The Kremlin

Jon suggested we take a tour of the Kremlin. Initially we wanted to see the armory museum but the timing just didn't work out. So, instead we did the cathedral tour. It's great because you get to walk inside the Kremlin and you are actually able to see quite a bit behind the red walls!

 

This is the Assumption Cathedral and it was the country's central place 

of worship. This is also were the Russian Tsars and Emperors were

crowned. It was built in 1475-1479. The ornate door was made

specifically as the entrance to the royals. During these times, the

capital was St. Petersburg so they had to travel quite a bit to get

crowned and make their grand entrance into the cathedral.

 

This is the Archangel Cathedral built from

1505-1508. It's where the Great Princes,

local Princes, and Tsars are buried.  Too

bad we couldn't take pictures inside!

This is the Annunciation Cathedral buildt

from 1484-1489 and it was the home church

of the Moscow Princes and later of the Russian

Tsars.

 

The bell tower of Ivan the Great was built throughout

the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1812 as Napoleans

army retreated from Moscow, they blew up the

bell tower but the pillar of the bell tower survived

while the annex connected to it was destroyed. It 

was rebuilt and restored in 1814 to it's original state.