Assumption Cathedral (Svayto–Uspensky Cathedral)

A church on one of the city’s seven hills. The majestic Assumption Cathedral rises above Smolensk in the historical part of the city. The church was built in memory of the heroic defense of Smolensk during the Time of Troubles. Visiting the Assumption Cathedral is a must on any trip to Smolensk. Here you will see a five-tiered gilded openwork iconostasis as tall as a 10-story building, the “Lamentation of Christ” shroud crafted in the workshops of Ivan the Terrible’s aunt, 13th-century iron sandals of Mercury of Smolensk, and the “Godunov copy” of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God (Hodegetria), which Russian troops prayed to on the eve of the Battle of Borodino.