It was begun in 1484 by masters from Pskov, most likely by the same group of architects who built the adjacent Cathedral of the Annunciation.

[4] For example, tradition says that during the Rus'-Byzantine War of 860 the patriarch placed the Virgin's Robe into the sea, causing a storm that destroyed the invading Rus' ships.

[5] A four-level iconostasis, created by Nazary Istomin Savin in 1627, has been preserved in the church, and has frescoes painted by Ivan Borisov, Sidor Pospeev and Semyon Abramov in 1644.

"[1] As with the Cathedral of the Annunciation, the intricate interior detail and ornamentation were characteristic of Russian architecture of this period.

[1] Originally, the church served as the private chapel of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus', but during the mid-17th century, it was taken over by the Russian royal family.