After the Rostov and Yaroslavl Eparchy was reorganised as the Yaroslavl and Rostov Eparchy in the late 18th century, the seat of the eparchy moved to Yaroslavl and the kremlin began to fall into disrepair. This trend was only halted in 1883 when a group of merchants decided to establish a Museum of Church Antiquities on its territory. In 1918, after the Revolution, the kremlin became state property and a museum which existed under several names until it became known as the Rostov Kremlin State Museum Reserve in 1995. Today it remains state property although Patriarch Kirill has been leading the calls for it to be returned to the Russian Orthodox Church to be used as a monastery.
A ticket must be bought to enter its territory and individual tickets must be bought to visit each of its exhibitions. Inside the kremlin is separated into three parts: Cathedral Square, the central part and the Metropolitan's Gardens. The kremlin is especially beautiful when viewed from the shores of Lake Nero and all its churches' domes are visible, making it look like something out of a Russian fairy-tale.