Tsar Ivan IV ordered to build an unusual temple in order to glorify the victory of his troops in the fight against the Kazan Khanate. The place for the church was chosen in the very center of the city. There are several hypotheses about who supervised the construction work and created the plan for St. Basil's Cathedral.
Construction history
In the records of the 17th century. the famous master of stone affairs Ivan Barma and the Pskov architect Postnik Yakovlev are mentioned. According to popular legend, after the construction was completed, they were deprived of their sight by order of the sovereign. In such a barbaric way, the king allegedly secured the copyright to the unique appearance of the building.
Another version claims that an unknown Italian architect worked on the temple, who managed to embody the features of the Byzantine and Western European styles in the construction.
In the 17th century the chapel in honor of Vasily Nagogoy is being completed, the church of the Virgin Theodosius is being built over the porch, sheds are being built over the stairs, the gallery is protected from above by a roof, a 2-story bell tower appears.
In the 18th century after the demolition of wooden churches on Red Square, the thrones of them are moved within the cathedral and some of the names are changed.
The significance of the cathedral in the USSR
After the 1917 revolution, religious activity in the temple was banned. The building has been turned into a museum. Restoration work was consistently carried out in it.
At the age of 30 the monument to Minin and Pozharsky was moved to the walls of the cathedral. According to one of the plans for the improvement of the city, it was supposed to demolish the church in order to expand the territory of Red Square. However, the temple managed to defend.
In the middle of the 20th century an inscription was found on the wall indicating the exact date the construction was completed – July 12, 1561.
Cathedral in 1991-2014
The temple has long been considered a kind of “calling card” of Russia, one of the symbols of the Orthodox faith. In the early 90s. he was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. St. Basil's Chapel began to hold regular services.
As an outstanding monument of ancient Russian architecture, the building was included in the list of World Heritage Sites protected by UNESCO.
Restoration work carried out in the premises of the complex made it possible to recreate and update the picturesque frescoes on the walls and facade.
Intercession Cathedral was nominated from Russia in the competition “Seven Wonders of the World”. He repeatedly became the winner of international and national championships:
The temple is a symbol of the daring of Ivan the Terrible
Tsar Ivan IV entered the history of Russia as the lord who laid the foundation for the expansion of the state. He organized and carried out a number of military operations that strengthened the borders of the Moscow principality and turned it into a single integral power. The expansion of territories occurred due to the annexation of the Volga khanates. The crowning achievement of political intervention was the capture of Kazan, which had been opposed to Moscow for many decades.
This significant event took place the day after the celebration of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, on October 2, 1552.
The construction of the cathedral, on the one hand, was supposed to perpetuate the memory of the victory, and on the other hand, symbolize the unification of territories under the auspices of Russia.
Thus, the idea of Ivan the Third that the Muscovite state was destined to take over from Byzantium and become the Third Rome was embodied in life.
origin of name
The cathedral was erected in honor of the feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. On this day, the event that occurred during the siege of Constantinople is remembered. The Mother of God heard the prayers of the townspeople and covered the city with her veil, thus protecting it from enemies.
Since the place for the church was located at the Alevizov moat, which surrounded the Kremlin, the full name of the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat.
After the construction of the chapel of St. Basil the Blessed, its name was transferred to the entire complex.
architectural composition
The layout of the building is characterized by 3 features:
For the construction of the temple, an artificial hill was created on the site of the moat. This explains the impossibility. The uniqueness of the building is that the entire temple complex was erected on a single basis. According to the plan of the builders, the aisles were united by a common gallery.
The chapels are dedicated to the holidays and the memory of the saints, whose days coincided with the dates of the victorious battles of the Kazan campaign:
Brick was used as a building material. The lower part was made of white stone. To strengthen the building, the masonry was additionally fixed with metal braces.
The complex has a small size:
Interiors
The cathedral is notable for its decorative appearance, polychromy of ornaments and murals, skillful combination of various architectural elements.
The complex stands on a single basement, replacing the foundation. The vaults inside the buildings are supported by pillars. For ventilation, narrow slotted holes in the walls are used – air ducts. Natural light enters through the light drum under the dome of the church.
The decoration of the chapels is distinguished by the combination of color and the manner of painting. The frescoes were painted with oil paints. The temple has a huge collection (over 400) of icons (16-19 centuries). Most of them were created by Novgorod and Moscow painters.
Chapel of St. Basil the Blessed
Basil Nagoy or Blessed became famous during his lifetime for his pious deeds. His predictions often came true, so even the king listened to the words of the holy fool. After the death of the elder, Ivan the Terrible ordered to bury the body in a cemetery near the Kremlin walls, in a moat.
Later, the Intercession Cathedral was erected next to it. Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich ordered that a chapel be erected over the grave of the holy man. He received the name of St. Basil the Blessed. The relics of the holy fool were placed in a shrine and transferred to the cathedral.
The chapel has the shape of a cube, which is crowned with a small dome. The interior is decorated with oil paintings. It has been preserved since the beginning of the last century (1905):
The walls of the aisle are conditionally divided into upper and lower parts:
The floor of the building is covered with slabs cast from cast iron in Kasli.
The iconostasis of an unusual shape is installed in the chapel. The compressed volume of the room did not allow placing the icons along one wall. Therefore, according to the plan of the architect A. Pavlinov, some of the images were transferred to the side walls. This type of iconostasis was called “with twists”. The main part of the icons was painted by artists headed by O. Chirikov at the end of the 19th century.
The southern wall is decorated with a huge icon of Our Lady of Vladimir, made on a metal base. It depicts the Mother of God surrounded by Moscow saints.
The grave of Vasily Nagogoy is marked by an arch. His shrine with relics disappeared at the beginning of the 17th century. Only the cover remained. It was embroidered by craftswomen from the entourage of Irina Godunova.
From 1929 to 1991 the aisle was closed. Worship services resumed in 1997.
How many domes
Since the cathedral is a temple complex, it has 10 domes. Each dome is crowned by the corresponding altars located on opposite sides of the central Intercession Church. The tenth dome rises above the bell tower.
The heads of all churches are in the shape of onions. They are distinguished by a variety of patterns and colors. The Church of the Intercession has a tent-shaped top with a small cupola.
Interestingly, the total number of domes has decreased by 2.5 times compared to the original. At first, the cathedral was decorated with 25 domes. The central one denoted the Lord, and his entourage – 24 elders seated on the sides of the throne.
Museum
After the cessation of worship, by decision of the Soviet government, the building of the temple from the beginning of the 20s. began to be used as a historical and architectural museum. An exposition opens in it, funds are formed, and research work begins to be carried out.
Since 1928 the museum has become a division of the State Historical Museum. His exhibition activity had an anti-religious orientation. In parallel with the work of the exposition part, large-scale restoration measures are being carried out in the building.
The museum stopped working in the period 1941-1947. In different years, thematic collections dedicated to the construction and architecture of the 16th century, bibliography of the 16th-20th centuries, and the conquests of Ivan the Terrible were presented in the premises.
Intercession Church is one of the main tourist sites of the capital. Since 1991, along with the museum, religious activities have been resumed in it.
Main collections:
In 2014, the permanent exhibition “Treasures of the Intercession Cathedral” was presented to the attention of visitors. In the lower part of the building, tourists get acquainted with the history of the temple. In the upper part, the audience examines the ancient interiors with elements of paintings and sculptures by masters of ancient Russian art.
Working hours
Hours of operation vary throughout the year and depend on the season. As well as weather conditions. When the temperature drops below -15C°, the temple complex remains closed.
| Schedule | 1.06-24.08 | 25.08-3.09 | 1.05-31.05 and 4.09-7.11 | 8.11-30.04 |
| Work time | 10-19 hours | 10-16 hours | 11-18 hours | 11-17 hours |
| Day off | Wednesday | Wednesday | No | No |
Sanitary day is held every month on the first Wednesday.
How to get there
The cathedral rises in close proximity to the walls of the Kremlin and the embankment of the Moscow River. Its official address: Red Square, 2.
You can get to the temple by ground and underground transport.
Metro:
By bus:
By trolleybuses No. 16, 45, 63 (round-the-clock) to the stop. Slavyanskaya Square.