Saint Basil’s Cathedral: Historic Creativity St. Basil’s Cathedral, considered a famous Russian symbol is mysterious in its history and consequently accompanied by numerous legends. The cathedral is an atypical red brick building next to the famous Red Square in Moscow, Russia. The cathedral is identifiable by its ten diverse domes, each of varied color, shape, and size, which magnetizes and is distinctive of its time (“Moscow’s Red Square”). The unusual and vivid multicolored exterior of St. Basil’s Cathedral offers visitors a view of past Russian architecture that has endured through the centuries.
The Russian Orthodox Church was built around 1552 to 1561 in Moscow, Russia by the command of Tsar Ivan IV, known as Ivan the Terrible. Ivan …show more content…
Initially, the church wasn’t multicolored; previously St. Basil’s Cathedral was red brick and white stone. In 1670, the cathedral had a massive fire that was later restored and received its array of colors and onion shaped domes that distinguish it presently (“Technical assistance for the restoration of Saint Basil's Basilica, Moscow, Russian Federation”). The exterior of Saint Basil’s with its tent- roof chapel is surrounded by the eight other domes, even though all domes vary from sizes and shapes when viewed from above it is symmetrical in any direction. Although the exterior is enormous and colorful with many intricate details, the inside of the St. Basil’s is smaller and monotone in contrast. Inside the there are many corridors that join the nine chapels. Each chapel is highly detailed, but less outrageous and unique in decorations. Since the cathedrals are very small it is believed that open space around the main gate is where people would congregate in mass. As a result, the church is meant to be observed and worshipped from the outside and not within (“Cathedral of The Intercession of The Blessed Virgin On The Moat (“Saint Basil's Cathedral, Pokrovsky Cathedral, Cathedral Of Vasily The Blessed), Exterior …show more content…
One legend associated with the cathedral is that Ivan had the eyes removed of the architects so they would never create something as spectacular for others again. In other legends, Napoleon Bonaparte and Joseph Stalin tried to destroy the cathedral. Napoleon sought to detonate the cathedral as he was leaving Moscow, but his plans were thwarted by an unexpected showered that prevented the fuses from lighting up. Joseph Stalin also tried to destroy St. Basil’s Cathedral because it blocked his soldiers parading through Red Square, but a courageous architect named Baranovsky stopped Stalin