The church, consecrated in honor of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, became part of the architectural ensemble of the Bishops' Court in Suzdal as early as 1559.
Judging by the Suzdal chronicles, Ivan the Terrible often visited these places in those days and liked to stay at the Bishops' Court. For one of his visits, Bishop Athanasius built a heated stone Annunciation church with an adjoining refectory. In the 17th century, the church building was rebuilt, though the exact reason is unknown, most likely after a fire.
Nowadays, services are not held in the premises of the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but here you can see the wonderful exhibition "Old Russian Painting." In three spacious halls, once church rooms and the bishop's refectory, more than 50 icons from the 15th-17th centuries are now on display.
The exhibition begins in the refectory, where the oldest icons in the collection are displayed, including the Protection of the Mother of God, the Annunciation, Hodegetria, and the Vladimir Mother of God. Icons from the 16th-17th centuries, including unique miniature tablet icons, are presented in the second hall. The exhibition brings together the rarest icons from the churches and monasteries of Suzdal, Vladimir, and Novgorod, as well as works by renowned Russian icon painters.
