Cathedral of the Annunciation

This gilded-domed church on the Moscow Kremlin's Cathedral Square once functioned as the private chapel of the grand princes and tsars, connected directly to the royal palace. Its interior preserves one of Russia's most important collections of early icons, including works associated with Theophanes the Greek and Andrei Rublev. The floor is laid with polished agate-jasper, and successive rulers added porches and chapels, giving the building its distinctive multi-domed silhouette. Its intimate scale contrasts with the grander cathedrals nearby.