In 1800, on the command of Paul I, the Council for the Academy of Arts commissioned Alexeev to ‘capture various aspects’ of Moscow which is where, with his assistants he spent the next two years of his life. In this painting the artist paints Cathedral Square, the most important and oldest part of the Kremlin. Its unique architecture dates back to the beginning of the 16th century. In the centre of the composition stands the Assumption Cathedral, the most important State Church in Moscow where all Russian Royalty were married. Behind the Cathedral one can see the Church of the Twelve Apostles, the Monastery of Miracles and the Senate Building. On the right is the complex of Ivan the Great Bell Towers which was built over a period of over one hundred years. Directly behind the bell towers is the Spassky Cathedral and next to it is the Tsar’s Tower. Behind the Kremlin wall one can see top of the Pokrovsky Cathedral (St. Basils Cathedral). In the foreground on the left is the Palace of Facets with its Red porch – a fragment of the western facade of the Archangel Cathedral.
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow