The Cathedral of the Annunciation in the Kremlin was originally built as a private church for the Moscow princes. Here, weddings and baptisms of Russian tsars' children took place, as well as confessions. Today, it is a well-preserved monument of architecture and church decor from the 16th century. Its iconostasis is considered one of the oldest in Russia, with icons dating back to the 14th century. In the cathedral's basement, there is an exhibition titled "Treasures and Antiquities of the Moscow Kremlin," featuring over 1500 exhibits from the 12th to 17th centuries, including sculptures, ceramics, jewelry, weapons, and household items.

The history of the Cathedral of the Annunciation begins with a wooden church on a stone foundation, built in the early 14th century by Alexander Nevsky's son, Andrei Alexandrovich. In 1397, by order of Grand Duke Vasily I, a wooden Cathedral of the Annunciation was erected on its site. In the late 15th century, Ivan III, while renovating the Kremlin, ordered the construction of a private church for a close circle of associates. Italian sculptors participated in the reconstruction, but Russian craftsmen from Pskov were invited for the church's construction. They had to harmoniously integrate the Russian temple into the ensemble of Italian structures, which they successfully accomplished.

The cathedral was part of the palace complex, access to which was restricted for outsiders. Here, rulers' children were wed and baptized, and name days were celebrated. Special passages connected the cathedral with the princely chambers, allowing tsars and their entourage to move without going outside. On festive days, processions to Cathedral Square began from here, and royal regalia were carried out through the cathedral's porch during ceremonies.

Grand Duke Vasily III ordered the icons of the cathedral to be adorned with gold and silver coverings and to be painted. The best icon painters, such as Andrei Rublev and Theophanes the Greek, were involved in the work. In 1547, the cathedral was damaged by fire, and by order of Ivan the Terrible, it was restored and decorated even more lavishly. The temple featured carved portals made of white stone, copper doors with gold, and a porch named after Grozny.

The Cathedral of the Annunciation was built in the traditions of Pskov and Moscow architecture. The modern appearance of the cathedral with nine gilded domes was formed in the 1560s. The walls of the cathedral are decorated with pilasters and keel-shaped zakomaras, and its chapels, built in the 1560s, successfully complement the main volume. These changes gave the cathedral a picturesque grandeur characteristic of the time of Ivan the Terrible.

The cathedral is surrounded by galleries, whose architecture shows features of the Italian Renaissance. The southern and eastern galleries were erected in 1489. The southern porch lost its original appearance in the 19th century when a chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was arranged in the gallery. The portal was restored in 1949 in the traditions of early Moscow architecture.

Inside, the cathedral is small, but its frescoes, created by famous icon painters, are priceless. In the central part of the temple, scenes from the Apocalypse are depicted, as well as biblical motifs and the faces of Russian princes. The cathedral's iconostasis includes a unique collection of icons created by outstanding masters such as Theophanes the Greek and Andrei Rublev.

The history of the Kremlin chimes began with the Cathedral of the Annunciation. In 1404, a clock with a mechanical figure of a man was installed behind the cathedral, and in 1624, the main clock of Russia appeared on the Spasskaya Tower.

Since 1955, a museum has operated in the Cathedral of the Annunciation, and since 1993, services have resumed. Services are held once a year, on the day of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. On this bright spring holiday, after the Liturgy, the patriarch releases birds, symbolizing the freedom of every creation of God.