Rostov-Veliky Kremlin - uVisitRussia
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Rostov-Veliky Kremlin

Rostov-Veliky’s main attraction is unashamedly photogenic. Though founded in the 12th century, most of the buildings date to the 1670s and 1680s.

The five magnificent domes of the Assumption Cathedral dominate the kremlin from just outside its north wall. The oldest structure in Rostov-Veliky, it was completed in 1512; the belfry was added in 1682. Each of its 15 bells has a name; the largest, weighing 32 tonnes, is called 'Sysoy'.

The west gate (the main entrance) and the north gate are straddled by the Gate-Church of St John the Divine and the Gate-Church of the Resurrection, both of which are richly decorated with 17th-century frescoes. Enter these churches from the kremlin walls, which you can access from the stairs next to the north gate.

The metropolitan’s private chapel, the Church of the Saviour-over-the-Galleries, contained within the metropolitan’s house, has the most beautiful interior of all, covered in colourful frescoes. Other rooms in the house are filled with exhibits: the White Chamber displays religious antiquities, while the Red Chamber shows off beautiful, luminous pieces of finift (painted enamel miniatures), a Rostov artistic speciality.