Just outside the kremlin is the former Uspensky Convent and although it was dissolved as a convent during the Soviet era, its cathedral and church are still open for worship.  

Dormition Cathedral

The main building of the former convent is the Dormition Cathedral, which is now an Eparchial Cathedral for the Tula Metropolitanate. It was built between 1898 and 1902 in the Russian revival style out of red brick. It comprises two storeys and is topped with five black domes. In the 1930s the cathedral was closed and plans were even made to blow it up. The cathedral was finally returned to the Orthodox Church in 2006 and in 2007 the relics of St John (Ioann) of Tula were transferred here.

Transfiguration of the Saviour Church

The Transfiguration of the Saviour Church was also once part of the Uspensky Convent. It was built approximately between 1835 and 1842 to replace an older church which once stood here but fell into disrepair. It was built in the Russian classical style with a wide façade complete with columns. In the Soviet period the church was closed and its domes were removed. Once it was returned to the Orthodox Church in 2000 it underwent reconstruction work and was returned to its former glory.