The Cathedral of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos was built by the Pskovian craftsmen under the guidance of Postnik yakovlev and Ivan Schyryay in 1556 -1560. The refectory was attached to it in the 17th century. In the middle of the 18th century the cylindrical drum was replaced with an octahedron, whereas a helmet-shaped dome was replaced with a cupola styled in Ukrainian baroque. In the 19th century the refectory was added with a high porch. The series of murals of the 16th century, preserved till now, is one of the peculiar features of the cathedral. The frescoes were restored in the 90s of the 19th century by the painters N.M. Safonov and G.O. Chirikov under the supervision of Prof. D.V. Ainalov, the famous expert at the ancient art. From 1964 to 1984 the cathedral underwent the restoration works. The most famous frescoes are the portrayals of Tsar Ioann IV and Metropolitan Makary of Moscow depicted on the walls of the altar. The ancient iconostasis is preserved, but the icons are exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan. At present the cathedral is undergoing the restoration works. At the monastery there has been preserved a two-storied building of the archimandrite’s residence, which was erected in the 17th century in the Russian tower-chambered style. From 1829 to 1858 the Sviyazhsk Theological School was accommodated there. In 1859 it was removed to Kazan. Besides, the buildings of monastic school (18th century) and three fraternity buildings attaches to each other has been left save till now. At the eastern part of those buildings there was the Church of St. German of Kazan and St. Mitrofan of Voronezh. Nowadays these buildings have been returned to the monastery. Read more