Although it's known to everyone as St. Basil's, this
legendary building is officially called "The Cathedral of the Intercession
of the Virgin by the Moat". The popular alternative refers to Basil the
Blessed, a Muscovite 'holy fool' who was buried on the site (in the Trinity
Cathedral that once stood here) a few years before the present building was
erected.
The Cathedral was ordered by Ivan the Terrible to mark the
1552 capture of Kazan from Mongol forces. It was completed in 1560. That's
pretty much all the genuine history that's known about this celebrated
landmark. There, however, scores of legends. Nothing is known about the
builders, Barma and Postnik Yakovlev, except their names and the dubious legend
that Ivan had them blinded so that they could not create anything to compare.
Historians unanimously state that this is nothing but urban folklore.
Architectural specialists are to this day unable to agree
about the governing idea behind the structure. Either the creators were paying
homage to the churches of Jerusalem, or, by building eight churches around a
central ninth, they were representing the medieval symbol of the eight-pointed
star. The original concept of the Cathedral of the Intercession has been hidden
from us beneath layers of stylistic additions and new churches added to the
main building. In fact, when built, the Cathedral was all white to match the
white-stone Kremlin, and the onion domes were gold rather than multi-colored
and patterned as they are today.
In the 17th century a hip-roofed bell tower was added,
the gallery and staircases were covered with vaulted roofing, and the helmeted
domes were replaced with decorated ones. In 1860 during rebuilding, the
Cathedral was painted with a more complex and integrated design, and has
remained unchanged since.
For a time in the Soviet Union, there was talk of
demolishing St. Basil's - mainly because it hindered Stalin's plans for massed
parades on Red Square. It was only saved thanks to the courage of the architect
Pyotr Baranovsky. When ordered to prepare the building for demolition, he
refused categorically, and sent the Kremlin an extremely blunt telegram. The
Cathedral remained standing, and Baranovsky's conservation efforts earned him
five years in prison.
The Cathedral is now a museum. During restoration work in
the seventies a wooden spiral staircase was discovered within one of the walls.
Visitors now take this route into the central church, with its extraordinary,
soaring tented roof and a fine 16th Century iconostasis. You can also walk
along the narrow, winding gallery, covered in beautiful patterned paintwork.
One service a year is held in the Cathedral, on the Day of
Intercession in October.
moscow.info
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