They freeze in admiration when they see St. Basil's Cathedral, unsurpassed in its beauty, next to the Kremlin. This monument of Russian history and culture with its multi-colored painted domes has long become an integral part of the capital of Russia and its symbol. Official name of this attraction is the Cathedral of the Intercession Holy Mother of God, which is on the Rva. Until the 17th century, the cathedral was called the Trinity Cathedral, since the originally built wooden church was dedicated to the Holy Trinity. Currently, the cathedral is included in the list of world cultural heritage and is under the protection of UNESCO.
The history of the construction of St. Basil's Cathedral.
The order to build the Intercession Cathedral was given by Ivan the Terrible in honor of the victory over the Kazan Khanate and the storming of the impregnable Kazan fortress. This event took place on the feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, in honor of which the temple was named. Construction began in 1555 and was completed six years later. There is no reliable information about the architects who built the cathedral. Most researchers are inclined to believe that this is the work of the Pskov master Postnik Yakovlev, who had the nickname Barma.
After the addition to the existing churches in 1588 of the Church of St. Basil the Blessed, the cathedral acquired its name. As conceived by the author, the ensemble of temples was a symbol of Heavenly Jerusalem. Instead of burnt church coverings at the end of the 16th century, figured domes, familiar to our eyes, appeared.
In the 80s of the 17th century, porches decorated with tents were erected above the stairs leading to the temple, and the open gallery surrounding the cathedral acquired vaults. In painting the surface of the gallery, the masters used herbal motifs, and during the restoration work of the first half of the 19th century, a cast-iron fence was installed around the cathedral.
From the first days Soviet power St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow is under the protection of the state, although until 1923 it was in disrepair. After the creation of a historical and architectural museum in it, major construction work was done and the collection of funds was carried out. May 21, 1923 the first visitors stepped over its threshold. Since 1928 it has been a branch of the State Historical Museum. At the end of 1929, the bells were removed from the temple and it was forbidden to hold services. At the time of the Great Patriotic War The museum was closed, but after its completion and regular restoration activities, the museum reopened its doors to visitors. The beginning of the 90s of the XX century was marked by the resumption of church services in the temple. Since that time, the cathedral has been shared by the museum and the Russian Orthodox Church.
The height of St. Basil's Cathedral is 65 meters. But, despite this modest figure, the beauty of the cathedral leaves no one indifferent. Due to the fact that its ensemble includes nine churches built on a common foundation, it is included in the list of the largest cathedrals in the world in terms of volume. The uniqueness of the temple lies in the fact that it does not have a clearly defined main entrance. When entering a temple for the first time, one can get confused about its layout. But, if you look at him from a bird's eye view, or at his drawing (top view), placed on the wall of one of the churches, everything becomes clear and understandable.
Churches of St. Basil's Cathedral.
In the center of the complex stands a pillar-shaped church, consecrated in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. The central exits of the main temples surrounding it face the four cardinal directions. Smaller churches were erected between them, completing the composition. When looking at the entire ensemble from above, one can clearly see two squares turned to each other at an angle and making up a regular eight-pointed star, symbolizing the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The sides of the squares themselves, apart from the four ends life-giving cross, meant firmness of faith. And the unification of churches around the Pillar Temple symbolizes the unity of faith and God's protection spread over Russia. The bell tower, built in 1670, is a little further away.
Secret in the temple.
Another feature of the unique ensemble is the absence of basements. It was erected on the basement - a complex of premises, the height of the walls of which exceeds six meters, and the thickness reaches more than three meters. Special openings are provided in its walls, which serve to create a constant microclimate in the premises, which does not depend on the season. In ancient times, the basement was used as a secret storage for church valuables and the royal treasury. The cache could only be accessed from the second floor of the central cathedral through a secret staircase located in the wall. Now there is a repository of icons that belong to the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat. The oldest of them is the image of St. Basil the Blessed, dating from the end of the 16th century.
The whole ensemble is encircled by a covered bypass gallery, which has long become one with it. Like the inner bypass, it is painted with herbal and floral patterns dating back to the 17th century. Their floors are brick-lined, partly with herringbone masonry, and some areas with a special rosette pattern. Interestingly, the bricks preserved from the sixteenth century are more resistant to abrasion than those used in restoration work.
Basil's Cathedral inside.
Interior decoration of all the nine temples that make up the complex are not similar to each other and differ in the style of painting, colors and manner of its execution. Some of the walls are decorated with oil painting, and some have frescoes dating back to the sixteenth century. The main wealth of the cathedral is its unique iconostasis, which contains more than four hundred priceless icons dating back to the period of the 16th-19th centuries and belonging to the brush of Moscow and Novgorod masters.
After the return of the temple to the bosom of the Orthodox Church, which took place in Holy holiday Intercession, the museum began the renewal of the collection of bells. Today you can see nineteen exhibits representing masterpieces of foundry art. The "oldest" of them was cast five years before the capture of Kazan, and the youngest in 2016 turns twenty years old. With your own eyes you can see the armor and weapons with which the troops of Ivan the Terrible went to attack the Kazan Kremlin.
In addition to the unique icons inside St. Basil's Cathedral, you can get acquainted with the canvases of Russian masters of portrait and landscape painting of the nineteenth century. The pride of the museum exposition is a collection of old handwritten and early printed books. You can see all the priceless exhibits of the museum and wander around the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary as part of a group tour, or book an individual visit. It should be remembered that you can take photos and videos by making a separate payment through the museum's cash desk. Between the basement and the second floor of the temple there are shops where you can buy a souvenir as a keepsake.
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Basil's Cathedral in Red Square in Moscow. For many inhabitants of the world, the temple symbolizes Russia, just like in England - Big Ben or in China - the Chinese wall.
The temple was built in the middle of the 16th century by order of Ivan the Terrible.
These were the years of the great Kazan campaign, to which colossal importance was attached: until now, all campaigns of Russian troops against Kazan ended in failure. Ivan the Terrible, who personally led the army in 1552, vowed to build a grandiose temple in Moscow on Red Square in the event of a successful end to the campaign in memory of this.
During campaigns against Kazan, Ivan the Terrible ordered that a white-stone church be erected around Life-Giving Trinity votive wooden churches in honor of those saints, on the days of whose memory victories were won in the battle with the enemy. So, on August 30, on the day of the three Patriarchs of Constantinople - Alexander, John and Paul - a detachment of the Tatar cavalry of Prince Yepanchi was defeated. On September 30, on the day of memory of Gregory of Armenia, the fortress wall of Kazan was taken along with the Arskaya tower.
On October 1, on the feast of the Intercession, the assault on the city began, victoriously ending the next day, on October 2, on the feast of Cyprian and Ustinya. An old Moscow legend says that when a deacon proclaimed the gospel stanzas at a lunch service in a camp church near Kazan: “Let there be one flock and one shepherd,” a part of the enemy city’s fortress wall, under which a tunnel was made, flew up into the air, and Russian troops entered to Kazan
Other temples were associated with the reigning dynasty or with local Moscow events: for example, Vasily III in December 1533 before his death was tonsured under the name Varlaam, who is the patron of the royal family. The Temple of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem was probably founded in honor of the victorious return of Ivan the Terrible with his army to Moscow. And the church of St. Nicholas Velikoretsky is dedicated to the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
When the Russian army returned to Moscow in triumph, Ivan the Terrible decided to put one large, stone church on the site of the eight wooden churches built for centuries. All the thrones were originally part of the nine domes-churches of the Intercession Cathedral, when St. Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow advised the tsar to build one cathedral in stone here. He was also the author of the brilliant idea of a new temple. At first, it was supposed to leave seven temples around the central eighth, but during the construction process, “for the sake of symmetry”, the ninth southern chapel was added, later consecrated in honor of Nikola Velikoretsky. Two years later, in Moscow, on Red Square, on the site of the Trinity Church, the Church of the Intercession of the Virgin was laid.
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The Church of the Intercession was erected in 1555-1561 by Russian architects Barma and Postnik Yakovlev (or perhaps it was one master - Ivan Yakovlevich Barma). In fact, the name of the architect is still unknown. In chronicles and documents contemporary with the construction of the temple, there is no mention of Barma and Postnik. Their names appear only in later sources of the 16th-17th centuries: “The Life of Metropolitan Jonah”, “The Piskarevsky Chronicler” and “The Tale of the Velikorets Icon of the Wonderworker Nikola”. Before the construction of the bell tower of John the Great, the Intercession Church was considered the tallest building in Moscow, its height is 65 meters.
Initially, the cathedral was not so colorful: judging by the descriptions, the walls of the church were white. Basil's Cathedral is a symmetrical ensemble of eight pillar-like churches surrounding the ninth - the highest - crowned with a tent. The central church is dedicated to the feast of the Intercession of the Mother of God - it was on this day that Kazan was taken by storm.
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The design of the building is unparalleled in Russian architecture, and nothing like it can be found in the history of the Byzantine tradition of building cathedrals. St. Basil's Cathedral contains 9 onion-shaped domes. This type soon became predominant for church domes in Russia.
Only in the 17th century all domes were decorated with ceramic tiles. At the same time, asymmetrical buildings were added to the temple. Then tents appeared over the porches and intricate paintings on the walls and ceiling. In the same period, elegant paintings appeared on the walls and ceiling. In 1931, a monument to Minin and Pozharsky was erected in front of the temple.
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They built the temple, taking into account the cardinal points: focusing on them, they built four churches, and the same number were built diagonally. Four large churches are oriented to the cardinal points. The northern temple faces Red Square, the southern one faces the Moskva River, and the western one faces the Kremlin. Four large churches: the Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (western), the Church of Cyprian and Justina (northern), the Church of St. Nicholas Velikoretsky (south), the Church of the Holy Trinity (eastern).
Intercession Cathedral has nine churches: in the center - the main temple of the Intercession Mother of God, surrounded by four large (from 20 to 30 m) and four small churches (about 15 m). All these eight churches (four axial, four smaller between them) are crowned with onion domes and grouped around the ninth pillar-shaped church towering above them in honor of the Intercession of God Mother, completed with a tent with a small cupola. Near these churches there is a bell tower and a chapel of St. Basil the Blessed, which is crowned with an onion dome
There are only 11 domes. Nine domes over the temple (according to the number of thrones):
1. Intercession of the Virgin (center), 2. St. Trinity (east), 3. Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (west), 4. Gregory of Armenia (north-west), 5. Alexander of Svir (south-east), 6. Varlaam Khutynsky (south-west) , 7. John the Merciful (former John, Paul and Alexander of Constantinople) (north-east), 8. Nicholas the Wonderworker Velikoretsky (south), 9. Adrian and Natalia (former Cyprian and Justina) (north) 10 Dome over St. Basil's Church 11. Dome over the bell tower.
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Temple dome miniatures
01 Belfry 02 Central Church of the Intercession of the Virgin 03 Church of the Holy Trinity. 04 Church of the Three Patriarchs (John the Merciful) 05 St. Basil's Church
Bulb-shaped domes of the Rostov-Suzdal (Russian) type. Already from the middle of the dome, its top is drawn, the surface of the domes is uneven: ribbed or cellular
06 Church of Cyprian and Justina (Andrian and Nitalia) 07 Church of Gregory of Armenia 08 Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem 09 Varlaam Khutynsky 10 Church of St. Nicholas of Velikoretsky 11 Church of Alexander of Svirsky
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Plan of the cathedral churches
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Proportions of St. Basil's Cathedral
The proportions of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow are determined by eight members of the golden section series: 1, f, f2, f3, f4, f5, f6, f7. Many of the members of the series are repeatedly repeated in the proportions of the temple, but always due to the property of the golden section, the parts will converge into a whole, i.e. f + f2=1, f2+f3=f, etc.
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Temple through the eyes of the artist Aristarkh Lentulov.
The artist helps to see the Temple from all sides at once. Reminds me of a kaleidoscope stopped for a moment
13 Aristarkh Lentulov, St. Basil's Cathedral, 1913. 
14 St. Basil's Cathedral. 1961-1962 
15 Intercession Cathedral, 1895 
16 Intercession Cathedral, 1870 
Domes of the Intercession Cathedral
The completion of the churches, which we call the dome, is actually called the head. The dome is the roof of the church. It can be seen from inside the temple. Above the domed vault there is a crate on which the metal sheathing is fixed.
According to one version, in the old days at the Intercession Cathedral the domes were not onion-shaped, as they are now, but helmet-shaped. Other researchers argue that on such thin drums as those of St. Basil's Cathedral, helmet-shaped domes could not have been. Therefore, based on the architecture of the cathedral, the domes were onion, although this is not known for certain.
Bulbous domes differ from each other in size, decor and color. Their original form is also unknown to us, since the earliest images of the Intercession Cathedral on the miniatures of the Illuminated Chronicle (1560s) are rather arbitrary. Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, the tops at the Trinity and at the Intercession on the Moat were made with rose patterns and upholstered with German iron. ”But it is absolutely precisely established that initially the chapters were smooth and monochrome. In the 17th century, they were briefly painted in different colors.
17 Church of the Holy Trinity, Church of Cyprian and Justina (Andrian and Nitalia), Church of the Intercession of the Virgin, Church of St. Gregory of Armenia, Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem 
The heads were covered with iron, painted blue or green colors. Such iron, if there were no fires, withstood 10 years. Green or blue paints were obtained on the basis of copper oxides. If the heads were covered with German tinned iron, then they could be silvery. German iron lived for 20 years, but no more.
In the 17th century, in the life of Metropolitan Jonah, “figured domes of various designs” are mentioned. However, they were all monochrome. They have become variegated since the 19th century, maybe a little earlier. Foreign travelers admiringly emphasized the unique beauty of the domes of the cathedral, seeing in them "the scales of a cedar cone, pineapple and artichoke." Judging by their notes, the chapters were already colored in the first half of the 17th century (as mentioned above, for a short time). Why the domes are multi-colored and of different shapes, according to what principle they were painted, now no one can say, this is one of the mysteries of the cathedral.
18 Church of the Intercession of the Virgin.
In the 60s of the 20th century, during a large-scale restoration, they wanted to return the cathedral to its original appearance and make the domes monochrome, but the Kremlin officials ordered that they be left in color. The cathedral is recognizable, first of all, by its polychrome domes.
During the war, Red Square was guarded by a continuous field of balloons to protect it from bombing. When anti-aircraft shells exploded, the fragments, falling down, spoiled the skin of the heads. Damaged chapters were immediately repaired, because if you leave holes, then strong wind could completely “undress” the dome in 20 minutes.
In 1967-1969. a major restoration of the domes of the cathedral took place: instead of iron, the metal frames were covered with a more durable and weather-resistant material - copper. If the iron domes required repairs every 10-20 years, then new coatings are still preserved. The craftsmen spent about 32 tons of copper sheet 1 mm thick on the domes. They manually gave the sheet the necessary shape, exactly repeating the previous one. It was truly a work of art. The total area of the sheets, not counting the small cupola of the central church, is about 1900 square meters.
During a recent restoration, the domes were found to be in perfect condition. They just had to be repainted. The central dome on the Church of the Intercession has always been gilded.
Each chapter, even the central one, can be entered. A special staircase leads to the central chapter. The side chapters can be entered through external hatches. Between the ceiling and the crate there is a space as high as a person, where you can walk freely.
The magnificent multicolored bizarre domes make the Pokrovsky Cathedral unique and recognizable all over the world.
19 Church of the Intercession of the Virgin
The Feast of the Intercession of the Virgin owes its appearance to a miraculous event that took place in 910 in Constantinople, during the reign of Emperor Leo Vl the Philosopher, who received his nickname for his love of bookish wisdom.
The capital was besieged by hordes of enemies, at any moment capable of breaking into the city, destroying it, burning it down. The only refuge for the inhabitants of the besieged city was the temple, where people in prayer asked God for salvation from the barbarians. At that time, the holy holy fool Andrew and his disciple Epiphanius were also in the church. And now Saint Andrew sees how the Mother of God Herself kneelingly prays before the Lord for the salvation of the people. After that, he approaches the Throne and after praying again, removes the veil from His head and stretches it over the people praying in the temple, protecting them from enemies visible and invisible. The veil in the hands of the Most Pure Mother, surrounded by angels and a host of saints, shone "more than the rays of the sun", and next to them stood the holy Baptist of the Lord John and the holy Apostle John the Theologian. Then Saint Andrew asks his disciple Epiphanius: "Do you see, brother, the Queen and Lady of all, praying for the whole world?" “I see, holy father, and I am horrified,” Epiphanius answered him. So the Mother of God saved Constantinople from devastation and death of people.
Despite the fact that this event took place on Byzantine soil, this holiday was not included in the Greek calendar, but it was accepted and approved in Rus', thanks to the holy prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, son of Yuri Dolgoruky. This holiday has great missionary significance. He says that unity in faith stands above any human conflicts, any national stereotypes and antipathies. It was the understanding of this truth that allowed the Russian people to subsequently accept this holiday and make it part of their Orthodox tradition.
20 Church of the Intercession of the Virgin.
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23 Church of Cyprian and Justina (Andrian and Nitalia) 
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27 Church of St. Gregory of Armenia 
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30 Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem
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33 Church of Varlaam Khutynsky 
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37 Church of St. Nicholas Velikoretsky 
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41 Alexander Svirsky Church 
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47 Church of the Holy Trinity 
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Basil's Church
The cathedral consists of nine churches on a single foundation. However, ten multi-colored domes rise above the temple, not counting the bulb above the bell tower. The tenth green chapter with red spikes is below the level of the heads of all other churches and crowns the northeastern corner of the temple. This church was attached to the cathedral after construction was completed in 1588. It was erected over the grave of a very famous and revered holy fool of that time, St. Basil the Blessed.
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The cathedral was originally more of a memorial: it was not heated, services were not held in winter. St. Basil's Church turned out to be the only winter one of the entire temple, it was open to parishioners and pilgrims all year round, even at night. Thus, the name of St. Basil's Church became the "folk" name of the entire cathedral.
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54 Church of the Three Patriarchs (John the Merciful) 
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The hipped bell tower was built in the 1670s.
58 Belfry 
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The tops of the Kremlin towers were built on in the 17th century, they were built with an eye on the Pokrovsky Cathedral
61 A fragment of the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower. View from the Church of Cyprian and Justina 
62 The temple seems to be floating in the air! 
Sources
www.pravoslavie.ru Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God / Pravoslavie.Ru Elena Lebedeva
globeofrussia.ru St. Basil's Cathedral: 9 churches on one foundation - Globe of Russia
July 12, 2016 marks the 455th anniversary of one of the most famous architectural monuments Moscow - the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat, which we know as St. Basil's Cathedral.
In that famous cathedral, with its powerful walls and arches, used to make caches. Deep niches were arranged in the walls of the basement, the entrance to which was closed by metal doors. There were heavy forged chests in which rich citizens kept their valuable property - money, jewelry, utensils and books. The royal treasury was also kept there. What other legends and secrets does the temple, which we call St. Basil's Cathedral, keep today.
Where did the name "St. Basil's Cathedral" come from?
Despite the fact that the cathedral was built in 1554 in honor of the victories of Ivan the Terrible over the Golden Horde, it received the name of St. Basil the Blessed among the people, after the name of the chapel attached to the cathedral from the northeast side in 1588. It was built by order of the son of Ivan the Terrible - Fyodor Ioannovich over the grave blessed basil, who died in 1557, and was buried near the walls of the cathedral under construction. The holy fool in winter and summer went naked, in iron chains, Muscovites loved him very much for his gentle disposition. In 1586, under Fyodor Ivanovich, St. Basil the Blessed was canonized. With the addition of the Church of St. Basil the Blessed, divine services in the cathedral became daily. Previously, the cathedral was not heated, as it was, to a greater extent, a memorial one, and services were held in it only in the warm season. And the chapel of St. Basil the Blessed was warm and more spacious. Since then, the Pokrovsky Cathedral is known more as St. Basil's Cathedral.
Is it true that Ivan the Terrible gouged out the eyes of the builders of the temple?
The most common myth about the cathedral is the chilling, gullible story that Tsar Ivan IV allegedly ordered his builders Postnik and Barma to be blinded so that they would never be able to build anything else that could surpass and outshine the newly erected architectural masterpiece. Meanwhile, there is no real historical evidence. Yes, the builders of the temple were really called Postnik and Barma. In 1896, Archpriest John Kuznetsov, who served in the temple, discovered a chronicle that said that “The pious Tsar John came from the victory of Kazan to the reigning city of Moscow ... And God granted him two Russian masters named Postnik and Barma and bysha be wise and convenient to such a wonderful deed ... ". So for the first time the names of the builders of the cathedral became known. But there is not a word about blinding in the annals. Moreover, Ivan Yakovlevich Barma, after completing work in Moscow, took part in the construction of the Annunciation Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin, the Kazan Kremlin and other iconic buildings, which are mentioned in the annals.
Is it true that the cathedral was originally conceived so colorful?
No, this is a misconception. The current appearance of the Intercession Cathedral is very different from the original appearance. It had white walls, strictly brick-like. All polychrome and floral painting of the cathedral appeared only in the 1670s. By this time, the cathedral had already undergone significant restructuring: two large porches were added - on the north and south sides. The outer gallery was also covered with vaults. Today, in the decoration of the Intercession Cathedral, you can see frescoes of the 16th century, tempera painting of the 17th century, monumental oil painting of the 18th-19th centuries, and rare monuments of Russian icon painting.
Is it true that Napoleon wanted to move the temple to Paris?
During the war of 1812, when Napoleon occupied Moscow, the emperor liked the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin so much that he decided to move it to Paris. The technology of the time did not allow for this. Then the French first arranged stables in the temple, and later they simply laid explosives in the base of the cathedral and lit the wick. The assembled Muscovites prayed for the salvation of the temple, and a miracle happened - heavy rain began, which put out the wick.
Is it true that Stalin saved the Cathedral from destruction?
The temple miraculously survived during the October Revolution - on its walls for a long time there were traces of shells. In 1931, a bronze monument to Minin and Pozharsky was moved to the cathedral - the authorities freed the square from unnecessary buildings for parades. Lazar Kaganovich, who was so successful in destroying the Kazan Cathedral of the Kremlin, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and a number of other churches in Moscow, proposed to completely demolish the Intercession Cathedral in order to further clear the place for demonstrations and military parades. The legend says that Kaganovich ordered to make a detailed model of Red Square with a removable temple and brought it to Stalin. Trying to prove to the leader that the cathedral interferes with cars and demonstrations, he, unexpectedly for Stalin, tore off the model of the temple from the square. Surprised, Stalin allegedly at that moment uttered the historical phrase: “Lazar, put it in its place!”, So the question of demolishing the cathedral was postponed. According to the second legend, the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin owes its salvation to the famous restorer P.D. Baranovsky, who sent telegrams to Stalin urging him not to destroy the temple. The legend says that Baranovsky, who was invited to the Kremlin on this issue, knelt before the assembled members of the Central Committee, begging to keep the cult building, and this had an unexpected effect.
Is it true that the Cathedral now serves only as a museum?
The historical and architectural museum in the cathedral was founded in 1923. However, even then, in Soviet times, services in the cathedral continued anyway. They went until 1929, and resumed again in 1991. Today the cathedral is in joint use of the State Historical Museum and the Russian Orthodox Church. Divine services are held in St. Basil's Cathedral weekly on Sundays, as well as on patronal feasts - August 15, the day of memory of St. Basil the Blessed, and October 14, the day of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos.
The main cathedral on Red Square - St. Basil's Cathedral - the world-famous monument of Russian church architecture. Included in the register of world-class cultural heritage sites under the auspices of UNESCO. Its other name is Pokrovsky Cathedral.
Another one is located on the corner of Nikolskaya Street, near the Mint. This temple has its own history. Moscow's cathedrals on Red Square were built at different times, and each of them is interesting and famous in its own way.
Many Muscovites and guests of the capital believe that there are not two cathedrals on Red Square, but much more. This opinion is erroneous, since other masterpieces of Russian temple architecture, although they are visible from Red Square, are located behind the territory of the Moscow Kremlin. Thus, the answer to the question of how many cathedrals are on Red Square is unequivocal.
The center of Moscow is distinguished by an abundance of architectural monuments.
Intercession Cathedral on Red Square, the photo of which is presented in this article, is located opposite the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin, at the beginning of Vasilyevsky Spusk. Nearby is the bronze memorial of Minin and Pozharsky, erected in 1818.
The Cathedral of the Intercession on Red Square is the most grandiose group of tourists and individual visitors spend hours walking through the galleries. And if you ask a Japanese, a Frenchman or a Dane about which cathedral on Red Square they liked more, they will not hesitate to name the Cathedral of the Intercession. Muscovites will say the same.
Intercession Cathedral on Red Square is an unsurpassed masterpiece of temple architecture of the mid-16th century, built in honor of the great event that took place in Rus' in October 1552 - the capture of Kazan and the victory over the Kazan Khanate. Tsar Ivan the Terrible ordered to build such a church, "which cannot be similar." This "church" was the Intercession Cathedral on Red Square, which was built in six years, from 1555 to 1561. Later, several additions of a cult nature were made.
Structure
The architects Barma and Postnik created a design for the cathedral, which consisted of a central pillar and eight aisles, which they placed on the cardinal points, in accordance with the canons of church construction of that time:
- The central pillar is the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos.
- To the east is the chapel of the Holy Trinity.
- To the west - the chapel "Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem".
- To the north-west is the chapel of "Gregory the Catholicos of Armenia".
- To the south-east - the chapel of "Svirsky Alexander".
- To the south-west - the chapel of "Varlaam Khutynsky".
- To the northeast is the chapel of "John the Merciful".
- To the south - the chapel of "Nicholas the Wonderworker".
- To the north - the chapel of "Cyprian and Ustinya".
There are no cellars in the cathedral, the foundation is a fundamental basement, the vaults of which rest on brick walls three meters thick. Until 1595, the basement of the Intercession Cathedral was used to store the royal treasury. In addition to gold, the most valuable icons were placed in the vaults.
The second floor of the temple is directly all the aisles and the central pillar of the Intercession of the Mother of God, surrounded by a gallery from which you can get through the arched entrances to all rooms, as well as go from one church to another.
Church of Svirsky Alexander
The chapel of the south-eastern direction was consecrated in the name of St. Alexander Svirsky. On the day of his memory, in 1552, one of the decisive battles took place - the defeat of the cavalry of Prince Khan Yapanchi.
The Church of Alexander Svirsky is one of the four small aisles, consisting of a lower quadrangle with an octagon and a drum with windows. The aisle is crowned with a dome with a cross.
Church of Varlaam Khutynsky
The Church of Varlaam Khutynsky, Reverend, was consecrated in his name. The chetverik at the base passes into a low octagon and further into the domed top. The apse of the church is shifted towards the Royal Gates. The interior decoration includes a table iconostasis with icons of the 16th century, among which the Novgorod icon "Vision of Tarasius, sexton" stands out.
Church "The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem"
aisle western direction consecrated in honor of the feast of "Entry into Jerusalem". big church in the form of a two-tier octagonal pillar, the transition from the third tier to the drum is carried out with the help of an intermediate belt of kokoshniks arranged "in a row".
The interior decoration has a rich decorative character, not devoid of solemnity. The iconostasis was inherited from the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, formerly located in the Moscow Kremlin. The four-tiered table construction is decorated with gilded overlays and carved rosewood details. The bottom row of icons tells about the Creation of the world.
Church of Gregory, Kotalikos of Armenia
The chapel, facing the northwest, was consecrated in the name of the Enlightener of Armenia. small church, a quadrangle with a transition to a low octagon with three tiers of kokoshniks "in rush", taken from the cross-domed style of cubic temples of the second half of the 15th century. The dome is of a peculiar shape, diamond-shaped protrusions are constricted by a "net" of dark green stripes.
The iconostasis is varied, in the bottom row there are velvet shrouds and the crosses of Golgotha are depicted on them. The interior of the church is full of "skinny" candles - wooden candlesticks, into which thin ones were inserted. On the walls there are showcases with vestments for priests, phelonions and surplices, embroidered with gold. In the center is a candilo decorated with enamel.
Church of Cyprian and Ustinya
Large church facing north. On the day of memory of Cyprian and Ustinya, the tsarist army stormed Kazan. The octagonal pillar with pediments passes through the tier of kokoshniks into a faceted drum. The dome, built of vertical lobes of blue and white, tops the pillar. The interior of the church consists of a carved iconostasis and numerous wall paintings with scenes from the lives of the saints.
The church has been restored many times, the last update dates back to 2007, financial support came from JSC " Railways Russia".
Chapel of Nikola Velikoretsky
The chapel, facing south, was consecrated in the name of Nicholas the Wonderworker, named Velikoretsky in honor of the icon found in Khlynov on the Velikaya River. The church is a two-tier octagonal pillar with pediments, turning into a row of kokoshniks. An octahedron rises above the kokoshniks, crowned with a head with Orthodox cross. painted, bears wavy stripes of red and white.
Church of the Holy Trinity
Another large chapel of the Intercession Cathedral, facing east, was consecrated in the name of the Great Trinity. A two-tiered octahedral pillar, framed by pointed pediments on the lower tier, surrounded by kokoshniks in the middle part and crowned with an octagon with a dome, is the most colorful in the entire composition of St. Basil's Cathedral.
Chapel "Three Patriarchs"
The side-chapel facing east was consecrated in honor of the three patriarchs of Constantinople: John, Paul and Alexander. It is distinguished by a large five-tier baroque-type iconostasis, with icons of the local row, deesis, hagiography with hallmarks. The interior was renovated in 2007.
Basil the Blessed
In 1588, the cathedral on Red Square was completed from the northeast side. A chapel was added to the pillar of "Gregory of Armenia" in honor of St. Basil the Blessed, who died in 1552, whose remains were buried just at the construction site of the cathedral.
Intercession Cathedral on Red Square, in addition to its architectural and historical value, also has sacred features in terms of cult burials. John of Moscow was buried in the basement of the cathedral. In 1672, the relics of St. John the Blessed, the miracle worker of Moscow, were buried in the Intercession Cathedral.
Kazan Cathedral on Red Square
In 1625, a wooden Temple of the Kazan Mother of God was built on Nikolskaya Street at the expense of the Moscow Prince Pozharsky. Nine years later, the Kazan Church burned down and a stone Kazan Cathedral was erected in its place. This time, the construction of the temple was paid for by the king, and the new building was consecrated in 1636 by Patriarch Joasaph the First.
During the Stalinist reconstruction of Manezhnaya Square, the cathedral was demolished in 1936. The Church of the Kazan Mother of God was recreated in the early nineties, at the initiative of the Moscow Society for the Protection of Cultural Monuments. Currently, the Kazan Cathedral, located on Red Square, is one of the most notable masterpieces of Moscow temple architecture.
