Annunciation Cathedral
From Moscowiki
Annunciation Cathedral (part of Kremlin), or blagoveschensky sobor was built without any Italian participation. In 1484-1489 Pskov masters Krivtsov and Myshkin erected a new cathedral at the place of the ancient Annunciation Church. First three-domed, it was surrounded by the open gallery from three sides. Later, in 1562-1564, the galleries were enclosed, six new domes were added and four new chapels at corners were built on. And now this nine-domed masterpiece of Russian architecture proudly gleams with its gold-plated roof.
The Annunciation Cathedral was the Royal Family’s private chapel, and cathedral’s senior presbyter was Grand Princes’ and Tsars’ confessor. Northern and eastern galleries served as a main entrance to the Tsar’s Palace. When Ivan the Terrible was excommunicated for his fourth marriage and therefore not allowed to assist at the service, he has converted the southern gallery into the Archangel Gabriel Chapel, where he prayed alone and watched services thorough a grille. The iconostasis of his chapel you can still see in the southern gallery of the cathedral.
The main cathedral’s iconostasis unites icons from XIV to XVIII centuries and is of great cultural and artistic value. Some researchers are sure that six icons of the deisus tier are painted by Theophanes the Greek, one of the most famous icon painters. The icon “Archangel Mikhail” and some other icons form the festival tier are attributed to Andrey Rublev, an outstanding medieval Russian iconpainter.
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