Through its collections of objects, furniture and costumes, the Patriarchs’ Palace attests to the life of 17C Russian dignitaries and patriarchs. It was the Patriarch Nikon who had this building erected next to the Church of the Twelve Apostles between 1652 and 1656. Just imagine the banquets held by the tsars in the vast Hall of Crosses. Iconographic art from this century is also well represented in the private chapel.