This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in Russian. (December 2008) Click [show] for important translation instructions. View a machine-translated version of the Russian article. Google's machine translation is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary (using German): Content in this edit is translated from the existing German Wikipedia article at [[:de:Exact name of German article]]; see its history for attribution. You should also add the template Translated to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Dormition Cathedral, Vladimir Собор Успения Пресвятой Богородицы
View of the cathedral
Basic information
Location	Vladimir, Vladimir Oblast, Russia.
Geographic coordinates	56°07′37″N 40°24′33″E / 56.12694°N 40.40917°E / 56.12694; 40.40917
Affiliation	Christian
Rite	Eastern Orthodox
Year consecrated	1160
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Cathedral of the Vladimir and Suzdal Eparchy
Heritage designation	World Heritage Site
Architectural description
Architect(s)	Architect sent by emperor Friedrich I Barbarossa
Architectural style	Russian romanic
Completed	1189
Specifications
Width	30.8 m
Height (max)	32.3 m

The Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir (sometimes translated Assumption Cathedral) (Russian: Собор Успения Пресвятой Богородицы, Sobor Uspeniya Presvyatoy Bogoroditsy) was a mother church of Medieval Russia in the 13th and 14th centuries. It is part of a World Heritage Site, the White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal.

The cathedral was commissioned by Andrew the Pious in his capital, Vladimir, and dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos (Virgin Mary), whom he promoted as the patron saint of his lands. Originally erected in 1158 to 1160, the cathedral, with six pillars and five domes, was expanded in 1185 to 1189 to reflect the augmented prestige of Vladimir. At of 1178 m², it remained the largest of Russian churches for the next 300 or 400 years.

Andrew the Pious, Vsevolod the Big Nest and other rulers of Vladimir-Suzdal were interred in the crypt of this church. Unlike many other churches, the cathedral survived the great devastation and fire of Vladimir in 1239, when the Mongol hordes of Batu Khan took hold of the capital.

The exterior walls of the church are covered with elaborate carvings. The interior was painted in the 12th century and then repainted by Andrei Rublev and Daniil Chernyi in 1408. The Dormition Cathedral served as a model for Aristotele Fioravanti, when he designed the eponymous cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin in 1475 to 1479. A lofty belltower, combining genuine Russian, Gothic and Neoclassical influences, was erected nearby in 1810.

Gallery[edit]

External links[edit]

• Tourism portal of the Vladimir region, Russia


• 
  Media related to Cathedral of the Dormition of the Theotokos (Vladimir) at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 56°07′38.59″N 40°24′32.10″E / 56.1273861°N 40.4089167°E / 56.1273861; 40.4089167