Cathedral of the Archangel

The 16th-century Cathedral of the Archangel (Arkhangelsky sobor) stands on Cathedral Square in Moscow's Kremlin.

The Cathedral of the Archangel was commissioned by Ivan the Great (1440-1505) and constructed between 1505 and 1508 under the supervision of an Italian architect Aleviz Fryazin Noviy. The new edifice was built over the site of an earlier cathedral dating from 1333.

The Archangel Cathedral has played an important role in Russian political history, hosting celebrations of victories by the Russian military and the burials of tsars and grand princes until 1712, when the capital moved to St. Petersburg.

In total there are 54 burials in the cathedral, included 46 ornamented whitestone tombs and glazed cases made of bronze. Especially notable among the long-term residents are Ivan Kalita ("Moneybags"; c.1304-20), Dmitri Donskoi, Ivan the Great, and Ivan the Terrible (1530-84) behind the altar.

The influence of the Italian Renaissance on the Archangel Cathedral can be seen in its Corinthian capitals, Venetian-style shell scallops along the building's gables and stonework on the walls.

The cathedral contains frescoes dating to the 16th and 17th centuries painted by Yakov of Kazan, Stepan of Ryazan, Joseph Vladimirov and others. Fragments of the original medieval frescoes can be seen in the altar area.

The gilded Baroque iconostasis rises 43 feet (13 m) high and is covered with icons from the 17th to 19th centuries; the chandeliers dating from the 17th century.

The Cathedral of the Archangel contains several sacred relics of the Orthodox Church, including the remains of St. Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy, the miracle-workers of Chernigov and St. Tsarevich Dmitry of Uglich.