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The ceremony of crowning the tsars took place in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. It was replaced by the coronation ceremony in the XVIII century.

The first Russian tsar was Grand Prince of Moscow Ivan IV, crowned in 1547. At the climax of the ceremony, Metropolitan Macarius laid the true cross, gold chain, barmas and the Monomakh’s Cap, the hereditary crown of Russian sovereigns, on Ivan IV, and performed the rite of confirmation, which made the ceremony sacred. By the end of the XVI century, sceptre and orb were added to the listed regalia. The last ceremony of crowning the tsars was the joint enthronement of the minor rulers Ivan and Peter Alekseyeviches in 1682.

During the reign of Peter I, this tradition was replaced by the coronation ceremony. Despite the fact that St. Petersburg became the capital of Russia, the coronation was still held at the Assumption Cathedral. The first person to be crowned on the Russian throne was the wife of Peter I, Empress Catherine I in 1724. The last coronation was of Emperor Nicholas II in 1896.

Coronation ceremonies have always been grand events. Celebrations continued for several days and were complemented by prayer services, dinners, multiple receptions, parades, public festivals.

(Based on the materials of the articles “Crowning the Tsars” on the Moscow Kremlin Museums portal and “Coronation” of the Big Russian Encyclopedia)