Moscow Guide
The Kremlin
The Cathedral of the Assumption
Across the square from the Ivan the Great Belltower stands the oldest and most important of the Kremlin churches, whose massive walls and gilded helmet-shaped domes have the stern serenity of a warrior monk. The Cathedral of the Assumption (Uspenskiy sobor) has symbolized Moscow's claim to be the protector of Russian Orthodoxy ever since the seat of the Church was transferred here from Vladimir in 1326, together with a revered icon that was installed in a small cathedral erected by Ivan I.
By the 1470s this cathedral had become so decrepit that Ivan III ordered a replacement worthy of Moscow's stature; unfortunately the first effort by native builders collapsed before completion, so Ivan hired the Bolognese architect Alberti Fioravanti – dubbed "Aristotle" – who arrived in 1475, bringing engineering techniques a century ahead of any in Russia.
The cathedral's subsequent history reflects its role as Russia's premier church, used throughout Tsarist times for coronations and solemn acts of state. Here, Ivan III tore up the charter that bound Russia's princes to pay tribute to the Tatar Khans; divine intercession was invoked during calamities; Te Deums were sung to celebrate victories; and the Patriarchs of the Orthodox Church were inaugurated and buried. In times of woe, the cathedral also suffered: Napoleon's cavalry stabled their horses here in 1812, while in 1917 it was shelled during fighting between the Bolsheviks and White troops.
The current entrance is through the doorway sited opposite the Church of the Deposition of the Robe, which has now been enclosed to form a vestibule.