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| Annunciation Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| Благовещенский собор | |
 Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin | |
 Annunciation Cathedral | |
| 55°45′00″N37°37′01″E / 55.75000°N 37.61694°E /55.75000; 37.61694 | |
| Location | Moscow |
| Country | Russia |
| Denomination | Russian Orthodox |
| Website | http://www.kreml.ru/en/kremlin/buildings/Blagoveshenskiy/ |
| History | |
| Consecrated | 1489 |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | Russian |
| Style | Russian |
TheCathedral of the Annunciation (Russian:Благовещенский собор,romanized: Blagoveschensky sobor) inMoscow is aRussian Orthodoxchurch dedicated to theAnnunciation of theTheotokos. It is located on the southwest side ofCathedral Square in theMoscow Kremlin in Russia, where it connects directly to the main building of the complex of theGrand Kremlin Palace, adjacent to thePalace of Facets. It was originally the personal chapel for thetsars, and itsabbot remained a personal confessor of theRussian royal family until the early 20th century. Now it also serves as a part ofMoscow Kremlin Museums.
The Cathedral of the Annunciation was built by architects fromPskov in 1484-1489 as part of Grand DukeIvan III's plans for a large-scale renovation of the Moscow Kremlin.
Construction work began using the existing foundations in 1484 and was completed in August 1489. A number of the early 15th-centuryicons were re-used in the new building. After being badly damaged in a fire in 1547, the then Grand Duke (and subsequently firstRussian Tsar)Ivan the Terrible began a restoration of the church, which was completed in 1564
Many of the church treasures were lost during the occupation of Moscow by the armies of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1612 at the close of theTime of Troubles. It was also damaged by the great Kremlin fire of 1737. During theFrench occupation of Moscow in 1812, the cathedral was used as a barracks and was mostly robbed. It was restored in 1815–1820. During the1917 Russian Revolution, the cathedral was damaged during the fighting. Afterwards, it was closed by theBolshevik regime. During the 1950s, along with the other surviving churches in the Moscow Kremlin, it was preserved as a museum. After 1992, occasional religious services resumed. The church building underwent a restoration in 2009.
From the time of Ivan the Terrible's coronation as tsar, the members of the royal family worshiped at the Annunciation Cathedral, got married and baptized their children there.
Compared with the other two major Kremlin cathedrals, the Annunciation Cathedral has slightly smaller dimensions. The cathedral was built of brick, with facades of whitelimestone that are dressed and decorated.
The interior of the cathedral consists of the central prayer area and several surrounding galleries, with the additions of side altars in the 16th century. The main vault of the cathedral has a largeiconostasis, which includesicons of the 14th to 17th centuries, including the ones painted byAndrei Rublev,Theophanes the Greek andProkhor, and 19th century, as well, particular on the middle tiers.
Throughout the interior, there are fragments of murals painted byTheodosius (1508) and by others (second half of the 16th, 17th and 19th centuries). Behind the altar (where once thesacristy was located) a large silverreliquary containing the remains are of about 50 saints from different places in theMiddle East was discovered in 1894.
