TH^ cathe;dral of this assumption, whe;re; the; tsars are; crowned, in the; 



i<:re;mlin : Moscow 



This magnificent structure was built near the end of the i6th century, to replace the old 

 wooden church which had been repeatedly destroyed by fire. In it are many old icons and 

 precious relics, among them "one of the nails with which our Lord was fastened to the cross, 

 a fragment of His robe, and a fragment of the Virgin's robe ; the hand of St. Andrew, the 

 head of St. Gregory, the theologian, and that of St. John Crysostom." 



The icon of the Holy Virgin of Vladimir is pointed out as having been painted by St. 

 Luke. It is adorned with jewels valued at half a million dollars, the splendid emerald alone 

 being worth $50,000. Other treasures include a Bible presented by the mother^ of Peter the 

 Great, which is so large that the services of two men are required to carry it. It also is 

 studded with emeralds and precious stones. When Napoleon's army was in Moscow a 

 cavalry regiment was stabled in the cathedral. The troops took away five tons of silver 

 and 500 pounds of gold from this cathedral alone, but the Cossacks recovered most of the 

 booty, and in gratitude then presented a solid silver chandelier weighing 900 pounds, with 

 46 branches, which hangs in the cupola. 



435 



