The cathedral, named after St. Basil, in the capital of Russia, Moscow, is located on its main square - Red Square. Throughout the world, it is considered a symbol of Russia, just as the symbol for residents of the United States is the Statue of Liberty, for Brazilians - the statue of Christ with outstretched arms, and for the French - the Eiffel Tower, located in Paris. Nowadays, the temple is one of the divisions of the Russian Historical Museum. In 1990, it was included in the UNESCO architectural heritage list.

Description of appearance

The cathedral is a unique architectural ensemble consisting of nine churches located on a single base. It reaches 65 meters in height and has 11 domes - these are nine church domes, one dome crowning the bell tower, and one rising above the chapel. The cathedral unites ten chapels (churches), some of them are consecrated in honor of revered saints. The days on which their memory was celebrated coincided with the time of the decisive battles for Kazan.

Around the temple, churches were built dedicated to:

• Holy Trinity.
• The entry of the Lord into the borders of Jerusalem.
• Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker.
• Gregory of Armenia - enlightener, Catholicos of all Armenians.
• Holy Martyrs Cyprian and Ustinia.
• Alexander Svirsky - reverend Orthodox saint, abbot.
• Varlaam Khutynsky - Novgorod miracle worker.
• Patriarchs of Constantinople, Saints Paul, John and Alexander.
• Saint Basil - Moscow's holy fool.

Construction cathedral on Red Square in Moscow, by decree of Ivan the Terrible, began in 1555, it lasted until 1561. According to one version, it was erected in honor of the capture of Kazan and the final conquest of the Kazan Khanate, and according to another, in connection with the Orthodox holiday - the Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God.

There are a number of versions of the construction of this beautiful and unique cathedral. One of them says that the architects of the temple were famous architect Postnik Yakovlev from Pskov and master Ivan Barma. The names of these architects were learned in 1895 thanks to the found manuscript collection of the 17th century. in the archives of the Rumyantsev Museum, where there were records about the masters. This version is generally accepted, but is questioned by some historians.

According to another version, the architect of the cathedral, like most of the buildings of the Moscow Kremlin that were erected earlier, was an unknown master from Western Europe, presumably from Italy. It is believed that this is why a unique architectural style appeared, which combines Renaissance architecture and exquisite Russian style. However, to date there is no evidence supported by documents for this version.

The legend of blinding and the second name of the temple

There is an opinion that the architects Postnik and Barma, who built the cathedral by order of Ivan the Terrible, were blinded upon completion construction so that they could not build anything similar again. But this version does not stand up to criticism, since Postnik, after completing the construction of the Intercession Cathedral, was engaged in the construction of the Kazan Kremlin for several years.

As already mentioned, the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is on the Moat, is the correct name of the temple, and St. Basil's Church is a colloquial name that gradually replaced the official one. The name of the Church of the Intercessions of the Blessed Virgin Mary mentions a moat, which at that time ran along the entire Kremlin wall and served for defense. It was called Alevizov ditch, its depth was about 13 m, and its width was about 36 m. It received its name after the architect Aloisio da Carezano, who worked in Russia at the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th centuries. The Russians called him Aleviz Fryazin.

Stages of construction of the cathedral

By the end of the 16th century. New figured domes of the cathedral appear, since the original ones were destroyed by fire. In 1672, a small church was built on the southeastern side of the temple directly above the burial place of St. John the Blessed (the holy fool revered by Moscow residents). In the 2nd half of the 17th century. Significant changes are being made to the appearance of the cathedral. Wooden the canopies over the galleries of churches (gulbischi), which were constantly burned down in fires, were replaced by a roof supported by arched brick pillars.

Above the porch (the porch in front of the main entrance to the church) a church is being built in honor of St. Theodosius the Virgin. Above the white stone stairs that lead to the upper tier of the cathedral, vaulted hipped porches are built, built on “creeping” arches. At the same time, ornamental polychrome painting appeared on the walls and vaults. It is also applied to supporting columns, to the walls of galleries located outside, and to parapets. On the facades of churches there is a painting that imitates brickwork.

In 1683, a tiled inscription was created along the upper cornice of the entire cathedral, which encircles the temple. Large yellow letters on a dark blue background of tiles told about the history of the creation and renovation of the temple in the 2nd half of the 17th century. Unfortunately, a hundred years later the inscription was destroyed during renovation work. In the eighties of the 17th century. The belfry is being rebuilt. In place of the old belfry, a new, two-level bell tower with an open area for bell ringers is being built on the second tier. In 1737, during a severe fire, the cathedral was significantly damaged, especially its southern part and the church located there.

Significant changes during the renovation of the cathedral in 1770-1780. The painting program was also affected. The altars from the wooden churches located on Red Square were moved under the arches of the cathedral and onto its territory. These churches were dismantled to avoid fires, which happened very often at that time. In the same period, the throne of the Three Patriarchs of Constantinople was renamed in honor of John the Merciful, and the temple of Cyprian and Justina was named after Saints Adrian and Natalia. The original names of the temples were returned to them with the onset of the twentieth century.

From the beginning of the 19th century. The following improvements were made to the temple:

• The inside of the church was painted with “storyline” oil painting, depicting the faces of saints and scenes from their lives. The painting was updated in the middle and at the end of the 19th century.
• On the front side, the walls were decorated with a pattern similar to masonry made of large wild stones.
• The arches of the non-residential lower tier (basement) were laid, and in its western part housing was arranged for the temple servants (clergy).
• The cathedral building and the bell tower were combined with an extension.
• The Church of Theodosius the Virgin, which is the upper part of the chapel of the cathedral, was converted into a sacristy - a place in which shrines and church valuables were kept.

During the war in 1812, the soldiers of the French army, who occupied Moscow and the Kremlin, kept horses in the basement of the Intercession Church. Later, Napoleon Bonaparte, amazed by the extraordinary beauty of the cathedral, wanted to transport him to Paris, but making sure that this was impossible, the French command ordered its artillerymen to blow up the cathedral.

Consecration after the War of 1812

But Napoleon’s troops only plundered the cathedral, they failed to blow it up, and immediately after the end of the war it was repaired and consecrated. The area around the cathedral was landscaped and surrounded by a cast-iron lattice fence designed by the famous architect Osip Bove.

At the end of the 19th century. for the first time the question of recreating the cathedral in its original form was raised. A special commission was appointed to restore the unique architectural and cultural monument. It included famous architects, talented painters and famous scientists, who developed a plan for the study and further restoration of the cathedral. However, due to lack of funding, the First World War and the October Revolution, it was not possible to implement the developed restoration plan.

Cathedral at the beginning of the twentieth century

In 1918, the cathedral was practically the first to be taken under state protection as a monument of world and national significance. And since May 1923, the cathedral was opened to everyone who wanted to visit it as a historical architectural museum. Divine services in the Church of St. Basil the Blessed were held until before 1929. In 1928, the cathedral became a branch of the historical museum, which it still is today.

After the October Revolution, the new authorities found funds and large-scale work began, which was not only restoration in nature, but also scientific. Thanks to this, it becomes possible to restore the original image of the cathedral and reproduce the interiors and decorations of the 16th-17th centuries in some churches.

From that moment until our time, four large-scale restorations have been carried out, which included both architectural and pictorial works. The original painting, stylized as brickwork, was recreated on the outside of the Intercession Church and the Church of Alexander Svirsky.

Restoration work in the mid-twentieth century

In the mid-twentieth century, a number of unique restoration works were carried out:

• In one of the interiors of the central temple, a “temple chronicle” was discovered; it was in it that the architects indicated exact date completion of the construction of the Intercession Cathedral, it is the date 07/12/1561 (in the Orthodox calendar - the day of Equal-to-the-Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul).
• For the first time, the iron sheet covering on the domes is being replaced with copper. As time has shown, the choice of replacement material turned out to be very successful; this covering of the domes has survived to this day and is in very good condition.
• In the interiors of four churches, the iconostasis was reconstructed, which almost entirely consisted of unique ancient icons of the 16th - 17th centuries. Among them there are real masterpieces of the school of icon painting of Ancient Rus', for example, “Trinity”, written in the 16th century. Collections of icons from the 16th - 17th centuries are considered a special pride. - “Nikola Velikoretsky in the Life”, “Visions of the Sexton Tarasius”, “Alexander Nevsky in the Life”.

Completion of restoration

In the 1970s, on the bypass external gallery, under later inscriptions, a fresco dating from the 17th century was discovered. The found painting was the basis for reproducing the original ornamental painting on facades St. Basil's Cathedral. The last years of the twentieth century. became very important in the history of the museum. As mentioned earlier, the cathedral was included in the UNESCO heritage list. After a significant break, services in the temple resume.

In 1997, the restoration of all interior spaces, easel and monumental paintings was completed in the temple, which was closed in 1929. The temple is introduced into the general exposition of the cathedral on the moat and services begin in it. At the beginning of the 21st century. seven cathedral churches were completely restored, facade paintings were updated, and tempera painting was partially recreated.

Once in Moscow, you should definitely visit Red Square and enjoy the extraordinary beauty of St. Basil's Cathedral: both its external exquisite architectural elements and its interior decoration. And also take a photo as a keepsake against the backdrop of this beautiful ancient structure, capturing it in all its majestic beauty.

One of the most interesting and beautiful sights of the Russian capital is St. Basil's Cathedral (photo below), also known as the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God, built in the 16th century by order of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible. Almost every person in the country knows that it is located on Red Square, but not everyone knows the history of its construction and the legends associated with it. But it will still not be enough to learn only about the cathedral. The saint, in whose honor the chapel was built, and later the temple itself began to be called, bore the name St. Basil the Blessed. The story of his life, deeds and death is no less interesting than the story of the construction of the cathedral.

Versions about the creators

(its photo adorns many postcards for tourists) was erected between 1555 and 1561 in memory of the capture of the fortress city of Kazan by Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich. There are many versions of who was the true creator of this architectural monument. Let's consider only three main options. The first of them is the architect Postnik Yakovlev, who bore the nickname Barma. This was a well-known Pskov master at that time. The second option is Barma and Postnik. These are two architects who participated in the construction of this temple. And the third - the cathedral was erected by some unknown Western European master, presumably from Italy.

The latter version is supported by the fact that most of the Kremlin buildings were built by immigrants from this country. The unique style in which St. Basil's Cathedral was created (photos perfectly demonstrate it) harmoniously combines the traditions of Russian and European architecture. But it’s worth noting right away that this version has absolutely no documentary evidence.

There is also a legend according to which all the architects who worked on the temple project were deprived of their sight by order of Ivan the Terrible - with the aim that they would never be able to build anything similar again. But there is one problem. If the author of the temple is still Postnik Yakovlev, then there is no way he could have been blinded. Just a few years later, he also worked on the creation of the Kremlin in Kazan.

Temple structure

The cathedral has only ten domes: nine of them are located above the main building, and one is above the bell tower. It consists of eight temples. Their thrones were consecrated only in honor of those holidays on whose days the decisive battles for Kazan took place. All eight churches are located around the tallest ninth, which has a pillar-shaped structure. It was built in honor of the veil of the Mother of God and ends with a tent with a small dome. The remaining domes of St. Basil's look traditional at first glance. They have a bulbous shape, but differ from each other in their design. All nine temples stand on a common foundation and are connected to each other by vaulted internal passages and a bypass gallery, which in the original version was open.

In 1558, a chapel was added to the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Mother of God, which was consecrated in honor of St. Basil. It was erected on the spot where the relics of this saint were previously located. His name also gave the cathedral its second name. About 20 years later, the temple acquired its own tented bell tower.

First floor - basement

It must be said that St. Basil's Cathedral (the photos, of course, do not show this) does not have a basement. All its constituent churches stand on one foundation, called the basement. It is a structure with fairly thick (up to 3 m) walls, divided into several rooms, the height of which is more than 6 m.

The northern basement has, one might say, a unique design for the 16th century. Its vault is made in the form of a box without supporting pillars, despite the fact that it is long. In the walls of this room there are narrow openings called vents. Thanks to them, a special microclimate is created here, which remains unchanged throughout the year.

Once upon a time, all the basement rooms were inaccessible to parishioners. These deep recesses in the form of niches were used as storage. Previously, they were closed with doors. But now all that remains are loops. Until 1595, the royal treasury and the most valuable property of wealthy townspeople were kept in the basement.

To get to these previously secret rooms of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, one had to walk along a white stone staircase inside the walls, which only initiates knew about. Later, as unnecessary, this move was laid down and forgotten about, but in the 30s of the last century it was accidentally discovered.

Chapel organized in honor of St. Basil the Blessed

It is a cubic-shaped church. It is covered with a cross vault with a small light drum topped with a dome. The covering of this temple itself is made in the same style as the upper churches of the cathedral. There is a stylized inscription on the wall here. She reports that St. Basil's Church was built in 1588 directly above the burial of the saint immediately after his canonization by order of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich.

In 1929, the temple was closed for worship. Only at the end of the last century was its decorative decoration finally restored. The memory of St. Basil is venerated on August 15. It was this date of 1997 that was the starting date for the resumption of services in his church. Nowadays, above the saint’s burial itself there is a shrine with his relics, decorated with fine carvings. This Moscow shrine is the most revered among parishioners and guests of the temple.

Church decoration

It must be admitted that it is impossible in one article to reproduce in words all the beauties for which St. Basil's Cathedral is famous. Describing them would take more than one week, and possibly months. Let us dwell only on the details of the decoration of the church, consecrated in honor of this particular saint.

Her oil painting was timed just in time for the 350th anniversary of the start of construction of the cathedral. St. Basil is depicted on the southern and northern walls. Pictures from his life represent episodes about the miracle of the fur coat and salvation at sea. Below them, on the lower tier, is an ancient Russian ornament made of towels. In addition, on the south side of the church hangs a large icon, the drawing of which is made on a metal surface. This masterpiece was painted in 1904.

The western wall is decorated with a temple image of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The upper tier contains images of saints who patronize the royal house. These are the martyr Irene, John the Baptist, and Fyodor Stratilates.

The sails of the vault are occupied by the image of the Evangelists, the crosshairs are occupied by the Savior Not Made by Hands, John the Baptist and the Mother of God, the drum is decorated with figures of the forefathers, and the dome is decorated with the Savior Almighty.

As for the iconostasis, it was made according to the design of A. M. Pavlinov in 1895, and the painting of the icons was supervised by the famous Moscow restorer and icon painter Osip Chirikov. His original autograph is preserved on one of the icons. In addition, the iconostasis also has more ancient images. The first is the icon of Our Lady of Smolensk, dating back to the 16th century, and the second is the image of St. Basil, where he is depicted against the backdrop of Red Square and the Kremlin. The latter dates back to the 18th century.

Bell tower

In the middle of the 17th century, the previously built belfry was in terrible condition. Therefore, they decided to replace it with a bell tower in the 80s of the same century. By the way, it still stands. The base for the bell tower is a tall and massive quadrangle. A more elegant and openwork octagon was erected on top of it, made in the form of an open area, which is fenced with eight pillars, and they, in turn, are connected at the top by arched spans.

The bell tower is topped with an octagonal rather high tent with ribs decorated with multi-colored tiles with blue, white, brown and yellow glaze. Its edges are covered with green figured tiles and small windows, which, when the bells ring, can significantly enhance their sound. At the very top of the tent there is a small onion dome with a gilded cross. Inside the platform, as well as in the arched openings, bells are suspended, which were cast back in the 17th-19th centuries by famous Russian craftsmen.

Museum

In 1918, the Intercession Cathedral was recognized by the Soviet authorities as a historical architectural monument of not only national but also international significance and was taken under state protection. It was then that it began to be considered a museum. Its first caretaker was John Kuznetsov (archpriest). It must be said that after the revolution, the temple was, without exaggeration, in a very dire situation: almost all the windows were broken, the roof was full of holes, and in winter there were snowdrifts right inside the premises.

Five years later, it was decided to create a historical and architectural complex on the basis of the cathedral. Its first head was E.I. Silin, a researcher at the Moscow Historical Museum. Already on May 21, the first visitors inspected the temple. From that time on, work began to complete the fund.

The museum, called the Intercession Cathedral, became a branch of the Historical Museum in 1928. A year later, the temple was officially closed for worship and all the bells were removed. In the 30s of the last century, rumors spread that they planned to demolish it. But he was still lucky enough to avoid such a fate. Despite the fact that construction has been going on here for almost a century, the temple is always open to Muscovites and guests of the capital. For all this time, the museum was closed only once, when the Great Patriotic War was going on.

After the end of the war, all measures were immediately taken to restore the cathedral, so by the day of the celebration of the 800th anniversary of the capital, the museum was open again. He gained wide fame back in the days of the Soviet Union. It should be noted that the museum was well known not only in the USSR, but also in many other countries. Since 1991, the temple has been in use by both the Orthodox Church and the State Historical Museum. After a long break, worship services have finally resumed here.

Childhood of a saint

The future Moscow wonderworker Blessed Basil was born at the very end of 1468. According to legend, this happened right on the porch of the Yelokhovsky Church, erected in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. His parents were simple people. When he grew up, he was sent to study shoemaking. Over time, his mentor began to notice that Vasily was not like all the other children.

An example of his originality is the following case: once a merchant brought bread to Moscow and, seeing the workshop, went to order boots for himself. At the same time, he asked that he could not wear off the shoes for a year. Hearing these words, Blessed Basil began to cry and promised that the merchant would not even have time to wear down these boots. When the master, who did not understand anything, asked the boy why he thought so, the child explained to his teacher that the customer would not be able to put on the boots, as he would soon die. This prophecy came true just a few days later.

Recognition of holiness

When Vasily turned 16 years old, he moved to Moscow. It was here that his thorny path as a holy fool began. According to eyewitnesses, Blessed Basil walked the streets of the capital barefoot and naked almost all year round, regardless of whether there was a bitter biting frost or a scorching summer heat.

Not only his actions, but also his actions were considered strange. For example, when passing by market stalls, he could spill a vessel filled with kvass, or knock over a counter with kalachi. For this, St. Basil the Blessed was often beaten by angry merchants. Strange as it may sound, he always gladly accepted beatings and even thanked God for them. But as it turned out later, the spilled kvass was unusable, and the rolls were poorly baked. Over time, he was recognized not only as an exposer of untruth, but as a man of God and a holy fool.

Here is another incident from the life of a saint. Once a merchant decided to build a stone church in Moscow, on Pokrovka. But for some reason its vaults collapsed three times. He came to St. Basil to ask for advice on this matter. But he sent him to Kyiv, to poor John. Upon arrival in the city, the merchant found the person he needed in a poor house. John sat and rocked the cradle, in which there was no one. The merchant asked him who he was pumping after all. He answered him that he was lulling his mother to sleep for his birth and upbringing. Only then did the merchant remember his mother, whom he had once kicked out of the house. It immediately became clear to him why he was unable to complete the church. Returning to Moscow, the merchant found his mother, asked her forgiveness and took her home. After that, he easily managed to complete the church.

Acts of a miracle worker

Blessed Basil always preached mercy towards others and helped those who were ashamed to ask for alms, while needing help more than others. In this regard, there is a description of one case when he gave all the royal things presented to him to a visiting foreign merchant, who, by chance, lost absolutely everything. The merchant had not eaten anything for several days, but could not ask for help, since he was wearing expensive clothes.

St. Basil always strictly condemned those who gave alms based on selfish motives, and not out of compassion for poverty and misfortune. For the sake of saving his neighbors, he even went into taverns, where he consoled and tried to encourage the most degraded people, seeing grains of kindness in them. He purified his soul so much with prayers and great deeds that the gift of foresight was revealed to him. In 1547, the Blessed One was able to predict the great fire that happened in Moscow, and with his prayer he extinguished the flames in Novgorod. Also, his contemporaries claimed that Vasily once reproached Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible himself, since during a service he was thinking about building his palace on the Sparrow Hills.

The saint died on August 2, 1557. The then Moscow Metropolitan Macarius and his clergy performed the burial of Vasily. He was buried near the Trinity Church, where in 1555 they began to build the Intercession Church in memory of the conquest of the Kazan Khanate. 31 years later, on August 2, this saint was glorified by the Council, headed by Patriarch Job.

Contemporaries described him in approximately the same way, and always mentioned three features: he was extremely thin, wore a minimum of clothing, and always had a staff in his hand. This is exactly how St. Basil appears before us. Photos of icons and paintings with his image are presented in this article.

The veneration of this holy wonderworker among the people was so great that the Intercession Cathedral began to be called by his name. By the way, his chains are still preserved in the Theological Academy of the capital. Anyone who wants to admire a beautiful monument of medieval architecture can find it at the address: St. Basil's Cathedral.

(St. Basil's Cathedral) is a striking monument of Russian architecture located on Red Square. The magnificent and solemn appearance of the cathedral with unusual multi-colored domes, loved by Muscovites and well remembered by foreigners, made it one of the main symbols not only of Moscow, but of all of Russia.

The temple was built in 1555-1561 by an unknown architect (there are different versions) on the orders of Ivan the Terrible in memory of the victory over the Kazan Khanate and the capture of Kazan, which fell on the day of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. Subsequently it was rebuilt several times.

The peculiarity of the temple is that it is essentially 9 separate churches united by a common foundation. In the center is the pillarless Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, around it are grouped 8 smaller churches: Trinity, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (in honor of the Velikoretsk Icon), Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, Martyrs Adrian and Natalia, St. John the Merciful, Alexander of Svir, Varlaam of Khutyn, Gregory of Armenia . The altars of the churches were consecrated in honor of Orthodox holidays and days of remembrance of saints that fell on the days of the decisive battles for Kazan.

Architecture

The architectural appearance of the Intercession Cathedral is unique. Pretentious and solemn, like a painted gingerbread, at first glance it seems like a chaotic pile of multi-colored domes, but in reality this is not the case. The cathedral building has a clear structure and is a rhombus inscribed in a square, forming an eight-pointed star in plan. In fact, these are 9 separate churches united by a common base (basement): in the center there is a pillarless Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, ending with a high tent with a small gilded dome; around it are grouped 8 smaller churches, crowned with relief onion domes of different colors. On the southern side there is a two-tiered tented bell tower, and on the eastern side there is a chapel in honor of St. Basil the Blessed. The building is surrounded by a closed gallery-gulbische, adjacent to which are two massive porches with a hip roof.

The height of the cathedral is 65 meters.

In total, the Intercession Cathedral is decorated with 11 domes, 9 of which are located above the churches, one above the chapel of St. Basil the Blessed, and another (very small) above the bell tower. Of these, 9 domes are distinguished by a unique relief and coloring: colored spikes, rhombuses, ornaments; The meaning of their colors is not known for certain, but it is believed that the temple symbolizes Heavenly Jerusalem. According to the assumption of the Russian writer Nikolai Chaev (1824 - 1914), the color of the domes is explained by the dream of Blessed Andrei the Fool (of Constantinople), who dreamed of the Heavenly Jerusalem with gardens with many flowering trees and fruits of indescribable beauty.

The decorative design of the temple looks magnificent, but laconic: it includes flies, half-columns, kokoshniks and weights traditional for Russian temple architecture. The entire perimeter of the gallery is painted with images of flowers and floral patterns. The walls are decorated with façade icons of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the upcoming Basil and St. John the Blessed (southern wall of the bell tower) and Our Lady of the Sign with saints in the fields (eastern façade).

History of the Intercession Cathedral

The Cathedral of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is on the Moat, got its name from its location near the city, which passed along Red Square along the eastern wall of the Kremlin in the 16th-19th centuries. However, in colloquial speech the official name of the temple is practically not used: it became better known as St. Basil's Cathedral - in honor of the most famous Moscow holy fool and miracle worker. - legendary personality in the history of Moscow; in the past, on the site of the Intercession Cathedral, there was a wooden Trinity Church (on the Moat), in the cemetery at which the holy fool was buried. After his canonization in 1588, a chapel in his honor was built above the burial place of the wonderworker at the Intercession Cathedral. Subsequently, people began to call the entire cathedral after the miracle worker.

The temple was built in 1555-1561 by order of Ivan the Terrible in memory of the capture of Kazan.

The history of St. Basil's Cathedral is full of mysteries and blank spots: in particular, it is not known for certain who its architect was. According to the most common version, it was built by architects Ivan Barma and Postnik Yakovlev, however, it is considered outdated. There is a version that the legendary Barma and Postnik are the same person (Postnik Yakovlev, nicknamed Barma), as well as a theory that the cathedral could have been built by an unknown Italian architect (since a significant part of the Kremlin buildings were built by Italians), which has not yet been found convincing confirmation. A widespread urban legend says that after construction, Tsar Ivan the Terrible, struck by the beauty of the cathedral, ordered the architects to be blinded so that they would not build anything like it again, however, in reality this is unlikely: if one of the architects was indeed Postnik Yakovlev, then after the Intercession Cathedral he took participation in the construction of the Kazan Kremlin and, obviously, could not be blinded. Although, again, there is a version that these were different Fasters.

The walls of the temple were built of red brick, which was a rather innovative building material for Moscow at that time. To protect the rare material from exposure to precipitation, the outside walls of the building were painted in red and white tones, emphasizing the masonry. In 1588, by order of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, the chapel of St. Basil's was added to the temple, in the form of an independent pillarless church with a separate entrance.

Not much information has been preserved about what the Intercession Cathedral looked like originally. It is known that in the past the bypass gallery surrounding it was open and did not have massive hipped porches and paintings with floral patterns: the vault over the gallery and two porches over the stairs were built in the second half of the 17th century, when the building underwent significant reconstruction. During the same period, new churches were added to the cathedral: the Deposition of the Virgin Mary, the Holy Virgin Theodosius and others. According to the Russian historian Peter Khavsky, by 1722 there were 18 altars in the cathedral: the Life-Giving Trinity, the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, St. Nicholas of Velikoretsky, the Beheading of John the Baptist, Paraskeva-Pyatnitsa, Varlaam of Khutyn, Apostle Andronicus, Gregory of Armenia, Cyprian and Justinia, and the Deposition of the Robe. Theotokos, Sergius of Radonezh, Basil the Great, Alexander of Svirsky, Virgin Theodosius, Mary of Egypt, All Saints, Epiphany and the Three Patriarchs.

The domes also looked different: those colored figured domes for which St. Basil's Cathedral is known today appeared only at the end of the 16th century; the former were probably helmet-shaped, and their covering was destroyed by one of the city fires. Even their original number is questionable: it is known that during the restoration of 1784-1786 under the leadership of the architect Ivan Yakovlev, 8 small domes at the base of the tent were dismantled, which were recognized as later additions.

During the Patriotic War of 1812, the cathedral was plundered by the French, but immediately after the war it was repaired and consecrated. In 1817, when Red Square was reconstructed according to the design of Osip Bove, the retaining wall of the temple from Vasilyevsky Spusk and Moskvoretskaya Street was lined with stone, and a cast-iron fence was installed at the top.

During the Soviet years, St. Basil's Cathedral escaped demolition (although services there were still banned) and became one of the first architectural monuments taken under state protection. Its museumification began in 1918, and in 1923 it was decided to create a historical and architectural museum there, which later became part of the State Historical Museum. Initially, the building was in a deplorable state, but already in the 1920s, repair and restoration work began in it, designed to return the cathedral to its original appearance and partially recreate the interiors of the 16-17 centuries. In 1931, the monument to Minin and Pozharsky, previously installed in the central part of Red Square, was moved to the cathedral.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union - since 1991 - the temple building is in joint use of the museum and the Russian Orthodox Church.

Myths and legends

Being one of the most famous sights of Moscow and having at the same time a rather vague history, St. Basil's Cathedral was simply bound to acquire urban legends.

The most widespread legend concerns the construction of the temple: supposedly Tsar Ivan the Terrible, struck by the incredible beauty of the building, ordered its architects - Barma and Postnik - to be blinded, so that they would never be able to build a more beautiful temple anywhere than in Moscow. In reality, this is unlikely: firstly, it is not known for certain which architects erected the building. In addition, it is not clear whether the legendary Barma and Postnik were different people - Ivan Barma and Postnik Yakovlev - or whether it was one person - Postnik Yakovlev, nicknamed Barma. Be that as it may, after the construction of the Intercession Cathedral, Postnik Yakovlev participated in the construction of the Kazan Kremlin, which means he could not have been blinded - unless, again, these were different people.

There is a legend that the image of the historical Kul-Sharif mosque, destroyed by Russian troops during the capture of Kazan in 1552, is “encrypted” in the structure of St. Basil’s Cathedral: 8 of its chapters supposedly symbolize the 8 minarets of the destroyed mosque, and the 9th dominates them to commemorate the victory .

They say that St. Basil the Blessed, foreseeing victory over Kazan, collected money for the construction of the Intercession Cathedral and, shortly before his death in 1552, transferred it to Ivan the Terrible. However, this legend has no evidence.

Not without the library of Ivan the Terrible! According to one legend, it was hidden precisely in the basements of the Intercession Cathedral. Unfortunately, in reality this is impossible: the building simply does not have basements. The cathedral was built on a massive basement, which rests on an artificial hill, and its foundation is not so deep. However, in the basement there were rooms for storing valuables; another urban legend says that they could have housed the royal treasury.

During the Patriotic War of 1812, when French troops were leaving Moscow, Napoleon ordered the cathedral to be blown up, however, the French failed to do this: supposedly, the rain that started extinguished the wicks and prevented them from preparing the explosion of the building. They say that Napoleon gave such an order in his hearts: he liked the cathedral so much that he wanted to move it to Paris, but he was informed that this was impossible (what a surprise!).

In the 1930s, Lazar Kaganovich proposed demolishing the Intercession Cathedral to make more space for parades and demonstrations on Red Square. According to urban legend, he made a model of Red Square with a removable cathedral building and brought it for demonstration to Stalin to show how the cathedral interfered with the passage of cars and columns. Showing the model, he unexpectedly tore off the Intercession Cathedral from it to clearly show how much better it would be without it, but the surprised Stalin exclaimed: “Lazarus, put it in its place!” - and the cathedral was saved.

Nowadays, St. Basil's Cathedral is one of the most popular attractions in Moscow, a must-see point on the maps of tourists coming to the capital. Its unusual and memorable appearance has made it one of the wonders and symbols of Russia - and even those who have never been to Moscow can easily recognize its domes, which are often printed on postcards and souvenirs, in books, textbooks and encyclopedias. If somewhere they talk or write about Moscow and Russia, the words will most likely be illustrated with a photograph of the Intercession Cathedral.

At the same time, the townspeople truly love him.

Cathedral of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the Moat located on Red Square, building 2. You can get to it on foot from the metro stations "Okhotny Ryad" Sokolnicheskaya line, "Revolution square" Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya, "Theatrical" Zamoskvoretskaya and "China town" Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya and Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya lines.

The temple has many different names. The most famous of them are:

St. Basil's Cathedral, Intercession Cathedral, Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God, Cathedral of the Intercession of the Mother of God on the Moat, Intercession Church, Trinity Church.

Until the 17th century, the Church of the Intercession was most often called the Trinity Church, because originally on this site stood the Trinity wooden church on the moat - dating back to the mid-16th century. In fact, it stood on a hill - next to the moat that surrounded the medieval Kremlin and was filled in in the 19th century.

It was built by order of Ivan the Terrible, in honor of the victory of the Russian army over the Kazan Khanate. (then the Khanate was part of the Golden Horde)

By the way, many historians claim that Ivan the Terrible was a merciless and evil tyrant. Can a tyrant give the order to build a cathedral, expressing his gratitude to his heavenly patrons? I don’t want to speculate and focus attention... We still won’t know the truth. But I believe more that Ivan was an adequate guy, and he created more.

Why the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God

Everything is very logical. All historical references refer to the day when the Russian army successfully stormed the walls of Kazan. The exact date of October 1, 1552 appears everywhere; on this day in Rus' the Feast of the Intercession of the Mother of God was celebrated. I didn't have to think long about the name.

Why St. Basil's Cathedral

And here everything is very logical and simple - in honor of St. Basil. But few people are “familiar” with the personality of the latter. And in general, why Blessed, why Foolish (not to be confused with ugly).

So: in the old days, eccentrics who rejected worldly values ​​were considered holy fools. An ascetic lifestyle and a little madness are the main features of all holy fools. And one of the synonyms for “holy fool” was the word “blessed.” In Old Slavonic, those who did good deeds were considered blessed, and in a broad sense, blessed is anyone who sees God in heaven. For me, the blessed one is the one who is happy. And in Christianity, the blessed one is a special face of saints.

There is an interesting story about St. Basil.

Saint Blessed Basil, the Moscow wonderworker, was born in December 1468 on the porch of the Elokhovsky Church near Moscow. His parents were simple people and sent their son to study shoemaking. During the teaching of the Blessed One, his master had to witness one amazing incident when he realized that his student was not like everyone else.

One merchant brought bread to Moscow on barges and went into the workshop to order boots, asking them to make them so that he would not wear them out in a year. Blessed Vasily shed tears: “We will sew you such that you will not wear them out.” The merchant did not attach any importance to the eccentric’s tears, paid and left. The master immediately asked the student why he was crying. Then the student explained that the customer would not put on the boots because he would soon die. A few days later the prophecy came true.

At the age of 16, the saint came to Moscow and began the thorny feat of foolishness. In the scorching summer heat and biting bitter frost, he walked naked and barefoot along the streets of Moscow. His actions were strange: he would knock over a tray of rolls of bread, or spill a jug of kvass. Angry merchants beat the Blessed One, but he gladly accepted the beatings and thanked God for them. And then it was discovered that the kalachi were poorly baked, and the kvass was completely unusable. The veneration of Blessed Basil quickly grew: he was recognized as a holy fool, a man of God, a denouncer of untruth.

Grafov Vitaly Yurievich Moscow miracle worker Blessed Basil

Here's another case.

Once, a merchant decided to build a stone church on Pokrovka in Moscow, but its vaults collapsed three times. The merchant turned to the Blessed One for advice, and he sent him to Kyiv: “Find poor John there, he will give you advice on how to complete the church.” Arriving in Kyiv, the merchant found John, who was sitting in a poor hut and rocking an empty cradle. “Who are you rocking?” - asked the merchant. “Dear mother, I pay the unpaid debt for my birth and upbringing.” Then the merchant only remembered his mother, whom he had kicked out of the house, and it became clear to him why he could not finish building the church. Returning to Moscow, he returned his mother home, asked her forgiveness and completed the church.

Preaching mercy, the Blessed One helped first of all those who were ashamed to ask for alms, and yet needed help more than others. There was a case when he gave rich royal gifts to a foreign merchant, who was left without everything and, although he had not eaten anything for three days, could not ask for help, since he was wearing good clothes.

The Blessed One severely condemned those who gave alms for selfish purposes, not out of compassion for poverty and misfortune, but hoping in an easy way to attract God's blessing to their deeds.

For the sake of saving his neighbors, Blessed Basil also visited taverns, where he tried to see the grain of goodness even in the most degraded people, to reinforce them with affection, and to encourage them. Many noticed that when the Blessed One passed by a house in which they were madly having fun and drinking, he hugged the corners of that house with tears. They asked the holy fool what this meant, and he answered:

“Sorrowful angels stand at the house and lament over the sins of people, and with tears I begged them to pray to the Lord for the conversion of sinners.”

In 1547 he predicted the great fire of Moscow; prayer extinguished the fire in Novgorod; once reproached Tsar Ivan the Terrible that during the Divine service he was busy thinking about building a palace on the Sparrow Hills.

He constantly exposed lies and hypocrisy. Contemporaries noted that this was almost the only person whom Tsar Ivan the Terrible was afraid of. Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible honored and feared the Blessed One, “as a seer of human hearts and thoughts.” When, shortly before his death, Vasily fell into a serious illness, the Tsar himself visited him with Tsarina Anastasia.

relics of Saint Basil

Saint Basil died on August 2, 1552 (sometimes the year 1551 is also mentioned). Ivan the Terrible and the boyars carried his coffin, and Metropolitan Macarius performed the burial.

The description of the saint’s appearance retains characteristic details: “all naked, with a staff in his hand.” The veneration of Blessed Basil has always been so strong that the Trinity Church and the attached Church of the Intercession are still called the Church of St. Basil.

Key dates

In 1552 On Red Square, near the protective moat, in the place where the wooden Trinity Church previously stood, and the most revered Russian holy fool, St. Basil the Blessed, was buried, construction began on a new stone church.

In 1588 At the behest of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich (Grand Duke of Moscow, third son of Ivan the Terrible), a chapel of St. Basil's was built in the Intercession Church, where his relics were placed in a silver shrine, and the cathedral was often called St. Basil's Cathedral.

Karl Ivanovich Rabus.

Another version is a legend

Intercession Church erected in 1555-1561 by Russian architects Barma and Postnik Yakovlev (or perhaps it was the same master - Ivan Yakovlevich Barma).

There is a well-known legend that, having seen the temple, Ivan the Terrible ordered the craftsmen to be blinded so that they could not build such a miracle anywhere else. As if when the king asked whether the master could build another equally beautiful temple or an even better one, he answered defiantly: “I can!” - and angered the king. "You are lying!" - cried the Terrible and ordered to deprive both eyes so that this temple would remain the only one.

Popular rumor spread the rumor that Ivan the Terrible supposedly built this temple in honor of his father, Grand Duke Vasily III: “People will remember me even without churches for a thousand years, but I want my parent to be remembered.” That’s why the temple is supposedly called St. Basil’s.

The uniqueness of the architectural composition of the cathedral and its symbolism.

The design of the Intercession Cathedral is based on the apocalyptic symbolism of the Heavenly Jerusalem. The eight chapters, located around the central ninth tent, form a geometric figure in plan from two squares combined at an angle of 45 degrees, in which it is easy to see an eight-pointed star.

The number 8 symbolizes the day of the Resurrection of Christ, which according to the Hebrew calendar was the eighth day, and the coming Kingdom of Heaven - the Kingdom of the “eighth century” (or “eighth kingdom”), which will come after the Second Coming of Christ - after the end of earthly history associated with the apocalyptic number 7.

The square expresses the firmness and constancy of faith and is a cosmic symbol of the Universe: its four equal sides mean the four cardinal directions, the four winds of the Universe, the four ends of the cross, the four canonical Gospels, the four evangelist apostles, the four equilateral walls of Heavenly Jerusalem. The combined squares symbolize the preaching of the Gospels to the four cardinal directions, that is, to the whole world.

Photo: Slava Stepanov

The eight-pointed star - a reminder of the Star of Bethlehem, which showed the Magi the way to the infant Christ, the Savior of the world - symbolizes the entire Christian Church as a guiding star in human life to the Heavenly Jerusalem.

The eight-pointed star is also a symbol of the Most Holy Theotokos - the Lady of the Church and the Queen of Heaven: in Orthodox iconography, the Mother of God is depicted in a maforia (veil) with three eight-pointed stars on her shoulders and on her forehead as a sign of Her Eternal Virginity - before, during and after the Nativity of Christ.

The throne in honor of the Intercession of the Mother of God is located in the central tented church, which unites the remaining chapters, as if gathering them around itself. This symbolizes the primacy, protection and intercession of the Mother of God over the Church of Christ and over the entire Russian land. In Russian temple construction, a tent symbolizes a canopy (canopy), which from ancient times was erected over a sacred place as a sign of its God-protectedness and holiness.

Tallest building in Moscow

The Intercession Cathedral on Red Square became the tallest building in Moscow (its height is 60 meters) and remained so until the end of the 16th century, when under Boris Godunov the bell tower of the Church of St. John the Ladder, 81 meters high, was built.

For all its external majestic splendor, the Intercession Cathedral inside is quite modest in size. During the service, a very small number of people could fit inside, so during major church holidays, Moscow residents and clergy gathered on Red Square.

In 1737 During a huge fire, St. Basil's Cathedral suffered greatly and had to be restored. When wooden churches were removed from Red Square to prevent fires, fifteen altars of the demolished wooden churches were moved under its vaults, and the altar in the name of the three patriarchs of Constantinople was renamed in the name of John the Merciful. The throne of Cyprian and Ustinia was also renamed, it began to bear the name of Saints Adrian and Natalia. In total, at that time the cathedral had 11 chapels.

In the second half of the 18th century, during the reign of Catherine II, the Intercession Cathedral was reconstructed once again. 16 small domes around the main towers were demolished, and the hipped bell tower was connected to the building of the cathedral itself. It was then that the cathedral became as colorful as we know it now.

Another legend tells that Napoleon, during the days of the occupation of Moscow by his troops, wanted to transport the temple building to Paris, and when it turned out that this was technically impossible, he ordered the cathedral to be blown up along with the Kremlin. And then, when the fuses of the explosives were already lit, it seemed as if the rain came and extinguished them.

The years of the Great October Revolution brought many trials to the temple.

In September 1918 The rector of the cathedral, Archpriest John Vostorgov, was shot. And the property of the temple was confiscated. The bells were removed and sent for melting down, the temple itself was closed, but not destroyed.

In the thirties of the 20th century Kaganovich, who was drawing up a plan for the general reconstruction of Moscow in the spirit of the “proletarian capital,” made a proposal to demolish the Intercession Cathedral. To make room for parades and demonstrations, which were held on the fairly compact Red Square. And here it is worth telling about another legend.

They say that when Kaganovich made a model of Red Square with a removable Model of the Intercession Cathedral and brought it to show Stalin, he began to show how columns move along Red Square and how the cathedral interferes with them. “And if only he - r-time!..” - saying this, he removed the temple from the square in one motion. Stalin looked, thought and slowly uttered the famous phrase: “Lazarus! Put it in its place!..”

One way or another, the temple survived. The architect P.D. also played a big role in this. Baranovsky is a true devotee and enthusiast for the preservation of Russian culture. He was ordered to prepare the temple for demolition, but he categorically refused to do this, after which he sent a rather harsh telegram to the top. What actually happened after this is unknown, but Stalin canceled the demolition of the temple, and Baranovsky received several years in prison.

Photo: Slava Stepanov

Back in 1929, the Intercession Cathedral began to be used as a branch of the State Historical Museum, and you can still visit it today. The exhibition includes samples of bladed weapons and firearms, armor from the 16th-17th centuries; in the tower-churches you can see a collection of ancient Russian icons from the 15th-17th centuries, artistic sewing, fabric samples, and metal crafts. In the 70s, another reconstruction of the temple was carried out, during which a spiral staircase was discovered in one of the walls, through which current museum visitors get to the central temple.

On my own behalf, I will also add that to be in Moscow and not come to the walls of the Temple is ignorance in its purest form. Despite the abundance of ubiquitous tourists, it is worth a lot to stand a little near the majestic walls, think about the meaning of life, and enjoy the stunning architecture, which has no analogues in the world (remember the above-mentioned legend).

1.Why was the Intercession Cathedral built on Red Square?
2.Who built the Intercession Cathedral on Red Square
3.Postnik and Barma
4.Architecture of the Intercession Cathedral on Red Square
5.Why is the Intercession Cathedral on Red Square called St. Basil’s Cathedral
6. St. Basil the Blessed
7.Cultural layer near the Intercession Cathedral on Red Square
8. Bell tower and bells
9.Additional information about bells and ringing
10. Intercession Cathedral on Red Square. Facade icons
11. Heads of the Intercession Cathedral

The Cathedral of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the Moat or, as it is more often called, is a unique monument of ancient Russian architecture. For a long time it has served as a symbol not only of Moscow, but of the entire Russian state. Since 1923, the cathedral has been a branch of the historical museum. It was taken under state protection in 1918, and services there ceased in 1928. However, in the 1990s of the last century, services were resumed and in St. Basil's Church are held every week, in other churches of the cathedral - on patronal holidays. Services are held on Saturdays and Sundays. On Sunday, services are held from 10 a.m. to approximately 1 p.m. On Sundays and religious holidays, excursions to St. Basil's Church are not conducted.

Why was the Intercession Cathedral built on Red Square?

The cathedral was erected in honor of the conquest of the Kazan Khanate. The victory over Kazan was perceived at that time as the final victory over the Golden Horde. Going on the Kazan campaign, Ivan the Terrible made a vow: in case of victory, to build a temple in honor of her. The construction of temples in honor of the most important events and military victories has been a long-standing Russian tradition. At that time, sculptural monuments, columns, and obelisks were unknown in Rus'. However, memorial churches have been erected since ancient times in honor of important state events: the birth of an heir to the throne or a military victory. The victory over Kazan was commemorated by the construction of a memorial church, consecrated in the name of the Intercession. On October 1, 1552, a decisive assault on Kazan began. This event coincided with the celebration of a major church holiday - the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The central church of the cathedral was consecrated in the name of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary, which gave the name to the entire cathedral. The first and main dedication of the temple is the votive church. His second dedication was the capture of Kazan.

Who built the Intercession Cathedral on Red Square

The construction of the memorial church was blessed by Metropolitan Macarius. Perhaps he is the author of the idea of ​​the temple, because Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible was still very young at that time. But it is categorically impossible to say this, since very few written sources have reached us.

In Rus', it often happened that, having erected a temple, they wrote down the name of the temple builder (tsar, metropolitan, noble person) in the chronicle, but forgot the names of the builders. For a long time it was believed that the Intercession Cathedral was built by the Italians. But at the end of the 19th century, a chronicle was discovered, from which the true names of the cathedral’s builders became known. The chronicle reads as follows: “The pious Tsar John, having come from the victory of Kazan to the reigning city of Moscow, soon erected stone churches near the Frolov Gate above the ditch(Frolovsky – now Spassky Gate) and then God gave him two Russian advertising masters(i.e. by name) Fasting and Barma and higher wisdom and more convenient for such a wonderful work ".

Postnik and Barma

The names of the architects Postnik and Barma appear in sources telling about the cathedral only at the end of the 19th century. The oldest source telling about the Church of the Intercession on the Moat is the Degree Book of the Royal Genealogy, written under the leadership of Metropolitan Athanasius in 1560-63. It talks about the votive construction of the Intercession Cathedral. The Facial Chronicle is no less important. It talks about the foundation of the cathedral, its construction and consecration. The most important, most detailed historical source is the life of Metropolitan Jonah. The Life was created in the 1560-1580s. This is the only source where the names of Faster and Barma are mentioned.
So, the official version today sounds like this:
the Church of the Intercession, which was erected on the Moat by Russian architects Barma and Postnik. According to the unofficial version, this cathedral was built by foreigners of unknown origin. If Italians were previously mentioned, now this version is highly doubted. Without a doubt, when starting the construction of the cathedral, Ivan the Terrible called upon experienced architects. In the 16th century, many foreigners worked in Moscow. Perhaps Barma and Postnik studied with the same Italian masters.

Intercession Cathedral on Red Square. Architecture

The Intercession Cathedral is not one huge church, as it might seem at first glance, but several completely independent churches. It consists of nine temples on a single foundation.

Heads of the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary, which is on the moat

A tent-roofed church rises in the center. In Rus', tented temples are considered to be those that have a pyramidal rather than vaulted ending. Around the central tented church there are eight small churches with large beautiful domes.

It was from this cathedral that the ensemble of Red Square that we are accustomed to now began to take shape. The tops of the Kremlin towers were built in the 17th century; they were built with an eye on the Intercession Cathedral. The tent on the Tsar's tower-gazebo to the left of the Spasskaya Tower repeats the tented porches of the cathedral.

South porch of the Intercession Cathedral with a tent
The Tsar's Tower of the Moscow Kremlin is located opposite the Intercession Cathedral

Eight churches surround the central tented temple. Four churches are large and four are small.

Church of the Holy Trinity - eastern. Church of Alexander Svirsky – south-eastern. Church of St. Nikola Velikoretsky - southern.. Church of Varlaam Khutynsky - southwestern. The Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem is western. Church of Gregory of Armenia - northwestern. The Church of Cyprian and Justina is northern.
St. Basil's Church, behind it is the Church of the Three Patriarchs of Constantinople - northeastern.

Four large churches are oriented to the cardinal points. The northern temple overlooks Red Square, the southern one overlooks the Moscow River, and the western one overlooks the Kremlin. Most of the churches were dedicated to church holidays, the days of celebration of which fell on the most important events of the Kazan campaign.
Services in the eight side churches were held only once a year - on the day of the patronal feast. Services were served in the central church from Trinity Day until its patronal feast day - October 1st.
Since the Kazan campaign fell in the summer, all church holidays also fell in the summer. All the churches of the Intercession Cathedral were built as summer, cold ones. In winter they were not heated and services were not conducted in them.

Today the cathedral has the same appearance that it had in the 16th-17th centuries.
At first, the cathedral was surrounded by an open gallery. Around all eight churches on the second floor there is a belt of windows.

In ancient times, the gallery was open, there were no ceilings above it, and open staircases led upstairs. The ceilings and porches over the stairs were erected later. The cathedral looked and was perceived completely differently than we perceive it today. If now it seems like a huge multi-domed church of incomprehensible design, then in ancient times this feeling did not arise. It was clear that nine soaring churches stood on an elegant, light foundation.

Height at that time was associated with beauty. It was believed that the higher the temple, the more beautiful it is. Height was a symbol of greatness, and in those days the Intercession Cathedral was visible 15 miles from Moscow. Until 1600, when the bell tower of Ivan the Great was built in the Kremlin, the cathedral was the tallest building in the city, and throughout Muscovy. Until the beginning of the 17th century, it served as a town-planning dominant, i.e. the highest point in Moscow.
All churches of the cathedral ensemble are united by two bypass galleries: external and internal. The ceilings over the walkway and porches were made in the 17th century, because in our conditions having open galleries and porches turned out to be an unaffordable luxury. In the 19th century, the gallery was glazed.
In the same 17th century, a tented bell tower was built on the site of the belfry to the southeast of the temple.

Tent bell tower of the Intercession Cathedral

The outer walls of the cathedral are restored approximately once every 20 years, and the interiors - once every 10 years. Icons are inspected every year, since our climate is harsh and icons are not immune to swelling and other damage to the paint layer.

Why is the Intercession Cathedral on Red Square called St. Basil's Cathedral

Let us remember that the cathedral consists of nine churches on a single foundation. However, ten multi-colored domes rise above the temple, not counting the onion above the bell tower. The tenth green chapter with red spikes is located below the level of the heads of all other churches and crowns the north-eastern corner of the temple.

Head of St. Basil's Church

This church was added to the cathedral after construction was completed. It was erected over the grave of a very famous and revered holy fool of that time, St. Basil the Blessed.

St. Basil the Blessed

This man was a contemporary of Ivan the Terrible, he lived in Moscow, and there were many legends about him. (The miracles of St. Basil are described in the article) From the current point of view, a holy fool is something like a madman, which, in fact, is absolutely wrong. In the Middle Ages in Rus', foolishness was one of the forms of asceticism. St. Basil the Blessed was not a holy fool from birth, he is a holy fool for Christ’s sake, who became one quite consciously. At the age of 16, he decided to devote his life to God. It was possible to serve the Lord in different ways: go to a monastery, become a hermit, but Vasily decided to become a holy fool. Moreover, he chose the feat of the godwalker, i.e. he walked without clothes both in winter and in summer, lived on the street, on the porch, ate alms and spoke incomprehensible speeches. But Vasily was not crazy, and if he wanted to be understood, he spoke intelligibly and people understood him.

Despite such harsh living conditions, St. Basil lived a very long life even by modern times and lived to be 88 years old. He was buried next to the cathedral. Burial near the temple was commonplace. At that time, according to Orthodox tradition, each church had a cemetery. In Rus', holy fools were always revered both during life and after death and were buried closer to the church.

After the death of St. Basil, he was canonized. As if over a saint, a church was erected over his grave in 1588. It so happened that this church turned out to be the only winter one in the entire cathedral, i.e. Only in this temple services were held every day all year round. Therefore, the name of this small church, built almost 30 years later than the Church of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary on the Moat, was transferred to the entire Intercession Cathedral. They began to call it St. Basil's Cathedral.

Cultural layer near the Intercession Cathedral on Red Square

An interesting detail can be seen on the eastern side of the temple. There is a rowan growing there in... a pot.

The tree was planted, as it should be, in the ground, and not in a pot. Over the years, a cultural layer of considerable thickness has formed around the cathedral. The Intercession Cathedral seemed to have “grown into the ground.” In 2005, it was decided to return the temple to its original proportions. To do this, the “extra” soil was removed and taken away. And by that time the mountain ash had already been growing here for decades. In order not to destroy the tree, a wooden cover was made around it.

Bell tower and bells

Since 1990, the cathedral has been jointly used by the state and the Russian Orthodox Church. The building of the Intercession Cathedral belongs to the state, since its funding comes from the state budget.

The church bell tower was built on the site of a dismantled belfry.

The cathedral bell tower is operational. The museum staff make the calls themselves; they were trained by one of the leading bell ringers in Russia, Konovalov. Museum workers themselves provide the accompaniment of church services with bell ringing. A specialist must ring the bells. Museum workers do not trust anyone with the collection of bells of the Intercession Cathedral.

Fragment of the bell tower of the Intercession Cathedral

A person who does not know how to ring, even a fragile woman, can send his tongue incorrectly and break the bell.

More information about bells and ringing

The ancient cathedral belfry was three-tiered, three-spanned and three-hipped. There were bells hanging on every tier in each span. There were several bell ringers and they were all located below. The bell system was ochepnaya or ochepnaya. The bell was firmly attached to the beam and they rang it, swinging not the tongue, but the bell itself.

The bells of the Intercession Cathedral were not tuned to a specific sound; they had only three main tones - one tone at the bottom of the skirt, the second in the middle of the skirt, the third at the top, and there were also dozens of overtones. It is simply impossible to play a melody on Russian bells. Our ringing is rhythmic, not melodic.

To train bell ringers, there were characteristic rhythmic chants. For Moscow: “All monks are thieves, all monks are thieves, and the abbot is a rogue, and the abbot is a rogue.” For Arkhangelsk: “Why cod, why cod, two kopecks and a half, two kopecks and a half.” In Suzdal: “They burned with their shanks, they burned with their shanks.” Each area had its own rhythm.

Until recently, the heaviest bell in Russia was the Rostov bell “Sysoi”, weighing 2000 pounds. In 2000, the “Great Assumption” bell began to ring in the Moscow Kremlin. It has its own history, each sovereign cast his own Greater Uspensky, often pouring over the one that existed before him. A modern one weighs 4,000 pounds.

When the bells ring in the Kremlin, both the bell tower and the belfry ring. The bell ringers are at different levels and cannot hear each other. The chief bell ringer of all Rus' stands on the steps of the Assumption Cathedral and claps his hands. All the bell ringers see him, he beats out the rhythm for them, as if conducting the bells.
For foreigners, listening to Russian bells was a martyr's torment. Our ringing was not always rhythmic, often chaotic, the bell ringers had trouble keeping up with the rhythm. Foreigners suffered from this - they were calling everywhere, their heads were pounding from the irregular cacophonous ringing. Foreigners liked the Western ringing more, when they rocked the bell itself.

Intercession Cathedral on Red Square. Facade icons

On the eastern outer wall of the Intercession Cathedral there is a facade icon of the Mother of God. This is the very first facade icon that appeared here in the 17th century. Unfortunately, almost nothing remains of the 17th century letter due to fires and repeated renovations. The icon is called the Intercession with the upcoming Basil and John the Blessed. It is written on the wall of the temple.

The Intercession Cathedral belongs to the Church of the Mother of God. All the local façade icons were painted specifically for this cathedral. The icon, which was located on the south side of the bell tower from the moment it was painted, fell into terrible condition by the end of the 20th century. The south side is most susceptible to the damaging effects of sun, rain, wind and temperature changes. In the 90s, the image was removed for restoration and restored with great difficulty.
After restoration work, the icon frame did not fit in its original place. Instead of a frame, they made a protective box and hung the icon in its original place. But due to large temperature changes characteristic of our climate, the icon began to collapse again. After 10 years it had to be restored again. Now the icon is in the Church of the Intercession. And for the south side of the bell tower they wrote a copy right on the wall.

Icon on the bell tower of the Intercession Cathedral

The copy was consecrated when the 450th anniversary of the cathedral was celebrated, on Intercession Day in 2012.

Heads of the Intercession Cathedral

The top of churches, which we call a dome, is actually called a chapter. The dome is the roof of the church. It can be seen from inside the temple. Above the dome vault there is a sheathing on which metal sheathing is fixed.

According to one version, in the old days the domes on the Intercession Cathedral were not bulbous, as they are now, but helmet-shaped. Other researchers argue that there could not be helmet-shaped domes on such thin drums as those of St. Basil's Cathedral. Therefore, based on the architecture of the cathedral, the domes were onion, although this is not known for certain. But it has been absolutely established that initially the chapters were smooth and monochrome. In the 17th century they were briefly painted in different colors.

The chapters were covered with iron, painted blue or green. Such iron, if there were no fires, could withstand 10 years. Green or blue paints were obtained based on copper oxides. If the heads were covered with German tinned iron, then they could be silver in color. German iron lived for 20 years, but no more.

In the 17th century, the life of Metropolitan Jonah mentions “figured chapters of various types.” However, they were all monochrome. They became variegated in the 19th century, maybe a little earlier, but there is no confirmation of this. Now no one can say why the chapters are multi-colored and of different shapes, or on what principle they were painted; this is one of the mysteries of the cathedral.

In the 60s of the twentieth century, during a large-scale restoration, they wanted to return the cathedral to its original appearance and make the chapters monochrome, but Kremlin officials ordered them to be left in color. The cathedral is recognizable primarily 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, fragments falling down damaged the casing of the domes. The damaged domes were immediately repaired, because if the holes were left, a strong wind could completely “undress” the dome in 20 minutes.

In 1969, the domes were covered with copper. The chapters used 32 tons of copper sheets 1 mm thick. During a recent restoration it was discovered that the chapters were in perfect condition. They just had to be repainted. The central head of 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 sheathing there is a space the height of a man, where you can walk freely.
The differences in the sizes and colors of the chapters and the principles of their decoration are not yet amenable to historical analysis.

We will continue our acquaintance with the Intercession Cathedral inside the temple.





The article is based on materials from a lecture given by a methodologist at the State Historical Museum in February 2014.