Annunciation Cathedral, Moscow

Annunciation Cathedral, Moscow

Photo from https://annunciation-cathedral.kreml.ru/

History of the Annunciation Cathedral

Imperial Russia

The Blagoveshchensky Cathedral (Annunciation Cathedral) was constructed on the orders of Grand Duke Ivan III between 1484 and 1489. Unlike the other churches on the Moscow Kremlin's Cathedral Square, which were built by Italian architects, the Annunciation Cathedral was constructed by masters from Pskov. The form of the Annunciation Cathedral was further enhanced under Ivan the Terrible, who sought to make it a more fitting chapel for the royal family.

Ivan III intended the Annunciation Cathedral to be the personal chapel for Russia’s royal family, and it was connected to the ceremonial and living quarters of the Kremlin Palace by a stair-passage. In documents of the 16th and 17th centuries, the Annunciation Cathedral is referred to as 'the Prince’s Court’ and ‘the Anteroom’. It was the setting for special occasions from the middle of the 16th century onwards, including royal marriages and baptisms, reception of foreign ambassadors, and important religious ceremonies. Even after St Petersburg became the capital of Russia, the Annunciation Cathedral still retained its importance.

Soviet Russia and beyond

Photo from https://annunciation-cathedral.kreml.ru/

The Annunciation Cathedral was closed following the October Revolution, and suffered damage during the Civil War. However, it was later restored and transformed into a museum to protect the treasures that lay inside. Since 1993, the Patriarch of Russia has led a church service at the Annunciation Cathedral to mark the Feast of the Annunciation.

What can you see at the Annunciation Cathedral?

Photo from https://annunciation-cathedral.kreml.ru/

Architecture and art

Despite its small size the Annunciation Cathedral is a true work of art, both inside and out. Nine golden domes sit atop the white stone church, and its design embodies the religious architectural traditions of ancient Pskov and Moscow, decorated with tiers of semi-circular niches and kokoshniks, arches, and elegant fretwork.
Underneath its many gilded domes, the cathedral is adorned with murals of religious and royal figures and scenes (some murals are originals from the 16th century), and icons by masters including Simon Ushakov and Andrey Rublev. Inside stands one of Russia’s oldest iconostases, decorated with icons from the 14th to 19th centuries, and in its centre is a silver door leading to the staircase to the Tsar’s personal chambers in the Kremlin Palace.

Exhibitions

The basement of the Annunciation Cathedral houses an exhibition dedicated to the history of the settlement of Borovitsky Hill (upon which the Kremlin was constructed) and a collection of the Kremlin’s treasures and antiques from the 12th and 17th centuries. The Southern Gallery on the first floor is home to an exhibition of precious icons, religious sculpture and reliquaries.