Annunciation Cathedral

About museum

On the southern part of Cathedral Square, on the brow of Borovitsky Hill, stands the Annunciation Cathedral — one of the oldest monuments of the Moscow Kremlin and rich in works of art. It was built during the reign of the Grand Prince and sovereign "of all Rus'" Ivan III in 1484–1489 and holds historical significance for Russian architecture, since many buildings of the new grand-princely residence were designed by Italian architects. According to the chronicles, the cathedral was built by Pskov craftsmen. It was of great importance to the Russian grand princes and tsars, and in the 16th–17th centuries it was known as "the church at the sovereign's court", "on the galleries" and "in the passages". The cathedral housed valuable relics, icons, books and precious vessels. The head of the church was the tsar's confessor. Family ceremonies were held there: baptisms, weddings and name-day celebrations. After the 1917 Revolution the cathedral was closed, but in 1918 museums were established in the Kremlin, and subsequent activity focused on the study, restoration and preservation of the cathedral and the works of art kept in it.