One of the most famous white-stone buildings of pre-Mongol Russia is Vladimir's Dormition Cathedral. The original version of the cathedral was built between 1158 and 1160 on the orders of Andrey Bogolyubsky to hold the Our Lady of Vladimir Icon, which he had brought with him from Vyshhorod. This original version burned down in 1185 although the icon miraculously survived. The cathedral was rebuilt between 1186 and 1189 by Vsevolod the Big Nest as a six-pillar five-dome building, the largest in Russia at this time. Many grand princes of Vladimir were later interred in the cathedral, including its founders Andrey Bogolyubsky and Vsevolod the Big Nest. Inside the cathedral is decorated with beautiful frescos. Although most of these date from the 19th century, fragments of the original frescos remain as well as the early 15th century frescos of Andrey Rublev and Daniil Chyorny which depict the Last Judgement and cover the western part of the cathedral. A four-tier bell tower was built next to the cathedral in 1810.

In 1992 the cathedral was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the White-Stone Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal. The ownership of the cathedral is now shared between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum Reserve. When it is not being used for services as the eparchial cathedral of the Vladimir and Suzdal Eparchy, it is open as a museum.