The square originated in the XIV century, when the buildings of the first cathedrals were created here, as well as the Church of John Climacus under the bells. The square we see now is the end of the 15th — the beginning of the 16th century. The bell tower of Ivan the Great did not stand unchanged for long: Boris Godunov was not satisfied with the height of the church, and he ordered it to be built on.

The appearance of Cathedral Square is shaped by Italians, so it is not surprising that the architecture here resembles the Renaissance. Only the Annunciation Cathedral and the Church of the Rizopolozhenskaya went to Russian craftsmen: the Palace of Facets is real Florence, and on the facade of the Archangel Cathedral you will find elements of the Renaissance. Cathedral Square saw such events as receptions of foreign ambassadors, Zemstvo Sobors, coronations and funerals of tsars and emperors.

In 1812, Napoleon did not spare the Kremlin - the Ivan the Great belfry was blown up by the retreating army, but in 1815 the loss was made up for. The Faceted Chamber was unlucky in 1930 — its red porch was demolished, and only in 1994 it was restored to its former beauty.

The square was paved with stone only in 1913: before that, people moved along it on the ground, which turned into mud and then froze.