The main building of the Goritsky Assumption Monastery in Pereslavl-Zalessky is the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. At first glance, the cathedral seems more like a palace than a house of worship.
This majestic structure was built in the 1750s under the direction of architect I.Ya. Yakovlev. Earlier, an old stone church stood on the same site, presumably dating back to the beginning of the 16th century.
The cathedral building looks quite unusual for Russian architecture: the main body is square, connected on the north and south to covered galleries. In the eastern part there are two octagons with a semicircular apse.
The interior decoration of the cathedral, its interiors, in its time was no less impressive than that of the finest churches of the capital and major Russian cities. Even now one can only admire the skillful finishing of the walls and ceiling with stucco ornaments in the form of curls, garlands, and monograms. In the central part of the church there are beautiful painted panels, and the altars are adorned with carved gilded iconostases.
The most amazing treasure of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the main iconostasis, which stands out even against the backdrop of all the luxurious decoration. It has five rows of icons created by icon painters from the New Jerusalem Monastery, and the filigree carving was made by the Moscow artel of Yakov Zhukov.
