The Palace of Facets is one of the most ancient surviving civil buildings in Moscow. It was constructed between 1487 and 1491 by the Italian architects Marco Fryazin, also known as Marco Ruffo, and Pietro Solario as a great hall for receptions at the court of the tsar Ivan III in Moscow Kremlin.
The main one-pillar hall is on the first floor of the Palace of Facets. It has a square shape and the characteristic vaults of that period supported by a single pillar in the middle of the hall. The main hall of the Palace of Facets has an area of 495 m2.
The palace was named after the stonework of its façade facing the Cathedral Square. The façade consists of horizontal rows of sharp-edged stones. External staircase and the Red Porch also face the Cathedral Square.
Inside the main hall of the Palace of Facets was painted by Simon Ushakov in the traditional Russian style. But Peter I decided to paint these frescoes over and just hang the draperies. However, in 1881 the frescoes were restored by the icon painters from Palekh.
