The Assumption Cathedral on Cathedral Square Kremlin is the main church of Russia, the Patriarchal Cathedral. It was built in 1475-1479 under the direction of the Italian architect Fioravanti on the site of the original temple of 1327 and is the oldest building in the capital that has been completely preserved.
Since 1547, the cathedral has been the site of the coronation of Russian emperors. With the move of the government of the RSFSR to the Kremlin in March 1918, the Assumption Cathedral was closed. In 1955, the cathedral was opened as a museum institution as part of the Moscow Kremlin Museum-Reserve. Since 1990, divine services have been held in the cathedral on certain days with the blessing of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. In the necropolis of the cathedral rest the Patriarchs of Moscow, Metropolitans of Kiev and Moscow, who died before 1700.
The Cathedral houses the Nail of the Lord and the staff of Metropolitan Peter of Kiev and All Russia.