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, which has been mentioned in historical records. In the 14th century,
Metropolitan Peter persuaded
Ivan I (Ivan Kalita) that he should build a
cathedral to the
Theotokos (
Blessed Virgin Mary) in
Moscow like the
Cathedral of the Dormition in the capital city
of Vladimir. Construction of the cathedral began on August 4, 1326, and the cathedral was finished and
consecrated on August 4, 1327. At that time, Moscow became the capital of the
Vladimir-Suzdal principality. . 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 an earthquake.
Present structure Following the disaster,
Ivan III then invited
Aristotele Fioravanti, a celebrated architect and engineer from
Bologna,
Italy, to come to Moscow and entrusted him with the task of designing the cathedral from scratch in the traditions of
Russian architecture. The Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir was once again taken as a model for the building, and so Fioravanti travelled to Vladimir in order to study Russian methods of building. He designed a light and spacious masterpiece that combined the spirit of the
Renaissance with Russian traditions. The foundation for the new cathedral was laid in 1475, and in 1479 the new cathedral was consecrated by
Metropolitan Geronty. The interior was painted with
frescoes and adorned with many
icons, including the
Theotokos of Vladimir and
Blachernitissa. The design of the new church, with its five domes (symbolic of
Jesus Christ and the
Four Evangelists), proved immensely popular and was taken as a template for numerous other churches throughout Russia. In 1547, the
coronation of the first Russian
Tsar,
Ivan the Terrible, took place in this cathedral. From 1721, it was the scene of the
coronation of the Russian emperors. The ritual installation of
metropolitans and patriarchs of the
Russian Orthodox Church 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 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
Tikhon (Bellavin), the
Metropolitan of Moscow, as the first patriarch of the restored
Patriarchate of Moscow. However, following the
1917 Russian Revolution, the new
Bolshevik government closed all churches in the Moscow Kremlin and converted the cathedral into a museum. By special permission from
Vladimir Lenin, the last
Pascha (Easter service) was held in 1918. The final moment of this Paschal service was the subject of an unfinished painting by
Pavel Korin entitled
Farewell to Rus. Most of the church treasures were transferred to the
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==