Archangel Cathedral

The Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin

and Necropolis of the Archangel Cathedral

view from the north

1333 - Ivan I laid the foundation for a small church dedicated to St. Michael, and entrusts his successors to bury him there. 

1505-1508 - On the place of the old church a new cathedral is built by Aleviz Novi, a specially invited Italian architect. It merges Russian and Italian architecture; crowned with five Russian domes and a Renaissance facade.

1508 - The remains of the Russian princes are transported to the new cathedral.

1564 - By order of Ivan the Terrible, the cathedral is painted with frescoes.

1600's - Two small chapels are added, old gravestones are replaced with new ones, cathedral is newly painted and a new iconostasis is made.

1730 - Peter II is the last monarch to be buried in the cathedral.

1820-24 - Restoration of the cathedral after the French invasion.

1918 - The liturgies cease in the cathedral.

1991 - The liturgies are resumed.

view from the west

north and west

Western portal

The royal necropolis of the cathedral is the greatest one in Russia.  The burials took part here between 1340 and 1730.  Sarcophagi were put in the earth under the floor and funeral monuments with white stone plates were put above them.  The necropolis counts more than fifty graves.  The oldest of them are situated near the southern wall.  The apanage princes were buried near the western wall and those out of favor near the northern one.  Ivan the Terrible and two of his sons lay in the special Tsar vault in the alter part.  The graves of the Romanov dynasty members are located near the columns.

Funerary portraits are a unique feature of the cathedral.  In the bottom part of the walls, above the graves their stylized portraits are painted.  They look with veneration to the altar; their hands are raised in a pious gesture.  Above their heads there are halos.  In the medallions, their patron saints are depicted (see above).

The Ascension monastery was the burial place for the Grand Duchesses and Tsarinas and for three centuries served as the largest Kremlin necropolis for the female members of the families.  The Ascension monastery did not survive under Revolutionary time. The convent was demolished and the tombs of the Grand Duchesses and Tsarinas were transferred to the underground chamber under the south annex of the Archangel Chamber.

Archangel Michael with the Deeds of Angels

This is the main icon and is said to be the oldest one.  It was made on orders from Princess Eudocia, the widow of Dmitry Donskoy, who had a vision of St. Michael.  The icon, painted around 1399, made part of the iconostasis of the old Archangel Church.  St. Michael, a heavenly warrior, is depicted in the centerpiece, wearing armor and a red cloak.  He is surrounded by eighteen border scenes depicting the deeds of angels.

No pictures were allowed inside.

Virtual tour:  http://archangel-cathedral.kreml.ru/en-Us/virtual-tour/

About the museum:  www.kreml.ru/en-Us/about-museums/kremlin/

Or see:  Museums of the Moscow Kremlin

visited:  Saturday, November 21, 2015