St Basil’s Cathedral has to be the most recognisable church
in the whole of Russia, being a focal point of Moscow’s Red Square. It ceased
being a place of worship after the Russian Revolution of 1917 and became a
museum, but masses have been permitted to be held in the cathedral since 1991.
The cathedral is officially the Cathedral of the Intercession
of the Mother of God, although the dedication to St Basil relates to a holy man
who prophesied the Great Fire of Moscow in 1547.
The cathedral was built by Ivan IV (the Terrible) to
commemorate his victory over the Tatars in October 1552. There is a legend to
the effect that, after the building was complete, Ivan lived up to his name by
having the architect blinded so that he would no longer be able to create
anything to compare with it. However, given that the same man is recorded as
having designed and erected many buildings in other towns after that time, the
truth of the story has to be in doubt.
The cathedral has nine main domes, each with a different
coloration and shape. The domes are supposedly a reference to the turbans of
the Muslim princes defeated by Ivan during his reign. Unlike many Russian churches,
St Basil’s is not painted on the outside but has retained a simple redbrick
exterior.
The four octagonal towers surrounding the main church
indicate the four cardinal points of the compass. Four further square towers
standing at the diagonals between these complete the star-shaped layout. Four
and eight were considered sacred numbers in the Middle Ages – there were four
elements and eight was a somewhat obscure reference to Christ’s Resurrection
and the Last Judgement.
The star forward by the architectural elements, connecting
earth and sky, points towards the Holy Land and there is a small chapel at each
of the eight corners, each commemorating one of Ivan’s battles.
© John Welford
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