And the answer...

[aglarien1]

Alexcat got the country first - Ukraine, then viggosgirlygurl and ainisarie nailed the city - Kiev, followed by noadvertising (who got the city but not the name of the cathedral right).

The pictures are the Kiev Pecherska Lavra, or the Kiev Monastery of the Caves, and the reconstructed Cathedral of the Dormition. The leaning tower is the Great Lavra Belltower.

Comments

[silver_trails]

The Pecherska Lavra was very important for the Vampire Armand, as he was born in Podil and lived there for a while. I think I've seen the first building in google maps when I was writing one of my vamp chron fics. Armand was the first fandom character I wrote.

[aglarien1]

Oh, cool! I haven't read those books so I'd never heard of it before.

[silver_trails]

It's in the book called The Vampire Armand (the sixth book). He painted religious icons in a trance, and his father took him to the monks, but one day Armand went with his father on some sort of mission and that was when he was taken away by the Tatars. It was the fifteenth century, I think.

[aglarien1]

Going to have to read those. I'm ashamed to admit I don't know the author - who is it?

[noadvertising]

Ermm, Cathedral of the dormition= Uspenskij sobor. I tend to use the native naming. But it´s great fun to do those riddles, if I am allowed to.

[aglarien1]

I'm thinking the one you're thinking of is in Russia?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dormition_Cathedral,_Moscow

versus this one?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiev_Pecherska_Lavra

And of course you're allowed to play! It's fun to try and come up with things that won't totally stump people without being immediately identifiable.

[noadvertising]

There are many Uspenskis around, it´s not as bad as looking for a St. Patrick´s Cathedral, but still... I have only visited the one in Helsinki. Stunningly beautiful, this one!

[chaotic_binky]

Beautiful buildings!

[aglarien1]

They really are - that monastery cave goes back to the 1100's or thereabouts.