THE CATHEDRAL IN THE 18TH CENTURY

After the transfer of the capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg by Peter I, the Archangel Cathedral, like other temples at the Cathedral Square, fall into decay. The big fire of 1737, named Troitsky as it took place on the Saint Trinity Day, caused considerable damage to the cathedral. Only by early 1739 the recovery work had been done.

In 1742, after the foundation of an independent Moscow Eparchy, the Archangel Cathedral became the metropolitan cathedral, i.e. the main temple of the eparchy. During the reign of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great, works on the cathedral’s revival were directed by Prince Dmitry Vasilievich Ukhtomsky, founder of the first architectural school in Russia. On his instruction the galleries were disassembled, as they were absolutely unsuitable. Later on, a portal in the form of a semi-Gothic portico was attached to the north entry of the cathedral. It was built of bricks and white stone by the famous architect Matvey Fyodorovich Kazakov, who was studying at the Ukhtomsky School.

In 1770, Catherine I issued a rescript ordering the recommencement of mural and icon painting in three main cathedrals of the Moscow Kremlin—the Assumption, the Archangel and the Annunciation cathedrals. Activities in the Archangel Cathedral were launched only in July 1772.