The spectacular St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow was
commissioned by Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century to
commemorate a military victory. St. Basil’s is a Russian
Orthodox cathedral, a denomination within Christianity. It is
easily the most famous sight on Red Square, a city square in
Moscow that separates the Kremlin (the residence of the
President) and historic Moscow.
St. Basil's was built to commemorate the capture of the Tatar
stronghold of Kazan in 1552, which occurred on the Feast of
the Intercession of the Virgin. The cathedral was thus officially
named Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin by the Moat
(the moat being one that originally ran beside the Kremlin).
The cathedral was popularly known as St. Basil's Cathedral,
after St. Basil the Blessed (also known as St. Basil Fool for
Christ; 1468-1552), almost from the beginning. Basil
impressed Ivan in 1547 when he foretold a fire that swept
through Moscow that year. Upon his death, Basil was buried in
the Trinity Cathedral that stood on this site at the time.
The Cathedral of the Intercession, St. Basil's Cathedral, was
constructed from 1555 to 1560. Legend has it that after it was
completed, Ivan had the architect blinded in order to prevent
him from
building a
more
magnificent building for anyone else. In fact, he went on to build
another cathedral in Vladimir, Russia. In modern times, St. Basil's
came
very close to falling victim to Stalin, the leader of the Communist
Party
under the Soviet Union, who resented that it prevented his soldiers
from
leaving Red Square in one large mass. But the architect Baranovsky
stood
on the cathedral's steps and threatened to cut his own throat if the
masterpiece was destroyed and Stalin relented (but punished
Baranovsky with five years in prison). More recently, St. Basil's
Cathedral has suffered significant damage from weather and neglect.
It was
not until the 2000s that funds were given to restore its foundations
and
flaking surfaces.
Saint Basil's Cathedral consists of nine chapels built on a single
foundation. The color and shapes that is St. Basil's Cathedral is
unmatched anywhere else in the world. The French diplomat
Marquis de Custine commented that it combined "the scales of a
fish, the enameled skin of a serpent, the changeful hues of the lizard,
glossy rose and azure of the pigeon's neck" and wondered at "the
who go to worship God in this box of confectionery (candy) work."
golden
the
men
The powerfully eastern design of St. Basil's reflects both its location between Europe and Asia and its historical origins.
Since the Kazan Qolsharif mosque had been the principal symbol of the Khanate captured by Ivan the Terrible, some
elements from the mosque were incorporated into the cathedral to symbolize the victory.
Although the towers and domes appear
chaotic, there is symmetry and
symbolism in its design. There are eight
domed chapels symbolizing the eight
assaults on Kazan: four large and
octagonal and four small and square. In
the center is a tent-roofed spire topped
with a small golden dome. The ninth
chapel on the east side added in 1588 for
Basil's tomb interrupts the symmetry of
design somewhat. It can be recognized
on the outside by its green-and-gold
dome studded with golden pyramids.
The interior is a maze of galleries winding
from chapel to chapel and level to level by
way of narrow stairways and low arches.
The walls are painted in floral and geometric
patterns. St. Basil the Blessed can be visited
in his chapel on the lower floor, where he
lies in a silver casket in extravagant
splendor. Upstairs, the Chapel of the
Intercession contains the equally splendid
blue and gold icons (religious images).
Other chapels, such as that of St. Nicholas,
are more restrained and even serious in their
decor.
In a garden at the front of the cathedral
stands a bronze statue commemorating
Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin, who
rallied Russia's volunteer army against the
Polish invaders during the Time of Troubles
in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
The statue was originally constructed in the
center of Red Square, but the Soviet
government felt it obstructed parades and
moved the statue in front of the cathedral in
1936.