St.

Basil’s Cathedral
By: Maria Christodoulou
 Styles
• The cathedral was built on Red Square by the order of Ivan the
Terrible throughout 1555-60.
• Architects: Postnik Yakovlev and Barma
• The arches of the Cathedral were Byzantine like and the Cathedral
was, “ultimately Asian.”
• The cathedral design was influenced by many other buildings, such
as Ivan the Great Bell Tower and a church in Kolomenskoye.
• It honors the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan.
• It is Russian Orthodox.

Ivan the Great Bell Tower

 St. Basil
• The cathedral consists of eight separate churches, one for each day
that was fought fighting for Kazan. They are grouped around the
biggest one, the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin by the
Moat.
• In 1588, an aisle was added to the church containing the relics of Saint
Basil.
• St. Basil was known to be a holy man, but became a god’s fool.
• Legends say that St. Basil is the one who has done many miracles,
like extinguishing the fire in Novgorod with 3 glasses of wine.
• Ivan the Terrible feared and respected the saint because he criticized
the tsar for being cruel to his people.
• When St. Basil died, Ivan carried his coffin and he was buried on the
cemetery of Pokrovskiy Cathedral (St. Basil’s Cathedral).
 Colors
• In the 17th century, Russian attitudes towards color changed in favor
of it.
• There was an explosive growth in the number of paints, dyes, and the
color combinations.
• The original color scheme followed the representation of the Heavenly
City in the Book Of Revelation.

•The walls of the church are painted as an

imitation of bricks with white ornaments in equal
proportion.
•The domes are covered with tin and have
traditional combined colors of red, white, and
golden colors.
•The blue and green ceramics add a touch of
rainbow, similar to the Bible.
•The colors of the cathedral are best seen at
night.
 Architects & Stalin
• Legend has it that after the cathedral was finished, Ivan blinded
the architects so they couldn’t build something as magnificent
a building for anyone else.
• Stalin was thinking about destroying the cathedral because it
got in the way of his soldiers, but the architect Baranovsky
stood on it and said he would cut his own throat if it was
destroyed.
– It wasn’t destroyed, but Stalin punished Baranovsky and
sentenced him to prison for 5 years.

Ivan the Terrible

 Extra Facts
• St. Basil’s has operated as a State Historical
Museum since 1928.
• It was completely and forcefully secularized in 1929.
• As of 2011, it remains property of the Russian
Federation.
• It has been a part of the Moscow, Kremlin, and Red
Square UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990.
 Works Cited
• http://www.moscow-russia-insiders-guide.com/st-basil-cathedral.htm
l
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Basil's_Cathedral#Construction_u
nder_Ivan_IV
• http://www.sacred-destinations.com/russia/moscow-st-basil-cathedral
• http://www.moscow.info/red-square/st-basils-cathedral.aspx