Most importantly, the city of Vladimir is famous for its masterpieces of ancient Russian white stone
architecture. Vladimir is the city with a millennial history. It was founded in the late X century by the
Prince of Kiev Vladimir Svyatoslavich on the high bank of the Klyazma river, on
the border of Zalesie and Opolie. In the early XII century the town was fortified by Vladimir Monomakh,
and in the middle of the XII century Vladimir became the capital of the Vladimir-Suzdal
Principality, and the whole of North-Eastern Russia.

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White-stone monuments of the XII century – The Golden Gate, the Cathedral, the monastery and the princely Church – implemented the metropolitan dignity of the city, combining in time, "the Mother of the Russian cities" Kiev and the future capital of Russia, firstly the "suburb" of Vladimir, Moscow. The urban development plan of the Prince, the absolute ruler Andrei Bogolyubsky open the Chronicles: The Golden Gate - “will be the memory of my homeland”, The Assumption Cathedral- “I want to declare this city metropolis”, Bogoliubovo- “The Stone town”, and Vladimir itself - “This city will be the main”.

Junior Andrey's brother Vsevolod the Big Nest preserved and multiplied the metropolitan splendor of the city, creating the citadel with the St.Demetrius Cathedral, the Nativity monastery with the white-stone Church, the Knyaginin convent in the North-Western corner of the city, and the main Shrine of the Principality – The Assumption Cathedral – made it bigger and more beautiful.

МThe Mongol invasion of the XIII century had undermined the might of Vladimir: the architectural tradition was stopped, many handicrafts were forgotten, the town was desolated. However, Vladimir retained its political primacy among the Russian cities: to become a great Prince, to obtain the Golden Horde “ label” on the Great reign of Vladimir was needed. In 1263, "the sun of the Russian land went down" – died the hero of "The Battle on the Ice", a skillful diplomat and a military leader, the Prince of Vladimir (1252-1263) Alexander Nevsky (the grandson of Vsevolod the Big Nest). For 460 years before transferring to St. Petersburg, his ashes had been buried in the Nativity monastery in Vladimir.

With the rise of Moscow Vladimir was subordinated to the new capital. At the turn of the XV–XVI centuries resumed the construction: this the time has left to descendants the full of poetry The Assumption Cathedral of the Knyaginin monastery.