5 . T H E
A N N U N C I A T I
O N
C A T H E D R A L
КРЕМЛЬ
Built under the Grand Duke , the sovereign of " All
Russia " Ivan III in 1484 - 1489 , the Cathedral of the
Annunciation is of particular importance in the
history of Russian architecture , since most of the
buildings of the new Grand Prince Ivan III were
erected by Italian architects , the cathedral became
an outstanding monument to the national
architectural tradition . According to the chronicles ,
it was created by Pskov masters .
The Annunciation Cathedral was the home church
of the Russian great princes and kings for centuries ,
in documents of the 16th – 17th centuries it was
called “ the temple on the sovereign ' s court ”, “ in the
passage ”, “ at the crossings ”, because the building of
the temple was part of the complex of the grand
duke , and then the royal palace , consisting of
individual chambers . Sacred relics were preserved
in the cathedral from ancient times : relics ,
especially revered icons , old books , precious vessels .
The prior of the Annunciation Cathedral has
traditionally been the clergyman of the king . In the
cathedral , ceremonies of a family nature were
performed : they baptized the royal children ,
married them together , celebrated birthday days .
After the 1917 revolution , the cathedral was closed .
In 1918 , museums were organized in the Kremlin ,
and all further activities were aimed at studying ,
restoring and preserving the cathedral and works of
art stored in it .
In 1989 , the Annunciation Cathedral celebrated its
500th anniversary . An exhibition of icons and
church items related to the history of the cathedral
was opened at the southern gallery .
Since 1993 , services have been resumed in the
cathedral on the feast day of the Annunciation ,
which are performed by the Patriarch of Moscow
and All Russia .