One of the main attractions of Moscow is the Cathedral of the Protection of the Holy Virgin, which is on a moat, also known as St. Basil’s Cathedral. Built on the orders of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, it actually represents a series of churches, united in a single unique ensemble, analogues of which are not found in the whole world.
In a few decades, he will turn 5 centuries, which makes him one of the oldest cathedrals in the world. Church services during the USSR in St. Basil’s Cathedral were not held. Until the collapse of the Union, he worked as a museum, like many other ancient temples, for example, the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg. It was built in just 6 years, which is 100 times faster than the famous Cologne Cathedral in Germany, the construction of which took about 6 centuries. St. Basil’s Cathedral is a popular name, not an official one. And the very moat that is mentioned in the original name disappeared centuries ago. In order to have the correct acoustics inside, during the construction of the cathedral, a large number of clay pots were walled up in the walls, the necks of which are directed inwards. Now St. Basil’s Cathedral has ten domes, but once there were twenty-five. During construction, a secret passage was arranged in it, connecting the cathedral with the royal treasury. It was accidentally discovered about a hundred years ago. During the Patriotic War of 1812, Napoleon, entering Moscow, ordered to blow up St. Basil’s Cathedral. But the weather did not allow him to do this – the rain wetted gunpowder.
The relics of St. Basil, canonized after his death, are still in the cathedral, which bears his name. St. Basil himself became famous during his life due to the fact that he taught others morality, giving people a personal example. The name of the architect who built the cathedral is still not known for certain. Moreover, Ivan the Terrible, according to legend, after the construction was completed, he was executed or blinded so that the unhappy architect could never build anything better. In fact, St. Basil’s Cathedral consists of eleven churches united in a single complex. And four of them are dedicated to saints whose commemoration days coincided with the days of important battles for the Kazan Khanate. Before Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of a stone cathedral of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin, wooden churches already stood in this place. Some of them were erected in the era of the reign of Ivan III the Great. St. Basil’s Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Officially, it does not belong to the Russian Orthodox Church, but to the State Historical Museum. Although worship in it is still held.
