Saint Basil's Cathedral

[GD Alexandra]

I love Saint Basil's Cathedral architecture, and i would like to know if someone has got interesting information (like year of construction, architect, materials: what do they used to build it) or knows about other buildings of this style in Russia. I'll be glad if someone can post any photos/pictures, too. Would like to gather all the information on this thread. Thank you so much in anticipation.

[felix]

I remember reading that Ivan had the architect's eyes put out, so he couldnt reproduce  a building as beautiful.

[GD Alexandra]

I found this picture on the net. It's so beautiful:



I know it was built between 1534 and 1561 to commemorate the capture of Khanate of Kazan.

[Carrot]

St. Basil Cathedral is one of the most remarkable monuments of Russian architecture. The first church in honor of Holy Trinity was erected at this site in 1552. The temple was to commemorate the victory of Ivan the Terrible over Kazan and Astrakhan khanate. In 1554 the Tsar ordered to erect The Intercession of Holy Virgin Cathedral  to replace the old temple. Later Russian "God's fool" Saint Basil was buried in one of the chapels, hence the name of the cathedral.
  According to chronicles, St. Basil Cathedral was designed by Russian architects Postnik and Barma. The legend says that Ivan the Terrible admired the beauty of the cathedral and ordered to blind the architects so they could never build such a masterpiece yet another time. Some historians think that the cathedral was designed by a single person - Ivan Barma who had a nickname Postnik (Abstinent). The legend of the architects' blindness could be refuted by the fact that Postnik was the author of numerous architectural monuments mentioned in the chronicles after St. Basil was built.
  St. Basil Cathedral consists of eight chapels surrounding the ninth one, which is the highest. Cathedral is built in brick and covered with dyed stucco. Each chapel bears the name of a saint. The central temple is dedicated to the Intercession of Holy Virgin Cathedral. Each chapel had its own priest but all priests died during Black Death  epidemic in 18th century. Since then only one priest serves in St Basil. The chapels are conjoined by the system of passages. Each cupola (hipped roof or "shatyor" in Russian) is decorated in its own original way with windows, niches and cornices. St. Basil Cathedral was the highest building in Moscow up to the end of the 17th century. The cathedral is 60 meters in high.
In 19th centure St Basil’s attracted dozens of beggars (God’s people in Russian). Beggars used to sleep in cathedral at night and in daytime they occupied the spot in front of the main entrance together with freelance priests chasing for clients.


Here you can find some more info: http://www.moscow-hotels-russia.com/vasil_blagen.htm

[David_Pritchard]

Below are two photographs that I took on the second floor of Saint Basil's Cathedral about ten years ago.


DAP

[hikaru]

From the beginning , the Cathedral was not used every day. It was used only for celebration day and almost only by Tsar's family.

It was built according to the princip of " paradise town".
Eight (nineth was built later) churches symbolize houses and corridors symbolize streets.

So, in the 19th century they earned money by leasing of the first floor 's spaces  to merchants as stores.

It is said , that sometimes the gost of Ivan the Terrible appeared there.
(There is a picture of Vasnetsov about Ivan the Terrible in the cathedral. The picture is in Tretiakov Gallery)

[NAAOTMA]

When I went inside it in the spring of 1972, the brilliant colors were incredible, but I also remember that it was a bit cramped on the inside!

[Romanov_Fan19]

is  anyone  buried   there

[Belochka]

is  anyone  buried   there

Basil the Blessed who as legend holds, for criticising the Tsar's inattention in church was interred within the Cathedral in 1588, after the death of Ivan IV.

[lexi4]

Those photos are wonderful. Thank you for posting them.

[reashka]

I found this picture on the net. It's so beautiful:



I know it was built between 1534 and 1561 to commemorate the capture of Khanate of Kazan.

the architecture is very unique. i'm sorry because when the first time i saw saint basil's cathedral on a picture before, i thought it was an amusement park i didn't know that it was a cathedral. it was different from the usual cathedral that i always see.

[marcello55]

Hello

[GD Alexandra]

... i thought it was an amusement park i didn't know that it was a cathedral. it was different from the usual cathedral that i always see.

he,he... well, to tell you the truth, when I was little I used to think it was made of candy & chocolate  

[Dominic_Albanese]

Restoration work at St. Basil’s to be completed in a few years

http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=866

19 January 2006, 13:40

Restoration work at St. Basil’s to be completed in a few years

Moscow, January 19, Interfax - The restoration work on the faзade of St. Basil’s in Red Square will be completed already this year, while the work on its interior will take a few more years, Lyubov Uspenskaya, guardian of the Intercession Cathedral Museum has stated.

‘One should remember that the monument is 440 years old. It is a living organism requiring continued restoration. What we are doing is not a repair but what is called scientific restoration’, Uspenskaya said in an interview published by the Rossijskaya gazeta daily on Thursday.

Last summer, the most profound archeological excavations ever were carried out in the cathedral. As a result the cultural stratum was lowered by 70 cm to reveal the foundation of the 17th century and layers of the 13th century. A coin minted in 1611 was found.

Divine services are conducted in the cathedral at 10 o’clock every morning, and Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia usually celebrates there on the Day of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God.

It has been announced recently that St. Basil’s, along with the Moscow Kremlin, has been included in the list of contenders for the title of ‘a wonder of the world’.

[RomanovMartyrs]

... i thought it was an amusement park i didn't know that it was a cathedral. it was different from the usual cathedral that i always see.

he,he... well, to tell you the truth, when I was little I used to think it was made of candy & chocolate  

I thought the same thing! Did anyone else think it was something odd?