The Rostov Kremlin originally served as the residence of the Metropolitan of the Rostov Diocese and was called the Metropolitan Court. It is located in the center of Rostov, near Lake Nero. Today, the ensemble of the Kremlin includes the archbishop's courtyard, the Cathedral Square with the Assumption Cathedral to the north, and the metropolitan garden to the south.

When the Kremlin was built, Rostov no longer had defensive significance, so its fortifications were simplified. For example, it has wide entrance gates, lacks loopholes in the towers, and the windows with frames continue the line of the upper fighting platform. Despite this, the Kremlin was erected in the traditions of earlier Russian defensive architecture and is a monument of pre-Petrine military architecture.

Since 1998, the Rostov Kremlin has been nominated for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Its construction began in the 1650s and continued until the 1680s, conceived by Metropolitan Ion Sysoevich, who sought to create a paradise garden surrounded by walls with towers and a pond in the center.

In Rostov, the church reform met resistance, and many townspeople adhered to the old faith even in the 18th-19th centuries. In 1665, Ion Sysoevich was ordered to remain permanently in Rostov, and he directed all his energy towards strengthening the glory of the Church and the Rostov Diocese.

The Cathedral Square appeared in the late 10th century after the construction of the first Assumption Cathedral. The current cathedral, built between 1508 and 1512, is the oldest structure in the city and impresses with its grandeur. The Rostov bell tower is famous for its bells, the largest of which, Sisy, weighs 32 tons.

The central part of the ensemble, the archbishop's courtyard, is located on the site of the ancient episcopal court that existed since the 11th century. Metropolitan Ion III Sysoevich created a unique ensemble that includes domestic churches, chambers, and utility buildings. His activities became an exceptional phenomenon of Russian artistic culture in the second half of the 17th century.

In the 1650s-60s, a two-story building of the Judicial Order was constructed, which performed judicial functions and managed the Rostov Metropolis. Around 1670, the Church of the Resurrection of the Lord was built next to it, marking the main entrance to the archbishop's courtyard. Opposite rises the building of the metropolitan chambers, where the metropolitans lived and the treasury was kept.

Around 1675, the complex of the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands was built. The lower floor housed utility services, while the upper floor contained the church and dining hall. Throughout the 1670s-80s, the walls and towers of the metropolitan residence were constructed, which, although lacking defensive significance, demonstrated the grandeur of the diocese.

One of the last constructions was the gate church of St. John the Theologian, and in the 1680s, the Church of St. Gregory the Theologian was built. After the death of Metropolitan Ion, the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God Odigitria was erected in the Kremlin, completing the formation of the archbishop's courtyard ensemble.

Metropolitan Ion paid great attention to monumental painting, and the frescoes in the Kremlin churches were created immediately after their construction. After the transfer of the archbishop's see to Yaroslavl in 1787, the metropolitan courtyard lost its significance and gradually fell into disrepair. However, in the 1860s and 1880s, the complex was restored with funds from Rostov merchants.

In 1883, the Rostov Museum of Church Antiquities was opened in the Kremlin. In 1910, the State Duma confirmed its all-Russian status. In 1953, a tornado damaged many monuments of the ensemble, but restoration work under the guidance of V.S. Banige restored the Kremlin's original appearance.

Since the late 1960s, the Rostov Kremlin has become one of the key attractions of the Golden Ring of Russia. In 1991, the Assumption Cathedral was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. In 2010, the transfer of the entire complex to the church was discussed, but the project was not realized. In 2013, the Rostov Kremlin entered the top ten 'Symbols of Russia.'