The Ryazan Kremlin

14 points5 km4.5 hours

The Ryazan Kremlin is the best place to start getting to know Ryazan. On the “Kremlin route” you can see one of the largest Orthodox churches in Russia; find out where, legend has it, the great Prince Oleg of Ryazan hid his sword, which square in the city was called “Red,” and how the Diveevo convent is connected with the Ryazan Kremlin; take a photo at the city's most “iconic” selfie spot; and sip fragrant cardamom coffee like the one served on the biblical Via Dolorosa in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Route author

Susanin Team

Things to do

📜 Learn the city's history
🏛️🕰️ Compare the eras

Route points (14)

Church of the Nativity of Christ in Ryazan

Point on route “The Ryazan Kremlin”

Point 9

Church of the Nativity of Christ

🕍 Place of worship • 🏟️ Architectural landmark • 📜 Historic site

Historical Background

The Church of the Nativity of Christ is the first stone building of the Ryazan Kremlin and one of the oldest surviving buildings in the Ryazan region. The foundation stone of the future cathedral was laid in the 14th century by Prince Oleg of Ryazan, who named it the Dormition Cathedral. It became the Church of the Nativity after the new Dormition Cathedral was built in the 17th century. Princes and princesses of Ryazan found their final resting place here. In 1930 the church was closed, and until the early 2000s it housed the regional archive. In 2002 the building was returned to the church and consecrated by Patriarch Alexy II himself.

Architecture

Over its long history the cathedral was constantly rebuilt. By the early 19th century, thanks to the architect Stefengagen, the church had acquired Classical features. The vaults inside were painted by the famous icon painter Nikolai Shumov. He also added an eight-sided rotunda and arched windows to the cathedral's architecture. In the early 20th century the floors were laid with Mettlach tile, which has survived to this day.

Relics

By the wall of the Cathedral of the Nativity is the grave of Bishop Vasily of Ryazan, and the saint's relics are in the cathedral's altar. St. Vasily of Ryazan is one of the most revered local saints. When the enemy captured the Ryazan town of Mikhailov and was only forty kilometers (25 miles) from the regional capital, Ryazan was ordered evacuated, and believers at services prayed to the saint for protection. The enemy never reached Ryazan.