What is usually called the Vologda Kremlin is technically the Bishop's Court — the enclosed compound adjacent to Saint Sophia Cathedral that served as the residence and administrative centre of the Vologda diocese from the 16th to 19th centuries. The main building is the 17th-century Archbishop's Chambers, a three-storey stone structure with a roof covered in kokoshnik (arched) decorations.
The compound now houses the Vologda State Museum-Reserve, which covers the history and art of the region. The collections include applied arts (silver, icons, woodwork), archaeological finds from the Bronze Age settlements in the Vologda region, and a gallery of paintings by Russian artists with Vologda connections. The enclosed courtyard and the view of Saint Sophia from the Kremlin walls are the main spatial pleasures; the museum interior is variable in quality but has some genuinely good pieces.