Dormition Cathedral, Eastern Orthodox cathedral in Moscow Kremlin, Russia
The Dormition Cathedral is a white-stone and brick Russian Orthodox church on the north side of Cathedral Square in the Moscow Kremlin. Three tall drums rise above the roofline, each capped with a gold onion dome and cross, the central one highest; arched gables, a rounded portal and a row of semicircular niches mark the facade. It has six pillars, five apses and a three-nave interior.
The building was constructed between 1475 and 1479 under the order of Ivan III. It replaced an earlier church from the early 14th century and later became the primary location for the coronation ceremonies of Russian rulers.
The cathedral is dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin, so most frescoes on the north and south walls depict scenes from her life. The five-tier iconostasis, almost 16 metres high, was covered in repoussé gilt silver at the end of the 19th century. The 11th-century Virgin of Vladimir icon was brought to Moscow in 1395 and placed here.
The cathedral stands on the north side of Cathedral Square in the Moscow Kremlin, separated from the Patriarch's Palace by a narrow alley. Enter through the arched portal on the facade; the interior is reached past the five-tiered iconostasis, nearly 16 metres high. The building is part of the Kremlin Museums and returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1991, so services are held periodically.
An Italian architect named Aristotele Fioravanti designed the building, combining Italian architectural ideas with Russian building styles. This mixture was unusual for the time and made the building an example of cultural collaboration between East and West.
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