Cathedral of the Archangel (Arkhangelsky Sobor), Moscow
The Cathedral of the Archangel. Photo by Dave Nicoll.
Cathedral square, with the Cathedral of the Archangel on the left.
Photo by Roel Meurders.
Detail of domes and towers. Photo by Juanjo Seixas.
Choir in the Cathedral of the Archangel. Photo by Alan Cordova.
Fresco-covered interior walls. Photo by Alan Cordova.
The Cathedral of the Archangel (Arkhangelsky sobor) stands on Cathedral Square in Moscow's Kremlin.
History
The Cathedral of the Archangel was constructed between 1505 and 1508 under the supervision of an Italian architect Aleviz Fryazin Noviy on the site of a cathedral built in 1333. The influence of the Italian Renaissance on this cathedral can be seen in its Corinthian capitals and Venetian-style shell scallops along the building's gables.
The cathedral contains frescoes dating to the 16th and 17th centuries painted by Yakov of Kazan, Stepan of Ryazan, Joseph Vladimirov and others. The stonework on the walls of the cathedral was clearly influenced by the Italian Renaissance. There is also a fretted wooden gilded iconostasis 14 feet (13 m) high with icons from the 17th to 19th centuries and church chandeliers dating from the 17th century.
Victories of the Russian military were celebrated in the Cathedral of the Archangel. Russian tsars and grand princes were buried within the cathedral until the 17th century, who remain there to this day (including Ivan I Kalita, Dmitri Donskoi, Ivan the Great, Ivan the Terrible). In total there are 54 burials in the cathedral, 46 ornamented whitestone tombstones (1636-1637) and glazed cases made of bronze (1903).
What to See
The Cathedral of the Archangel also contains sacred relics of the Orthodox Church, including the relics of St. Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy, the miracle-workers of Chernigov and St. Tsarevich Dmitry of Uglich.
| Names: | Архангельский собор; Arkhangelsky Sobor; Archangel Cathedral; Cathedral of the Archangel |
| Type of site: | Cathedral |
| Faith: | Russian Orthodox |
| Dates: | 1505-08 |
| Address: | Kremlin, Moscow, Russia |
| Metro: | Aleksandrovsky Sad or Borovitskaya. |
Map
Location map and satellite view of the Cathedral of the Archangel (center/right marker, in the southeast corner). Using the buttons on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around. For a larger view, see our Moscow Map or get our Google Earth download.
- Cathedral of the Archangel - Official Site of the President of Russia
- Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel - Moscow-Taxi.com
- Arkhangelsky Sobor - Fodor's Online Travel Guide
- Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel - Moscow-Hotels.com
- Kremlin: Archangel Cathedral - Caroun.com
- Archangel Cathedral - Kremlin Guide
