Italian architect Aristotele Fioravanti created the Cathedral of the Assumption at the bequest of Ivan III of Russia after a nearly finished church collapsed. The former Russian Orthodox cathedral was dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God (the death of Blessed Virgin Mary of Theotokos) so it is also called the Cathedral of the Dormition. When it was finished in 1479, Assumption Cathedral was the mother church of the Grand Principality of Moscow. This is where Russian leaders were crowned and bishops were consecrated. The exterior fresco is only a hint at those inside created by 150 painters during the mid-17th century. Dormition Cathedral is part of the Moscow Kremlin Museums.
