Ryazansky kremlin

Ryazan used to be the capital city of the Principality of Ryazan, until 1521 when it was annexed by the Principality of Muscovy. The prince used to live in castle, called in Russia a kremlin. Today we will visit what remains of the Ryazan Kremlin.

The kremlin is located on a hill next to a river, to enhance its strategic and defensive character.

On our way I spotted a chapel that reminds me of Kolomenskoye which we have visited two weeks ago.

As you can see, the kremlin ensemble also includes mainly churches (eight of them to be more precise) and few public buildings. Let's walk through the bridge and get inside.

The bell tower guarding the entry is one of the tallest bell towers in Russia standing at 86 metres tall, including a 25 metre gold-coated spire.

Behind it, you will find the Dormition Cathedral. It was built between 1693 and 1699. The cathedral is now the Summer Eparchial Cathedral of the Ryazan and Mikhailov Eparchy. It is only open in the summer.

The orange building next to it is the Nativity of Christ cathedral. It is the oldest building in the kremlin dating from the early 15th century.

Finally, here comes the palace. Modest but elegant.

 And yet another church.

Behind it you will find a small graveyard.

Time to leave the Ryazan kremlin. As you have seen, it is rather small but quite diversified. We still have a bit of time before the sunset so we may take a little walk on the banks of Oka river.

Did you notice the lockers on the bars of the bridge?

They are everywhere. Actually, the local authorities have even built special structures for the lockers so that they do not weigh too heavy on the bridges.

As we walk away, the kremlin is still visible on its hill. As it used to be for centuries where the prices of Ryazan used to rule their people from there.