RU-3625726 The Cathedral of the Annuciation in the Moscow Kremlin

The Cathedral of the Annunciation (Благовещенский собор) is a Russian Orthodox church.  It stands at the south end of Sobornaya Ploshad (Cathedral Square) of the Moscow Kremlin. The first church built on this spot was in 1397. The present building dates from 1484, when Ivan III (the Great), the great Muscovite empire-builder, ordered a new cathedral on the site. It was completed in 1489 . 

Generations of princes and tsars added to and altered the Cathedral. The cathedral is famous for its magnificent iconostasis, shielding the sacred part of the church from view. Icons by various artists from the 14^th to 19^th centuries make up the screen.

The Cathedral of the Annunciation was originally built as the domestic church of the Grand Dukes and tsars and was connected (along with the Cathedral of the Archangel) by passages to the private quarters of the royal family. The Cathedral of the Annunciation was badly damaged during the Revolution, when the Kremlin came under attack from artillery fire. In 1918, the cathedral was closed as a place of worship and now it operates officially as a museum although limited religious services are conducted there especially on the Feast of the Annunciation.

The above postcard came from Natalia (8 June 2015) Postcrossing.

This second postcard of the Cathedral of the Annunciation came from Natalya (Postcrossing, July 2018).