The complex of the Rizopolozhensky Monastery includes the Cathedral of the Deposition of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos, the first stone church built on the monastery grounds, which, incidentally, was founded back in the 13th century. The cathedral was built here in the mid-16th century at the initiative of the boyar Ivan Shigoni-Podzhogin, a close associate of Vasily III.
Subsequently, a porch with tile inserts, very ornate and richly decorated, was added to the main building of the cathedral on the western side. It was erected in 1688 by the same architects who also created the magnificent Holy Gates of the Rizopolozhensky Monastery - Mamin, Shmakov, and Gryaznov.
The Cathedral of the Deposition of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos has architecture unusual for Suzdal. The interior of the cathedral has a cruciform pillarless vault, so, in order to reduce the load, the church's domes were made unusually thin and tall. Here you can see three apses adjoining the altar part, and above - three domes with a helmet-like shape.
In the 19th century, the original domes were replaced with onion-shaped ones, and only during restoration work in the 1960s did the church regain its original appearance - with helmet-shaped domes. Since 1929, a power station was located here and the domes were absent altogether, demolished as unnecessary.
