Dormition Cathedral, Moscow

Coordinates: 55°45′04″N 37°37′01″E / 55.75111°N 37.61694°E / 55.75111; 37.61694
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(Redirected from
Cathedral of the Dormition
)
Assumption Cathedral
Успенский Собор
Russian
Years built1475–1479
Groundbreaking1326

The Cathedral of the Dormition (

Muscovite Russia
.

The cathedral was originally constructed using stone in 1326 under Ivan I.[1] The cathedral was rebuilt between 1475 and 1479 at the behest of the grand prince Ivan III to a design by the Italian architect Aristotele Fioravanti.[2] From 1547 to 1896 the coronation of Russian monarchs took place here. In addition, the cathedral is the burial place for most of the Moscow Metropolitans and Patriarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church; it also serves as a part of Moscow Kremlin Museums.

History

Early history

Archaeological investigations in 1968 indicated that the site of the present cathedral was a medieval burial ground, supporting the hypothesis that a wooden church existed on the site in the 12th century. This was replaced by a limestone structure built around 1326,[3] which has been mentioned in historical records.

The Cathedral of the Dormition, Moscow Kremlin (east façade, winter).
Northern door

In the 14th century,

consecrated on August 4, 1327. At that time Moscow became the capital of the Vladimir-Suzdal
principality.

Dormition cathedral of Ivan Kalita. Reconstruction by Sergey Zagraevsky.
Scheme of Metropolitans' and Patriarchs' graves in Cathedral.

By the end of the 15th century the old cathedral had become dilapidated, and in 1472 the Moscow architects Kryvtsov and Myshkin began construction of a new cathedral. Two years later, in May 1474, the building was nearing completion when it collapsed due to earthquake.[4]

Present structure

Following the disaster,

Theotokos of Vladimir and Blachernitissa.[6]

The design of the new church, with its five domes (symbolic of

) proved immensely popular, and was taken as a template for numerous other churches throughout Russia.

In 1547, the

also took place in this cathedral, and their tombs are to be found here.

The cathedral suffered from many disasters in its history, including fires in 1518, 1547, 1682, and 1737,[8] and looting under the armies of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth during the Time of Troubles in 1612. During the French occupation of Russia, it was looted and used as a horse stable.

It was thoroughly restored in 1894-1895 and from 1910 to 1918. On November 21, 1917, the cathedral was the setting for the installation of

Kremlin Armory
, or were sold overseas.

The building was repaired in 1949/50, 1960 and 1978.

In 1990, the Dormition Cathedral was returned to the church for periodic religious services, shortly before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It was restored to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1991.

Architecture

Blessed Be the Host of the King of Heaven, the cathedral's famous icon measuring 4 meters in width

Dormition Cathedral is a tremendous six-pillared building with five apses and five domes. It was modeled after the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir, in that it made extensive use of limestone masonry on a high limestone base, and was laid out as a three

Corinthian columns
. The slim shape of these columns contributes significantly to the light, spacious effect of the interior.

Inside, the church decoration is dominated by its

Ivan IV
on the conquest of the city of Veliky Novgorod in 1561.

However, one of the most important icons of the Russian Orthodox Church, the

Theotokos of Vladimir kept at the cathedral from 1395 to 1919 is now at the Tretyakov Gallery
.

Near the south entrance to the cathedral is the Monomach Throne of Ivan IV (1551).

In the arts

The plaza in front of the cathedral is the setting for the famous Coronation Scene in Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov.

Notes

  1. .
  2. .
  3. ^ Moscow, Northern Europe: International Dictionary of Historic Places, Vol. 2, ed. Trudy Ring, Noelle Watson, Paul Schellinger, (Routledge, 2013), 497.
  4. ^ Dmitriĭ Olegovich Shvidkovskiĭ, Russian Architecture and the West, (Yale University Press, 2007), 84.
  5. ^ Mark M. Jarzombek, Vikramaditya Prakash and Francis D.K. Ching, A Global History of Architecture, (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2011), 544.
  6. .
  7. ^ Isabel de Madariaga, Ivan the Terrible, (Yale University Press, 2005), 50.
  8. ^ Seeing the Sights in Eighteenth century Russia: the Moscow Kremlin, Lindsey Hughes, Eighteenth century Russia: society, culture, economy: Wittenberg 2004, ed. Roger P. Bartlett, Gabriela Lehmann-Carli, (LIT Verlag Munster, 2007), 320.

See also

  • Dormition of the Theotokos

References

External links