CATHEDRAL OF THE DORMITION

Description

Essentials about the Cathedral of the Dormition in brief

Those who visit the Moscow Kremlin should not forget to pay a visit to the Cathedral of the Dormition. Often called the Cathedral of the Assumption, it is the largest of the many places of worship in the Kremlin and the oldest fully preserved building in Moscow. Moreover, the cathedral has great historical significance: the Russian tsars were crowned here from the mid-16th to the end of the 19th century, and the Moscow metropolitans and the patriarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church were buried here from the late 16th to the early 18th century.

The location of the Cathedral of the Dormition

The Cathedral of the Dormition stands free on the highest point of the Kremlin hill on the north side of the Cathedral Square. A narrow alley separates it from the Patriarchal Chambers and the Twelve Apostles Church to the north. To the southwest rises the Ivan the Great Bell Tower and to the south, at the opposite end of the square, the Cathedral of the Archangel. To the southwest, also separated from the church only by a narrow passage, stands the Palace of Facets.

The history of the Cathedral of the Dormition

The Cathedral of the Dormition from the 12th to the 14th century

There are no records about the early construction history of the cathedral. Due to the excavation of a medieval burial ground with precious grave goods it is assumed that already in the middle of the 12th century a wooden church stood on the site of the present cathedral. The first church building that can be proved with certainty was erected in 1326/27 and was connected with the planned expansion of the Kremlin under Prince Ivan Kalita. It was a modest church made of limestone, which was not only the main municipal church, but also functioned as the metropolitans’ new domestic church after their seat was transferred to Moscow.

The Cathedral of the Dormition in the 15th century

This first stone church was already in such poor structural condition around 1470/71 that a new building was begun in 1472. The new Moscow Cathedral was intended to be a magnificent building to illustrate Moscow’s rank as the new center of Orthodoxy, which the city had held since the conquest of Byzantium by the Ottomans in 1453. However, the structure collapsed shortly before its completion in 1474. Whether an earthquake was the cause or whether static and material inadequacies triggered the catastrophe has not been clarified to this day.

The fact is, however, that as a result of the disaster, the previous architects were deprived of the construction management and Tsar Ivan III had a master builder recruited in Italy, which at the time was known as the cradle of the Renaissance for its highly developed building techniques. They found what they were looking for in Aristotele Fioravanti from Bologna, who set off for Moscow in 1475. Fioravanti had the ruins of the cathedral completely cleared away and built the present church in only four years of construction. At the express wish of the Moscow Metropolitan, Fioravanti took the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary in Vladimir as a model for his new building, but he also used elements and techniques of Renaissance architecture. Although the cathedral was consecrated as early as August 1479, the rich interior decoration took until the second decade of the 16th century to complete.

The Cathedral of the Dormition from the 16th to the 19th century

The lighthouse effect of the new main church of Orthodoxy and the revolutionary construction methods that Fioravanti had introduced in Russia gave rise to numerous new church buildings elsewhere that were more or less closely based on the Moscow model. Especially the five-domed type (the domes symbolize Jesus Christ and the four evangelists) became widespread.

In the following centuries the cathedral was devastated several times by fires and invaders. At the end of the 19th century the cathedral was restored to its original state. Among other things, the original size of the apse windows was reconstructed and the wall and ceiling paintings inside were freed from the overpaintings of the late 17th to 19th centuries.

The Cathedral of the Dormition in the 20th century

Soon after the new Soviet Russian government moved to Moscow in 1918, the cathedral, like all other churches in the Moscow Kremlin, was closed for worship and declared a museum. In 1922, the Soviet regime confiscated most of the furnishings and church treasures, most of which were transferred to the Kremlin Armory and Tretyakov Gallery. Some pieces were sold abroad for foreign currency. A revival of the Cathedral of the Dormition as a place of worship took place only a few years before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In 1991 the cathedral was finally returned to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Architecture and interior design of the Cathedral of the Dormition

The Cathedral of the Dormition is a magnificent building both from the outside and the inside. From the outside, the five large golden domes dominate the white facade. Inside the cathedral, visitors can expect a magnificent display of religious artwork. The oldest parts of the rich painting date back to the 15th century. However, the majority of the church’s frescoes date from the mid-17th century.

The highlight of the cathedral is the enormous five-tier iconostasis in front of the central east apse. Its core dates from 1547, but it was added to in the 17th century. In addition to its liturgical function, the iconostasis also served as a gallery of glory of the Muscovite war victories, as the most important icons from the conquered cities were installed in it. One of the oldest and most significant examples from the point of view of art history is the Icon with the bust of St. George from the 12th century. To the left of the King’s Door was the Icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir (also from the 12th century), one of the most important cult images of the Russian Orthodox Church.

And those who have always wanted to see the throne of Tsar Ivan the Terrible can also do so in the Cathedral of the Dormition. The magnificent wood carvings of the throne depict the handing over of the Byzantine imperial insignia to the Kiev Grand Prince Vladimir Monomakh and the giving of Monomakh’s cap to Ivan IV.