Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, is one of the most iconic buildings in Moscow.  Located in Red Square, it faces off of other mighty architectural giants, such as the Kremlin, Lenin’s mausoleum, the State Historical Museum, and the GUM shopping center, and quite easily holds its own.

Saint Basil’s Cathedral

Officially called the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat or the Pokrovsky Cathedral, the UNESCO World Heritage site of Saint Basil’s Cathedral was built between 1555-1561 near the southern gate to what was a large marketplace.  Ivan the Terrible had just successfully captured the neighboring cities of Kazan and Astrakhan, and wanted to commemorate the victory with a tall and beautiful church.  At 156 feet tall, when it was built it was the tallest building in the city.  Local legend states that upon completion of the construction, Ivan had the architect’s eyes removed so he would not be able to recreate the church elsewhere.  In 1990, the church became listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Interestingly, we all know the church as Saint Basil’s Cathedral, but that is actually the wrong name. Saint Basil’s refers to the tenth church within the larger complex which I will talk about next.

Architecture

The building originally consisted of 9 churches total; 8 side churches that centered around a core church.  In 1588, a tenth church was added which was built over the grave of Saint Vasily (or Basil); a local saint.  Each onion dome represents one church.  Inside the church, the rooms and corridors between them are actually quite narrow.

The well-known bright colors on the outside of the building are a later addition, painted that way over many years between the 1680s and 1840s.  There are beautiful floral murals decorating the inside walls that were painted on in the 1680s.

Saint Basil

Saint Basil (Vasily), also known as Basil the Blessed and Basil the fool for Christ, is a Russian Orthodox Saint canonised in 1580.  Saint Basil was born a serf and spent his life giving to the poor and shaming those who would not help.  Basil was always naked, often wearing only chains to weigh himself down.  After his death, he was buried in what is now commonly referred to as Saint Basil’s Cathedral with Ivan the Terrible, himself, acting as a pallbearer.

Saint Basil’s Today

During the soviet era of Russian history, ownership of Saint Basil’s Cathedral was taken over by the government and turned into a museum.  Today, it is an outbuilding of the State Historical Museum located on the opposite side of Red Square and is open to visitors.

Where is it Located

Saint Basil’s Cathedral is located on the southeastern end of Red Square right in the heart of the city of Moscow, Russia.