The Rostov Assumption cathedral is the fourth cathedral built on the site. The first wooden cathedral was laid down there under Prince Vladimir in 991, only three years after the Christianization of Rus`. So, it was one of the oldest cathedrals in the Rus`. An infant Bartholomew, the son of a Rostov boyar Cyril, was baptized in the Assumption cathedral of Rostov in 1314. It was the future Russian saint Sergius of Radonezh.
The cathedral was burnt and ruined four times but was always restored. The today Assumption cathedral was built in 1508-1512. The Assumption cathedral was built in the style of baroque and looks very high from inside. It has also some likeness to the Moscow Assumption cathedral. In the cathedral there remained the wall paintings of 1669. They were made by Yaroslavl masters who also painted the other churches of the Rostov Kremlin in the time of Metropolitan Iona Sysoyevich.
You should also mention the belfry of the Assumption cathedral. The toll of Rostov bells is widely acknowledged to be one of the best among the churches of Russia. The belfry fits harmoniously into the ensemble of the Sobornaya Square. It was erected in 1682.
At first the belfry had only two big bells of 16 and 8 tonnes. But Metropolitan Iona didn’t like the sound of them so he ordered one more bell of 32 tonnes from a Moscow founder. In 1688 the belfry was extended to accommodate it. The bell perfectly supplemented the belfry and Metropolitan Iona called it after his father – «Sysoy».
You can ascend on the belfry and you must do it to see the bells, as well as admire the views of the Assumption cathedral and the Rostov Kremlin.
