tombstone or inscription by which the archaeologists might identify the deceased.

‘The only evidence of such inscriptions was located in the foundation of one of the columns of the 1932 building.

‘Yet the stone inscription hints at the social grouping who found eternal rest within the Chudov Monastery.

‘This is the tombstone of one Vassily Glebovich Saltykov, who died, as the stone tells us, on “German soil near Paida”.

‘The fortress of Paida was stormed by Russian troops in 1573 – a military operation in which the notorious boyar and henchman Maliuta Skuratov was killed.

‘The fortress’s capture was one of the most famous incidents of the Livonian Wars.’

Archaeologists also discovered a layer of soot and burned material from around the mid 13th century, which they believe may be the remains of buildings destroyed in the sack of Moscow by Batu-Khan.

The Mongul leader, who was the grandson of Genghis Khan and founder of the Golden Horde, burned Moscow in the winter of 1237-1238.

Researchers from the Institute of Archaeology are hoping further research will reveal more about the items they have found.

They are also hoping to place many of them in a museum while Russian President Vladamir Putin has even suggested rebuilding of the Chudov Monastery.