Patriarch's Palace

This palace was mostly built in the mid-17th century for Patriarch Nikon, whose reforms sparked the break with the Old Believers. The palace contains an exhibit of 17th-century household items, including jewellery, hunting equipment and furniture. From here you can access the five-domed Church of the Twelve Apostles, which has a gilded, wooden iconostasis and a collection of icons by the leading 17th-century icon painters.

The highlight is perhaps the ceremonial Cross Hall (Krestovaya Palata) where the tsar's and ambassadorial feasts were held. From the 18th century the room was used to produce miro, a holy oil used during church services, which contains over 30 herbal components; the oven and huge pans from the production process are on display.

Now quiet, the palace at its prime was a busy place. Apart from the Patriarch's living quarters it had huge kitchens, warehouses and cellars stocked with food, workshops, a school for the high-born children, offices for scribes, dormitories for those waiting to be baptised, stables and carriage houses.