Cathedral Square, Moscow

Cathedral Square in Moscow, a veduta by Quarenghi, 1797.

Cathedral Square or Sobornaya Square (Russian: Соборная площадь, or Sobornaya ploshchad) is the central square of the Moscow Kremlin where all of its streets used to converge in the 15th century.^[1]

The square owes its name to the three cathedrals facing it - Cathedral of the Dormition, Cathedral of the Archangel, and Cathedral of the Annunciation. Apart from these, the Palace of Facets, the Church of the Deposition of the Robe and the Church of the Twelve Apostles are placed there. The tallest structure on the square (and formerly in all of Russia) is Ivan the Great Bell Tower,^[2] which also separates Sobornaya Square from Ivanovskaya Square.

Cathedral Square is famous as the site of solemn coronation and funeral processions of all the Russian tsars, patriarchs, and Grand Dukes of Moscow. Even today, the square is used in the inauguration ceremony of the President of Russia.^[3]

The square is also the scene of the daily changing of the Horse Guards (a spectacular imperial tradition restored in the 21st century).^[4][5] Occasionally, operas (such as Boris Godunov) are performed in the majestic setting of the historic cathedrals as well.

References

Moscow Kremlin and Red Square
Kremlin Wall and Towers	Borovitskaya Vodovzvodnaya Blagoveshenskaya Tainitskaya Pervaya Bezymyannaya Vtoraya Bezymyannaya Petrovskaya Beklemishevskaya Konstantino-Eleninskaya Nabatnaya Tsarskaya Spasskaya Senatskaya Nikolskaya Uglovaya Arsenalnaya Srednyaya Arsenalnaya Troitskaya Kutafya Komendantskaya Oruzheynaya
Administrative buildings	Kremlin Senate Kremlin Arsenal Amusement Palace State Kremlin Palace Grand Kremlin Palace Terem Palace The Armory Palace of Facets Tsarina Golden Palace State Historical Museum
Churches	Cathedral of the Assumption Cathedral of the Annunciation Cathedral of the Archangel Church of Saint Ioann Lestvichnik and Ivan the Great Bell Tower Church of the Deposition of the Virgin's Robe in Vlachernon Patriarch's Palace and the Church of the Twelve Apostles Verkhospassky Cathedral and the Terem Churches Cathedral of the Intercession (of Saint Basil the Blessed) Kazan Cathedral
Squares and gardens	Red Square Ivanovskaya Square Cathedral Square Taynitsky Garden Grand Kremlin Public Garden Alexander Garden Manezhnaya Square
Monuments	Kremlin Wall Necropolis Monument to Minin and Pozharsky Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Lobnoye Mesto Tsar Cannon Tsar Bell
Other	Iberian Gate and Chapel
Former	Ascension Convent Chudov Monastery Armorial Gate Robespierre Monument Kremlin Presidium (Building 14)

Coordinates: 55°45′02″N 37°37′03″E / 55.7505555656°N 37.61750001°E / 55.7505555656; 37.61750001