From the completion of the cathedral to the relocation of the Tsar's capital from Moscow to Petersburg, it was the most important church building in the city and the venue for solemn services on all major Orthodox festivals. In its history, the cathedral was threatened with destruction several times: legend has it that Napoleon Bonaparte ordered the cathedral to be blown up when he withdrew from Moscow in 1812, but a sudden downpour extinguished the fuses that had already been ignited. In 1918, after the October Revolution, the cathedral was closed by the new state power and its head was executed. At that time, too, there were demolition plans for the cathedral, only the personal commitment of the architect Pjotr Baranowski, who was commissioned to prepare the demolition against the plans ultimately prevented their implementation.