Exterior view

With the formation of a powerful Russian state centred on Moscow in the second half of the 15th century and early 16th, extensive building took place in the Kremlin, and the asymmetrical triangle of high walls and towers with the Cathedral Square at the centre and four roads running to the main gates was constructed. The fine cathedrals in the main square, those of the Dormition (Assumption), the Archangel Michael and the Annunciation, harmonized well with the bell-tower of Ivan the Great (1505-08) and the Faceted Palace (Granovitaya Palata; 1487-91), as well as with monasteries such as those of the Ascension, Miracles, and Epiphany, which have not survived. The key position of the Kremlin in the growth of Moscow was further emphasized in the 17th century by the superstructure (c. 1600) of the Ivan the Great bell-tower and by the hipped roofs that were added to the gate-towers.

The Cathedral of the Archangel (Arkhangelsky sobor) is a Russian Orthodox church dedicated to the Archangel Michael. It was the main necropolis of the Tsars of Russia until the relocation of the capital to St. Petersburg. It was constructed between 1505 and 1508 under the supervision of an Italian architect Aleviz Novy (Aloisio the New) on the spot of an older cathedral, built in 1333.

Compared with the other two major Kremlin cathedrals, the Archangel Cathedral is substantially different in style, despite maintaining a traditional layout. It echoes the layout of the Dormition Cathedral in its use of five domes (representing Jesus Christ and the Four Evangelists). However, the exterior ornamentation points to Italian Renaissance influence.

The interior of the cathedral, however, was largely constructed in a manner typical for Russian churches.

View the ground plan of Cathedral of the Archangel, Kremlin.