St. Demetrius Cathedral was constructed in 1194–1197 under Grand Prince Vsevolod III the Big Nest as a palace church in the honour of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki, the prince's heavenly patron, and on the occasion of the birth of his son Dmitry (Demetrius).
The church carries the idea of glorifying the might of the Vladimir region and of Vsevolod himself. Originally, the Cathedral was part of the princely-court building complex. It was one of Kievan Russia's most beautiful and most distinctive cathedrals. However, in time, due to many city fires, the Cathedral lost its original appearance. In the second half of the 19th century, the old galleries and stair towers (providing access to choir stalls), which had been adjacent to the Cathedral and had been part of the palace ensemble, were destroyed.
The Cathedral is an example of the well-developed style of Vladimir-Suzdal architecture. The Cathedral was constructed using the technique of stone-faced rubble masonry and employing the golden-ratio proportions; thanks to that the church's simple design is distinguished with the harmony and stability of the entire structure. The Cathedral's exterior features refined, truly princely decorations made out of carved stone. Every detail of the Cathedral carries a functional as well as a semantic charge. Even the pigeon attached to the cross, while being a symbol of the Holy Spirit, functions as a weathervane as well.
The church's sculptural decoration consists of as many as around 1,500 carved stones elaborating a complex philosophy of life. The motifs of the carving are various, with the leading ones being however depictions of plants, birds and beasts. The entire carving implements a single conceptual design, the one of glorifying the beauty and perfection of the world created by the Almighty in accordance with the laws of harmony.
Being not large, the St. Demetrius Cathedral is however very elegant and solemn. The Cathedral's walls are covered with sculptural decorations, which make it look as if it is covered with tracery. It was for the first time in Russian architecture that sculptural decor was used so abundantly. In each facade, King Solomon is placed in the centre of the composition. Around him are grouped depictions of plants, birds, beasts and griffins. A part of the 12th century wall paintings has survived in the Cathedral, including fragments of the composition "The Last Judgement".
In ancient times, the walls and vaults in the interior of the Cathedral used to be covered with wonderful frescoes made by Greek masters; the frescoes have partially survived till our days.
The Cathedral was a functioning church up until 1918. In February 1919, it was handed over to a museum. In 1958–1974, the Cathedral housed a museum exhibition dedicated to the white-stone architecture of Vladimir. Large-scale restorations of this architectural monument were done in 1974 and 1999. Currently, the church is not functioning.
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