The riot of color and shapes that is St. Basil’s Cathedral is unmatched anywhere else in the world.
St. Basil’s Cathedral at night
What’s the building about?
Until very recently, I thought that this colorful fairytale-like building was called Kremlin and its like the Taj Mahal of Russia. This building is actually a cathedral and houses a number of tiny chapels inside. The cathedral was commissioned by Tsar Ivan IV to commemorate the capture of the Khanate of Kazan, and built from 1555 to 1561.
A chapel filled with icons, medieval painted walls, and varying artwork
The building is known by many names. The Cathedral of Intercession of the Virgin on the Moat (RU: Собор Покрова что на Рву – The Cathedral of the Protection of the Mother of God, or simply Pokrovskiy Cathedral – RU: Покровский Собор; better known as the Cathedral of Saint Basil the Blessed , Saint Basil’s Cathedral – RU: Храм Василия Блаженного) is a multi-tented church on the Red Square in Moscow that also features distinctive onion domes. St. Basil, after whom the cathedral is named, was a preacher who roamed the streets of Moscow trying to win converts during the reign of Tsar Ivan IV.
Spiraling stairway
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.
Bells. Russian orthodox churches play wonderful music by ringing bells of various sizes. These look like decommissioned ones.
The cathedral had a nice cosy, intimate feel, as opposed to most other cathedrals that are grand structures.
Onion Domes
Spiraling onion dome
Some scholars postulated that onion domes were borrowed by Russians from Muslim countries, probably from the Khanate of Kazan, whose conquest Ivan the Terrible commemorated by erecting St. Basil’s Cathedral. The Kazan Qolsharif mosque had been the principal symbol of the Khanate and some elements from there were said to be incorporated into the cathedral. Others state that the elongated, or onion, domes were part of the same proto-Gothic trend aimed at achieving pyramidal, vertical emphasis.
Secret Tips!
The cathedral is located at the south-eastern end of the Red square and is a convenient point to either start or end your tour of the Red Square.
Secret tip #1: Entrance ticket for foreigners is expensive (I think RUR 300 / USD 15), but for locals its RUR 100 (USD 5). I asked for a student discount ticket in Russian, and I got in for RUR 50 (USD 2.5). Awesome!
Secret tip #2: Entering the Red Square from this end is not very popular, hence there are few chances of getting checked or bothered by the police. The other entrance is very crowded, filled with souvenir shops and policemen who pry on foreign-looking people checking random passports. So be wiser. 😉
…and you are welcome. 🙂
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Nice photos you got there. I always get fascinated at those onion domes. I wonder what it would look like if someone renovated the building and made them spin; it would be a great optical illusion.
Yes, for sure! Interesting idea… they always appear to be spinning. Now why do I think that I’ve seen such animation before?
You are right, this is very unique. I love it!
There is an orthodox church in Ottawa, a much smaller and less colorful version of this cathedral, but I love it. Looks awesome for pictures!
Thanks Zhu, Yup, very good for pictures, you can’t go wrong… lol!
Beautiful domes and lovely pictures. If I could I would go there one day.
Thanks Mridula! All the best!
hi priyank…back to your blog after long time….i missed reading about your fascinating trips!!!…
beautiful pics of the cathedral…the first time i saw this pic was in national geographic magazine and i was very young then about six…and i thought it was a comic book painting….the colors were so vibrant…i dint think it was real!!..
Thanks SS!! It does look like an artist’s canvass!
the first pic – St Basil’s Cathedral looks truly beautiful and yes, unreal too 8) Really lovely pics
Thanks Snow!
Ok. The first time I saw this, it reminded me of Disney Land. Don’t ask me why but it did. Maybe because of Alladin. 🙂
The photographs are beautiful.
Thanks Amit! Aladin, comic and cartoons, yeah the colors and shapes are quite unique!
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You have a wonderful eye for photography–and you write so well; clearly you were born to do this!
In fact I stumbled onto your blog b/c I was googling those domes in an effort to settle a family debate. I still don’t have a definitive answer–but it occurs to me that having been there, you can likely help. Are those onion domes tiled or painted?? And the rest of the facades…?
Many thanks–for any insight you can offer, and also for sharing in this way online, so that so many can enjoy the wonders of the world through your keen eyes.
Hi Andy,
Thanks for your comment! Now this question has puzzled me since I always assumed that the domes were painted. Some of these are quite smooth and have gradual curves and changing gradients, I can’t possibly imagine how they would use tiles. But you shouldn’t fully rely on my assessment, I’m no expert! I hope the family debate settles and you live in peace, haha!
[…] can be heard everywhere every 15 minutes. You might remember the picture of this tower against the St. Basil’s cathedral from my previous post. The Tsar tower nearby is believed to be the place from where Ivan the […]