The Cathedral of the Archangel is the second important church of Kremlin. The magnificent masterpiece of Russian Architecture was built in 1505-1509 by Aleviz Noviy, an architect from Italy. The design of the Cathedral contains five domes, that are shifted to the east. The center one is covered with gold and the others are covered with silver.
The Cathedral of the Archangel was a burial place for the Russian monarchs until the end of the 17th century. There is a total of 54 graves of male members of the Russian Tsar's family, such as Ivan Kalita, Ivan IV Grozny, and others. The remains of Russian Queens and princesses were also moved here in 1929, after the demolition of the Voznesenskiy monastery.
The walls are covered with old frescoes made by such masters as Simon Ushakov, Stepan Ryazancev, and others in the mid of the 17th century. The Cathedral also contains significant relics of the Russian Orthodox Church.
In 1955 the Cathedral has been renovated and nowadays it is used as a museum, but on important Orthodox holidays, the divine services are held there as well.
