Moscow Guide
The Kremlin
The Cathedral of the Annunciation
Address: South of the Faceted Palace
The golden-domed Cathedral of the Annunciation (Blagoveshchenskiy sobor) served as the private church of the Grand Dukes and Tsars. It stands on the site of a church built by Dmitri Donskoy's son, Vasily I, the foundations and undercroft of which were incorporated into the existing structure, erected in 1448–49 by master stonemasons from Pskov at the behest of Ivan III. The cathedral was badly damaged in the conflagration that swept Moscow in 1547, shortly after the coronation of Ivan the Terrible, and it was restored in 1562–64. The tsar had the cathedral's gallery enclosed, a domed chapel added to each corner, and two false domes erected, bringing the total to nine. The domes, roof and tops of the apses were then sheathed in gold (supposedly looted from Novgorod, after Ivan sacked the city), giving rise to the cathedral's nickname, "gold-topped". Notice the inverted crescents at the base of the crosses above the domes, symbolizing the triumph of Orthodoxy over Islam. Its tiers of gables and kokoshniki reflect the influence of early Moscow architecture, while the intricately carved frieze below the domes is a typical feature of Pskov churches.
Visitors enter via the steps at the northeast corner; the other, covered, porch was added in 1572, after Ivan the Terrible married for the fourth time, contrary to the rules of the Orthodox faith, which allow only three marriages. The Church Council dared not refuse him a special dispensation, but salved its conscience by stipulating that the tsar henceforth attend services via a separate entrance, and observe them from behind a grille. You can follow in his footsteps by climbing the steps of the Groznenskiy Porch (whose name derives from the sobriquet Grozny, meaning "Awesome" or "Terrible") alongside the road leading to the Armoury Palace.