St Basil's Church

It so happened that each capital has its own architectural symbol, which helps to know the city and to love it. In Paris it is undoubtedly the Eiffel Tower, New York has a Statue of Liberty, near Rio de Janeiro has a statue of Jesus the Redeemer. In the Russian capital, such a symbol is the Intercession Cathedral, located in the heart of Moscow. In the people this cathedral is better known as the temple of St. Basil the Blessed. The building looks like a pile of jewels, so it's hardly confusing with any other in the world. Nine heads of churches form an amazing silhouette. All churches are erected on the same basis and decorated very colorful and joyful.

St. Basil's Cathedral: history

The history of the cathedral is very interesting, as he, like any other works of art, is surrounded by mysteries and riddles. Why do not they talk about the Intercession Cathedral! Despite the fact that everything seems to be known about it, there are many dark moments attracting the attention of historians and art historians.

Many believe that the temple was erected during the period from 1555 to 1561 by Russian architects Barma and Postnik Yakovlev. Others are sure that a master named Barma Ivan Yakovlevich was working on the building.

According to one of the legends, Ivan the Terrible became very angry when the masters assured him that they could build another such magnificent temple. In a rage, the king ordered to blind the workers, so that they nowhere else erected such beauty. However, there are a lot of such stories, therefore it is not necessary to believe in them.

Another story says that Ivan the Terrible built the church of St. Basil the Blessed in the part of Basil III, his father. It is from here, if you believe the legend, and went the name of the cathedral.

Most likely, the temple is named so in honor of the most revered fool in Russia, St. Basil the Blessed. He was buried in a temple in the name of the Life-Giving Trinity. This temple stood on the edge of the Moskva River, and over time, at the behest of Ivan the terrible, other churches began to be built around it. The complex, which was erected on the site of the former church, was called the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin. After a while a church appeared on the grave of the holy fool and was consecrated by his name. The service here was daily, and it is worth assuming that this was the reason that the Pokrovsky Cathedral had a popular name - the temple of St. Basil the Blessed.

Few facts

This cathedral is a symmetrical architectural complex consisting of eight pillar-shaped buildings surrounding the ninth - the highest. The central church is dedicated to the Protection of the Mother of God. The chapters are interconnected by transitions. Each of the pillared churches is crowned with a dome in the shape of a bulb. Domes do not repeat each other, and each of them is decorated with kokoshnikami, cornices, niches and windows. The temple itself creates a feeling of extraordinary elegance and fabulousness. It has nine iconostasis (approximately 400 icons). All works here are the best examples of icon-painting schools in Moscow and Novgorod. The walls of the churches are decorated with paintings and frescoes, there are also various paintings and a variety of church utensils.

Orthodox priests believe that the church of St. Basil the Blessed is still intact only thanks to the special Providence of God, as several times the structure was a step away from destruction and remained intact (fire in 1737, the desire of some rulers to demolish or blow up the temple, military actions, etc.) . The last time the decision to demolish was abolished by Stalin.

In 1918, St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow was taken under state protection as a national and world monument. In 1923 the landmark was opened as a historical museum. Later, the cathedral turned into a branch of the State Historical Museum, after which several global restorations were made. Today the cathedral is used both as a temple and as a museum.