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The Annunciation Cathedral
The Cathedral of the Annunciation stands at the south
end of Sobornaya Ploshad (Cathedral Square). The building
dates from 1484, when Ivan III ordered a new cathedral on
the site. It was completed in 1489 by Krivtsov and Mishkin,
masons from Pskov, who blended Greek and Russian styles
in their design.
Ivan IV (the Terrible) had the cathedral rebuilt in the 16 th century and added
four small side chapels, each with a single dome and all domes were gilded.
The cathedral is famous for its magnificent iconostasis, shielding the sacred
part of the church from view. Icons by various artists from the 14 th to 19th centuries
make up the screen. Icons on the prayer tier are ascribed to the legendary Russian
Painter Andrei Rublev, the greatest of the Russian icon-painters (whose work can
also be seen in the State Tretyakov Gallery) and Theosofanus the Greek, possibly
Rublev's mentor, with whom he frequently collaborated.
The Cathedral of the Annunciation was originally built as the domestic church
of the Grand Dukes and tsars and was connected by passages to the private
quarters of the royal family. The cathedral was used to celebrate name days,
weddings, baptisms and so forth. The Cathedral of the Annunciation was badly
damaged during the Revolution, when the Kremlin came under attack from
artillery fire. In 1918, the cathedral was closed as a place of worship and now it
operates officially as a museum.
Источник:http://www.moscow.info/kremlin/churches/cathedral-annunciation.aspx