A unique monument of Russian architecture is the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin

In the center of the ancient Tula Kremlin stands the majestic Assumption Cathedral, the most valuable monument of Russian architecture of the second half of the 18th century.

Before the construction of the current cathedral, as can be seen from the scribal books, there was another one, also made of stone, which stood for only a hundred years and fell into disrepair. It was dismantled and on May 7, 1762, with the blessing of Bishop Porfiry of Kolomna and Kashira, construction of a new church began at the expense of the Tula merchants.About 30 thousand rubles were spent on the construction and decoration. 

The main builder of the temple was merchant Lukyan Ivanovich Kopteltsev with comrades Sofron Sidnev and Andrey Volodimirov, and Tula master brickmakers Yemelyan Tsybin and Onesiy Vasiliev Dobrynin, as well as Tula master gunsmiths, were directly involved in the construction of the temple. Osip Zhurov and his assistants forged metal rafters of the four-pitched roof, dome frames and other details. The heads of the cathedral were gilded by Tula merchant Larion Sorokin.

The Assumption Cathedral was fully completed by May 8, 1764, and then for two years 36 craftsmen, specially commissioned from Yaroslavl, carried out painstaking and jewelry work on the cathedral's painting.Among the artists were representatives of the famous dynasties of Yaroslavl isographers — Soplyakov, Ikonnikov, Gorin. The artel was headed by the talented master icon painter Afanasy Andreevich Shustov, known for his paintings of the Yaroslavl churches of Archangel Michael (1731), John Chrysostom (1732-1733) and others. The result of the long work was a solemn and majestic painting, which impresses with close-ups and exquisite details.

The wooden carved gilded six-tiered iconostasis, made by Tula carvers from the workshop of merchant Vasily Kiryanov, is of great artistic value. The iconostasis was gilded by Danila Khazarov. 

The floor in the cathedral was originally lined with patterned cast-iron slabs made for the temple by Tula foundry workers.

Since its consecration, the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God, or simply the Assumption Cathedral, has become the main summer church in the city. Royal decrees were read from his pulpit and important state events were announced to the Tulyaks.

When the Patriotic War of 1812 began, a prayer service "For Victory over Enemies" was served daily in the Assumption Cathedral in honor of the upcoming victory over Napoleon's army. The two regiments of the Tula militia that were formed when they marched in 1812 received from His Grace Ambrose, Archbishop of Tula and Belevsky, along with a parting message "according to the banner that formed the regiment's banner." Two years later, the glorious banners returned to Tula and were deposited in the Assumption Cathedral.

In 1854, artillery lieutenant N.F.Andreev heard the story of an elder, a participant in the Patriotic War of 1812, about the formation of the Tula militia and about the banners kept in oblivion in the Assumption Cathedral. He wrote a report to the military governor about this. The signal was heard. In July 1854, the church authorities reported that the banners of the militia of 1812, which were kept "in the local cathedral, were placed in the middle of the cathedral and placed at the pillars. "

In 1866, for the centenary of the Assumption Cathedral, the iconostasis was restored, the frescoes were renewed, and the banners were updated at the same time. This was reported by the Tula Diocesan Gazette in No. 11 for 1866:

"At the western two stone pillars of the cathedral, from the entrance to the temple, there are three rectangular banners of the Tula militia of 1812-1814 on painted poles ... These banners were washed by a skilled iconographer, glued, updated ... to be preserved in distant posterity as a monument of admirable patriotism." 

After the 1917 revolution, the battle flags were lost. According to a former Tula administrative worker, they were destroyed in 1919.

During the preparations for the celebration of the 850th anniversary of the first mention of Tula in the Nikon Chronicle (1996), Tula artist V.S.Strizhenko recreated copies of the banners of the Tula militia of the Patriotic War of 1812 based on the reconstruction of O.Y.Kuznetsov, Candidate of Historical Sciences. In a solemn ceremony, the reconstructed banners were brought to the Assumption Cathedral.

The main Tula Cathedral has been repeatedly visited by royalty. On January 28, 1826, seven versts from the city, Tula gunsmiths met a chariot with the body of the late Emperor Alexander I. They carried the carriage to Tula, where they were replaced by townspeople who carried the coffin into the Assumption Cathedral, where the memorial service continued all night.

On September 20, 1826, Tula was visited by Emperor Nicholas I, who visited the Assumption Cathedral. On September 13, 1863, Emperor Alexander II honored the cathedral with his presence. On December 4, 1914, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna prayed in this church; with her daughters Olga and Tatiana. In the first half of the twentieth century, the Assumption Cathedral was almost destroyed. On November 21, 1934, the most reputable newspaper in the region, Kommunar, published a letter from a certain F.Anfimova "Why do we need the Kremlin?". The author proposed to dismantle the Kremlin walls and cathedrals and create a second park of culture and recreation in this place.The zealous destroyer was supported by Tula officials. Alekseyev, the head of the municipal department, wrote in Kommunar: "It is not advisable to demolish the entire Kremlin yet. There is a proposal to dismantle the south-western part of its walls, from the house named after him. Karl Marx and before school Federal Law… There is no large area in Tula for organizing parades and demonstrations, and the only place for such a square is a new grandiose square, which unites the Kremlin's territory with Union Square."The editorial board echoed the official's opinion. But the republican leadership in Moscow categorically forbade the Tula City Council to touch the Kremlin and the Assumption Cathedral.

On September 28, 1936, in the evening, a fire suddenly broke out in the upper floors of the bell tower of the Assumption Cathedral. Fire trucks came from all over the city, but they could not do anything – the water pressure in the hoses did not reach the 30-40 meter height of the bell tower, where the flames were raging.

Only in the morning did the firefighters manage to defend the lower tiers. No arsonists were found. The remains of the bell tower were dismantled "for safety reasons."

Then there was no time for further destruction of the Assumption Cathedral and the Kremlin. The year 1937 broke out with the purges of the administrative apparatus from "enemies of the people." Then the war. Only in 1964, at the initiative of the regional executive committee, scientific research work began in the Kremlin. In 1966, restoration of the walls and towers began, and the five-domed Assumption Cathedral was closed with scaffolding. In 1970, the heads of the cathedral shone with joyful splendor.

The architectural project for the restoration of the bell tower was prepared by Leonid Potapov, a Moscow restorer. The reconstruction of the bell tower began only in 2012. On September 14, 2013, the bells of the bell tower under construction were illuminated. In 2015, on the city Day, the grand opening of the bell tower and the entire restored cathedral took place.

K.Shestakov