St. Basil's Cathedral, or Intercession Cathedral Mother of God on the Moat, as its canonical full name sounds, was built on Red Square in 1555-1561. This cathedral is rightfully considered one of the main symbols not only of Moscow, but of all of Russia.
In the place where the cathedral now stands, in the 16th century there stood the stone Trinity Church, “which is on the Moat.” There really was a defensive ditch here, stretching along the entire Kremlin wall along Red Square. This ditch was filled in only in 1813. Now in its place is a Soviet necropolis and Mausoleum.
Ivan the Terrible, who personally led the army in the campaign to conquer the Kazan and Astrakhan kingdoms in 1552, vowed, in the event of victory, to build a grandiose temple in Moscow on Red Square in memory of this. While the war was going on, in honor of each major victory, a small wooden church was erected next to the Trinity Church in honor of the saint on whose day the victory was won. When Russian army returned to Moscow in triumph, Ivan the Terrible decided to erect one large stone church in place of the eight wooden churches that had been built - for centuries.
In 1552, he was buried near the stone Trinity Church blessed Basil, who died on August 2 (according to other sources, he died not in 1552, but in 1551). Moscow “Fool for Christ’s sake” Vasily was born in 1469 in the village of Elokhov, and from his youth was endowed with the gift of clairvoyance; he predicted the terrible fire of Moscow in 1547, which destroyed almost the entire capital. Ivan the Terrible revered and even feared the blessed one. The legend said that Vasily himself collected money in the floor for the future Church of the Intercession, brought it to Red Square and threw it over his right shoulder - nickel to nickel, kopeck to kopeck, and no one, not even thieves, touched these coins. After the death of St. Basil, he was buried in the cemetery at the Trinity Church (probably by order of the Tsar), with great honors. And soon the grandiose construction of a new Intercession Cathedral began here, where the relics of Vasily were later transferred, at whose grave miraculous healings began to take place.
There is a lot of controversy about the builder (or builders) of St. Basil's Cathedral. It was traditionally believed that Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of the masters Barma and Postnik Yakovlev, but many researchers now agree that it was one person - Ivan Yakovlevich Barma, nicknamed Postnik.
St. Basil's Church. Lithograph of Bichebois
There is a legend that after construction, Ivan the Terrible ordered the masters to be blinded so that they could no longer build anything like this, but this is nothing more than a legend, since the documents indicate that after the construction of the Cathedral of the Intercession on the Moat, master Postnik “according to Barma” (i.e. .e., nicknamed Barma) built the Kazan Kremlin.
The ground around St. Basil's Cathedral seemed to be covered with felt, since barbers sat around the temple for a long time. They cut their hair, but never removed it, so the layer of hair that had accumulated here over the years made it look like felt.
St. Basil's Cathedral consists of nine churches on one foundation. The central altar of the temple is dedicated to the Feast of the Intercession of the Mother of God. It was on this day that the wall of the Kazan fortress was destroyed by an explosion and the city was taken.
The design of the Intercession Cathedral is based on the apocalyptic symbolism of the Heavenly Jerusalem. Eight chapters located around the central ninth tent form a geometric figure of two squares placed at an angle of 45 degrees, in which it is easy to see an eight-pointed star.
The number 8 symbolizes the day of the Resurrection of Christ, which according to the Hebrew calendar was the eighth day, and the coming Kingdom of Heaven - the Kingdom of the “eighth century” (or “eighth kingdom”), which will come after the Second Coming of Christ - after the end earthly history associated with the apocalyptic number 7.
The square expresses the firmness and constancy of faith and is a cosmic symbol of the Universe: there are four of it equal sides mean the four cardinal directions, the four winds of the Universe, the four ends of the cross, the four canonical Gospels, the four evangelist apostles, the four equilateral walls of the Heavenly Jerusalem. The combined squares symbolize the preaching of the Gospels to the four cardinal directions, that is, to the whole world.
The eight-pointed star - a reminder of the Star of Bethlehem, which showed the Magi the way to the infant Christ, the Savior of the world - symbolizes the entire Christian Church as a guiding star in human life to the Heavenly Jerusalem. The eight-pointed star is also a symbol Holy Mother of God- Lady of the Church and Queen of Heaven: in Orthodox iconography, the Mother of God is depicted in a maforia (veil) with three eight-pointed stars on her shoulders and on her forehead as a sign of Her Eternal Virginity - before, during and after the Nativity of Christ.
There are only 10 domes. Nine domes over the temple (According to the number of thrones: the Intercession of the Virgin Mary (central), Holy Trinity (eastern), Entrance to Jerusalem (western), Gregory of Armenia (north-western), Alexander of Svirsky (south) -east), Barlaam of Khutyn (south-west), John the Merciful (formerly John, Paul and Alexander of Constantinople) (north-east), Nicholas the Wonderworker of Velikoretsky (south), Adrian and Natalia (formerly Cyprian and Justina) (northern)) plus one dome over the bell tower. (In the old days, St. Basil's Cathedral had 25 domes, representing the Lord and 24 elders sitting at His throne).
The cathedral consists of eight churches, the altars of which were consecrated in honor of the holidays that occurred during the decisive battles for Kazan: Trinity, in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (in honor of his Velikoretskaya icon from Vyatka), Entry into Jerusalem, in honor of the martyr. Adrian and Natalia (originally - in honor of St. Cyprian and Justina - October 2), St. John the Merciful (until XVIII - in honor of St. Paul, Alexander and John of Constantinople - November 6), Alexander of Svir (April 17 and August 30), Varlaam of Khutyn (November 6 and the 1st Friday of Peter's Lent), Gregory of Armenia (September 30 ).
All these eight churches (four axial, four smaller ones between them) are crowned with onion domes and grouped around the ninth pillar-shaped church rising above them in honor of the Intercession of the Mother of God, completed with a tent with a small dome. All nine churches are united by a common base, a bypass (originally open) gallery and internal vaulted passages.
In 1588, a chapel was added to the cathedral from the northeast, consecrated in honor of St. Basil. The bell tower was added to the cathedral only in 1670.
The height of St. Basil's Cathedral is 65 meters. In 1737, the Church of the Intercession was badly damaged by fire and was restored, and the altars of fifteen churches from Red Square were moved under its arches. In the second half of the 18th century, under Catherine II, the cathedral was reconstructed: 16 small chapters around the towers were demolished, preserving the octal symbolism at the base, and the hipped bell tower was connected to the cathedral building. At the same time, the cathedral acquired a modern multi-colored coloring and became a real Moscow miracle.
According to legend, Napoleon wanted to transfer the Moscow miracle to Paris, but for now the horses of the French army were stationed in the temple. The technology of that time turned out to be powerless against this task, and then, before the retreat of the French army, he ordered the temple to be blown up along with the Kremlin. Muscovites tried to extinguish the lit wicks, and suddenly pouring torrential rain helped stop the explosion.
In 1929, the cathedral was closed and transferred to the Historical Museum. In 1936, Pyotr Dmitrievich Baranovsky was called and offered to take measurements of the Church of the Intercession on the Moat so that it could be demolished. The temple, according to the authorities, interfered with the movement of cars on Red Square... Baranovsky, telling officials that the demolition of the cathedral was madness and a crime, promised to immediately commit suicide if this happened. After this, Baranovsky was immediately arrested. When it was liberated six months later, the cathedral continued to stand in its place...
There are many legends about how the cathedral was preserved. The most popular is the story of how Kaganovich, presenting to Stalin a project for the reconstruction of Red Square for the convenience of holding parades and demonstrations, removed a model of St. Basil's Cathedral from the square, to which Stalin commanded him: “Lazarus, put it in its place!” This seemed to decide the fate of the unique monument...
One way or another, St. Basil's Cathedral, having survived everyone who tried to destroy it, remained standing on Red Square. In 1923-1949, large-scale research was carried out in it, which made it possible to restore the original appearance of the gallery. In 1954-1955, the cathedral was again painted “brick-like” as in the 16th century.
In the 70s, during restoration, a spiral wooden staircase was discovered in the wall. Museum visitors now take it to the central temple, where they can see a magnificent tent soaring into the sky, a valuable iconostasis, and walk through the narrow labyrinth of the internal gallery, entirely painted with marvelous patterns.
In November 1990, the first all-night vigil and liturgy were held in the church, and its bells rang at the consecration of the Kazan Cathedral. On the patronal feast of the Intercession, October 13-14, a service is held here.
There is a branch in the cathedral Historical Museum, and the flow of tourists there does not dry out. Since 1990, services have sometimes been held there, but the rest of the time it is still a museum. The museum contains 19 bells that were cast back in 1547. famous masters. In addition to the bells in the cathedral you will see huge collection weapons that Ivan the Terrible collected during his lifetime.
St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow on Red Square - main temple capital of Russia. Therefore, for many inhabitants of the planet it is a symbol of Russia, just as the Eiffel Tower is for France or the Statue of Liberty for America. Currently, the temple is a branch of the State Historical Museum. Since 1990 it has been included in the List of objects World Heritage UNESCO in Russia.
From the history of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow on Red Square
On October 1, 1552, on the Feast of the Intercession of the Mother of God, the assault on Kazan began, which ended in victory for the Russian soldiers. In honor of this victory, by decree of Ivan the Terrible, the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God, now known as St. Basil's Cathedral, was founded.
Previously, on the site of the temple there was a church in the name of the Trinity. According to legend, in the crowd among those walking one could often see the holy fool St. Basil the Blessed, who left home in his youth and wandered around the capital. He was known for having the gift of healing and clairvoyance and collecting money for the new Intercession Church. Before his death, he gave the collected money to Ivan the Terrible. The holy fool was buried at the Trinity Church. When the Intercession Church was built, his grave was located at the very wall of the temple. Later, 30 years later, on the orders of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, a new chapel was built, consecrated in honor of St. Basil. Since then, the temple began to be called by the same name. In the old days, the Intercession Cathedral was red and white, and the domes were gold. There were 25 domes: 9 main and 16 small ones, located around the central tent, aisles and bell tower. The central dome had the same complex shape as the side domes. The painting of the temple walls was more complex.
There were very few people inside the temple. Therefore, during the holidays, services were held on Red Square. The Intercession Cathedral served as an altar. On frontal place the church servants came out, and the sky served as the dome. The temple has a height of 65 meters. Before the construction of the Ivanovo Bell Tower in the Kremlin, it was the tallest in Moscow. After a fire in 1737, the temple was restored, and in the second half of the 18th century, 16 small domes around the towers were removed, and the bell tower was connected to the temple, which became multi-colored.
Throughout its history, the temple was on the verge of destruction several times. According to legend, Napoleon kept his horses in the temple and wanted to move the building to Paris. But at that time it was impossible to do this. Then he decided to blow up the temple. A sudden downpour of rain extinguished the lit wicks and saved the structure. After the revolution, the temple was closed, the bells were melted down, and its rector, Archpriest John Vostorgov, was shot. Lazar Koganovich proposed demolishing the building to open up traffic and hold demonstrations. Only the courage and perseverance of the architect P.D. Baranovsky was saved by the temple. Famous phrase Stalin “Lazarus, put him in his place!” and the decision to demolish it was reversed.
How many domes are there on St. Basil's Cathedral
The temple was built in 1552-1554. at a time when there was a war with the Golden Horde for the conquest of the Kazan and Astrakhan kingdoms. After each victory, a wooden church was built in honor of the saint whose memory day was celebrated on that day. Also some temples were built in honor significant events. By the end of the war, there were 8 churches on one site. Saint Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow advised the tsar to build one temple in stone with a common foundation. In 1555-1561 The architects Barma and Yakovlev built eight temples on one foundation: four of them are axial and four smaller ones between them. All of them are different in architectural decoration and have onion domes decorated with cornices, kokoshniks, windows, and niches. In the center stands the ninth church with a small dome in honor of the Intercession of the Mother of God. In the 17th century, a bell tower with a hipped dome was built. Considering this dome, there are 10 domes on the temple.
- The northern church was consecrated in the name of Cyprian and Ustina, and later in the name of St. Andrian and Natalia.
- The eastern church is consecrated in the name of the Trinity. The southern church is in the name of Nikola Velikoretsky.
- The Western Church was consecrated in the name of the Entry into Jerusalem in memory of the return of the army of Ivan the Terrible to Moscow.
- The northeastern church was consecrated in the name of the Three Patriarchs of Alexandria.
- The southeastern church is in the name of Alexander Svirsky.
- Southwestern Church - in the name of Varlaam Khutynsky.
- Northwestern - in the name of Gregory of Armenia.
Eight chapters, built around the central ninth, form a figure in plan, consisting of two squares located at an angle of 45 degrees and representing an eight-pointed star. The number 8 symbolizes the day of the Resurrection of Christ, and the eight-pointed star is a symbol of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The square means firmness and constancy of faith. Its four sides mean the four cardinal directions and the four ends of the cross, the four evangelist apostles. The central temple unites the rest of the churches and symbolizes patronage over all of Russia.
Museum in St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow on Red Square
Now the temple is open as a museum. Its visitors can climb the spiral staircase and admire the iconostases, which contain icons from the 16th to 19th centuries and see the patterns of the internal gallery. The walls are decorated with oil paintings and frescoes from the 16th to 19th centuries. The museum displays portraits and landscape painting, and church utensils 16th-19th centuries. There are opinions that it is necessary to preserve St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow not just as a monument of extraordinary beauty, but also as an Orthodox shrine.
The Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary, which is on the moat, is the name of this temple on Red Square. But among the people it is more often called St. Basil's Cathedral. There are also those who remember the name Trinity Cathedral, which existed in the 16th century. This 65-meter-high temple closes the perspective of Bolshaya Dmitrovka. And before, before the construction of tall buildings in Moscow turn of the 19th century- XX centuries, the cathedral was visible in the perspective of large sections of Pokrovka, Tverskaya, Myasnitskaya, Petrovka. It was rightly called the main temple of the Moscow suburb.
The cathedral was built in 1555-1561 next to the Kremlin fortress moat. You can say, on the edge of the ditch, hence its name - that on the ditch. The customer for the construction of the cathedral was Tsar Ivan the Terrible. The cathedral was built as a memory of the capture of the capital of the Kazan Khanate, the city of Kazan. The siege of Kazan began on August 15, 1552 and ended with an assault on the holiday of the Intercession. It was decided to build a cathedral with 9 thrones, or 9 churches, in honor of those holidays on which important moments of the siege and storming of the city occurred.
The central temple, completed with a tent, is the Intercession of the Virgin Mary. Around it are churches: from the east - the Trinity, the western temple - the Entrance to Jerusalem, St. Nicholas of Velikoretsky, Cyprian and Justina (later reconsecrated in the name of Adrian and Natalia), Paul, Alexander and John of Constantinople (later - John the Merciful), Alexander of Svirsky, Varlaam Khutynsky, Gregory of Armenian. Services in each of the churches were performed only on their patronal feast days. All churches, except the central one, Pokrovskaya, are completed with colored patterned onion domes. They appeared at the end of the 16th century instead of the old helmet-shaped domes. All churches stand on a high basement that unites them, like on a pedestal. All churches have circular passages around them. In the 16th century, the outer gallery around the churches was open, and the treatment of the walls at the gallery level in all churches took the form of a wide strip of arches and cornices, visually unifying the entire building. Today this wall treatment can be seen in the interior of the gallery, at the south-eastern corner of the cathedral. Because of Moscow climatic conditions V mid-17th century centuries, the gallery was covered with vaults, and stone tents were placed over the porches. At the same time, for the first time, bright decorative paintings appeared on the facades of the cathedral. A little earlier, in the 1670s, a hipped bell tower was built instead of a belfry.
In 1588, a low single-domed church was added to the northwestern part of the gallery over the tomb of St. Basil the Blessed (1469 - 1552). Even during his lifetime, Vasily was famous as a holy fool and seer. During the funeral, Vasily’s coffin was carried by Ivan the Terrible himself with the boyars, and Metropolitan Macarius performed the funeral service. Over time, Vasily became one of the Moscow saints beloved by the people. Services in St. Basil's Church were performed daily, which is why the entire cathedral began to be called St. Basil's Cathedral.
At first XVIII century There were already 18 thrones in the Intercession Cathedral. New altars were consecrated in the basement.
TO early XIX centuries, around the cathedral there were long shopping rows of small shops, taverns and taverns, separating it from Red Square. During the restoration of the city after the fire of 1812, it was decided to clear the area, and in 1817 the architect Osip Bove built a retaining wall from the west, south and east. The cathedral received a forged fence that has survived to this day.
It is believed that the cathedral was built by masters Barma and Postnik. Some researchers believe that it was one person, Postnik Yakovlev, nicknamed Barma. Other buildings by Postnik Yakovlev are also known, created by him after the construction of the cathedral. But none of them are similar to the Intercession Cathedral either in details or in technology. The architecture of the cathedral contains many architectural forms that could only be created by a person who worked and studied in Western Europe. But such a person is not yet known to us.
In 1923, it was decided to create a museum in the cathedral. Services in St. Basil's Church continued until 1929. The last rector of the cathedral, Fr. John Vostorgov was shot by court in 1918, and in 2000 he was canonized. Since 1991, the cathedral has been jointly used by the museum and the Orthodox Church.
Since 1931, in the fence of the cathedral there has been a monument to Minin and Pozharsky (1818, sculptor Ivan Martos). The monument was moved to the cathedral from the middle of Red Square, where it began to interfere with parades and mass demonstrations held twice a year, on May 1 and November 7.
Is this St. Basil's Cathedral? Not true. Was this the main temple of Moscow? Not true. Did Ivan the Terrible blind the creators of the temple? Not true. Here, in Soviet time Was there only a museum? Not true. This article is about the myths and fictions surrounding the construction of the Intercession Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow, better known as St. Basil's Cathedral.
July 12, the day of the supreme apostles Peter and Paul, will mark the 455th anniversary of the famous Intercession Cathedral on Red Square. Better known as St. Basil's Cathedral, with its colorful domes and tents, it has long become one of the national symbols of Russia. Religion, culture and history of our country are intertwined in this cathedral into a single whole. It is no coincidence that there are many stories and legends about him. Often “traditional” opinions about famous temple turn out to be fiction. After all, for many, the cathedral is a festive picture, business card Moscow or tourist label for foreigners. Meanwhile true story This temple is richer and more interesting than any common misconceptions about it.
What is the name of the cathedral?
Take the name of the cathedral. People call it the Temple or St. Basil's Cathedral. There is no mistake in this. But few people know that its first and main name is the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary “on the Moat.” St. Basil's Cathedral is the “folk” name assigned to it.
The Intercession Cathedral was erected according to the vow of Ivan the Terrible, which he made before the campaign against Kazan in 1552, with the blessing of Metropolitan Macarius. The conquest of the Kazan Khanate was the most important event in the history of Russia, and this significance was emphasized by the construction of a grandiose cathedral.
Another misconception is that a cathedral is only one temple. They call it St. Basil's Cathedral, period. In fact, in 1555–1561, nine churches were erected on a single foundation (basement), five of which were then consecrated in memory of the Kazan campaign. According to historical documents, the main part of the cathedral was erected in the autumn of 1559. At the same time, the consecration of all its churches, except for the central one, took place. And only a year and a half later, on June 29 according to the old calendar, the entire cathedral was consecrated. This day is considered the date of completion of the temple.
In the center of the cathedral is the main temple - the actual Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, crowned with a small onion dome. On October 1, 1552, the assault on Kazan began - at the same time church calendar The Feast of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary was celebrated. Therefore, the central temple was named in honor of this holiday, and then the entire cathedral was named after it. The Intercession Cathedral was at that time the most tall building in Moscow. Before the reconstruction of the Ivan the Great bell tower in the Kremlin at the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th century, it was the high-rise dominant feature of the then Moscow. Its height is 65 meters.
In total, the cathedral has eleven domes. Ten are the domes of the churches according to the number of thrones, and there is another dome over the bell tower. The complex architectural composition and construction program of the cathedral most likely belonged to Metropolitan Macarius, who wanted to embody the image of the Heavenly City of Jerusalem on earth in the multi-altar church, as well as to exalt the role of Moscow and Ivan the Terrible.
Eight churches are located symmetrically around the main temple in the form of an eight-pointed star. Four large churches face strictly to the cardinal directions.
1. Church of Cyprian and Justina - The memory of the saints falls on the second of October (October 15 of the new century), and it was on this day that Kazan was taken.
2. Church of Gregory of Armenian - Gregory of Armenian - enlightener of Great Armenia. His memory is celebrated on September 30 (October 13 N.S.). In 1552 on this day took place an important event the campaign of Tsar Ivan the Terrible - the explosion of the Arsk tower of Kazan.
3. Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem - The church was consecrated in honor of the feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. IN Palm Sunday It was to this chapel that the procession of the cross took place from the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin with the “procession on a donkey” of the Patriarch. That's why the chapel was built on the side closest to the Kremlin.
4. Church of Varlaam Khutyn - Consecrated in the name of the Venerable Varlaam Khutyn, Novgorod saint, founder and abbot of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Khutyn Monastery.
5. Church of St. Nicholas of Velikoretsky - This church was consecrated in the name of the Velikoretsky image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The icon of the saint was found in the city of Khlynov on the Velikaya River, which is why it later received the name “Nikola Velikoretsky”. In 1555, by order of Ivan the Terrible, this icon was brought in a religious procession along the rivers from Vyatka to Moscow.
6. Church of Alexander Svirsky - Consecrated in the name of this saint, because his memory is celebrated on the same day on which the defeat of the Epancha cavalry took place on the Arsk field.
7. Bell tower
8. Church of the Three Patriarchs (John, Alexander and Paul the New) - It was named so because in 1552, on the day of remembrance of the patriarchs, August 30 (September 12, New Art.), a victory was won over Prince Epancha, who from Crimea went to the aid of the Kazan Tatars.
9. Church of the Holy Trinity - It is generally accepted that the Intercession Cathedral was built on the site of the ancient Trinity Church, by the name of which until the 17th century the entire temple was often called.
10. St. Basil's Church - The only temple where regular services are held today.
11. Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary - It was on the first of October 1552, on the feast of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary, that the assault on Kazan began.
Where did the name "St. Basil's Cathedral" come from?
Why did they begin to call the Intercession Cathedral the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed and associate it not with Ivan the Terrible and the Kazan campaign, but with the name of the holy fool? The fact is that in 1588 a chapel was added to the cathedral on the north-eastern side, consecrated in honor of St. Basil. It was built by order of the son of Ivan the Terrible, Fyodor Ioannovich, over the burial place of St. Basil the Blessed, who died in 1557 and was buried near the walls of the cathedral under construction. The famous holy fool himself became known in Moscow at the end of the 15th century. All his clothes, winter and summer, consisted only of iron chains. Muscovites loved Vasily very much for his gentle disposition, including the young Tsar, although the holy fool was not afraid to contradict him and reproach him. Under Fyodor Ioannovich, St. Basil's canonization took place in 1586.
With the addition of St. Basil's Church, services in the cathedral became daily. Since then, the Intercession Cathedral has been known more as St. Basil's Cathedral. Previously, services were held there only in the warm season. The cathedral was not heated, but St. Basil's Cathedral was warm. In addition, since the cathedral was built as a memorial, it was very difficult to hold services in its churches due to their small size. Could only fit royal family. Soon the popular name for the cathedral arose - St. Basil's Cathedral.
Were Barma and Postnik blinded?
The most common myth about the cathedral is the chilling story that Tsar Ivan IV allegedly ordered its builders, Postnik and Barma, to be blinded so that they would never be able to build anything else that could surpass and eclipse the architectural masterpiece that was erected. Meanwhile, the story about the blinding of the cathedral builders on the orders of Ivan the Terrible is not confirmed by real historical evidence. The builders of the temple were indeed named Postnik and Barma. In 1896, Archpriest John Kuznetsov, who served in the temple, discovered a chronicle in which it was said that “The pious Tsar John came from the victory of Kazan to the reigning city of Moscow... And God gave him two Russian masters named Postnik and Barma and was wise and convenient for such a wonderful work ..." This is how the names of the cathedral’s builders became known for the first time. But there is not a word about blindness in the chronicles.
It was previously believed that St. Basil's Cathedral was built by a foreign master from Italy, judging by the “Italianized” elements in its architecture. And since in Western Europe there were widespread legends about the blinding of talented architects so that they could not create further, foreign travelers who came to Moscow “mechanically” transferred them to the master who built the Intercession Cathedral. They began to say the same thing about Postnik and Barma. The story of blinding became especially widespread thanks to Dmitry Kedrin’s poem “Architects” (1938); it was even included in school history textbooks:
And the benefactor asked:
“Can you make it more beautiful,
More beautiful than this temple
Different, I say?”
And, shaking his hair,
The architects answered:
"Can!
Order, sir!
And they hit the king’s feet.
And then the sovereign
He ordered these architects to be blinded,
So that in his land
Church
There was one like this...
Falcon eyes
They pricked them with an iron awl,
So that the white light
They couldn't see...
And their church stood
Like this
It’s like I was dreaming.
And she called
It was as if she was singing their funeral service sobbingly,
And the forbidden song
About the terrible royal mercy
Sang in secret places
Across broad Rus'
Guslars.
Has the cathedral always been so colorful?
It may seem that the cathedral has always been so colorful. And it will be misconception. The current appearance of the Intercession Cathedral is very different from its original appearance. Then we would see not today’s motley coloring, but strict brick walls. Two materials were used in the construction of the cathedral - white stone and brick. All the polychrome and floral painting of the cathedral appeared only in the 1670s. By this time, the cathedral had undergone significant reconstruction: two large porches were added - on the north and south sides. The external gallery was covered with vaults. Today in the decoration of the Intercession Cathedral you can see frescoes of the 16th century, tempera painting of the 17th century, monumental oil painting of the 18th-19th centuries, and rare monuments of Russian icon painting. Since the 20s of the 20th century, restoration work has been going on in the cathedral with some interruptions.
Church of Cyprian and Justina. A depository for the king?
Previously, the temple was used as a storehouse for valuables, or a depository. There are no basements in the Intercession Cathedral; churches with galleries stand on a single foundation - a basement. The basement has very strong brick walls (up to 3 m thick). The height of some rooms is about 6.5 m. They were inaccessible to ordinary parishioners. Deep niches in the basement were used as storage for the property of wealthy citizens. There is a legend that until 1595 the royal treasury was hidden here. One entered the basement from the upper central Church of the Intercession of Our Lady via a secret staircase inside the walls, which only initiates knew about.
Who wanted to demolish the cathedral?
The cathedral has experienced many tragic moments in its history. It suffered frequent fires for wooden Moscow. IN Time of Troubles it was plundered by the Poles, destroying St. Basil's Shrine. Napoleon placed stables in the Intercession Cathedral. He gave the order to blow up the cathedral, which, fortunately, was not carried out.
They planned to demolish the temple during the years of Soviet power - the cathedral interfered with parades on Red Square, but they did not dare. There is a well-known legend about how, at a Politburo meeting dedicated to the restructuring of Moscow, Kaganovich demonstratively removed St. Basil's Cathedral from the layout map of Red Square, and Stalin said: “Lazarus, put it in its place!” Whether this actually happened is unknown. There are master plans reconstruction of Moscow in the 30s, in which there is no cathedral on Red Square.
Just a museum?
Another mistake would be to consider that today’s cathedral is only a museum. The historical and architectural museum in the cathedral was founded in 1923. However, even then services in the cathedral continued. They continued until 1929, and resumed in 1991.
17
Intercession Cathedral (Temple..
Total 78 photos
St. Basil's Cathedral occupies a special place not only among the masterpieces of world architecture, but also in the consciousness of any Russian person. This church on Red Square is the personification of the beauty of the Russian soul, its bottomless inner spiritual world, the innermost desire to find heaven and bliss, both on earth and in heaven. St. Basil's Cathedral is unconditionally recognized by all of us as one of the symbols of Russia and as one of its significant spiritual foundations. Architectural ensemble Red Square is now simply unthinkable without this heavenly beauty embodied in stone. It’s scary to think, but according to one of the legends, the famous Lazar Kaganovich once suggested that Stalin demolish St. Basil’s Cathedral, effectively snatching it from the model of the reconstruction of Red Square, which was presented to the leader of the people for consideration. Lazarus! “Give us a place,” Stalin said briefly then...
St. Basil's Cathedral impresses you so much, it remains in your consciousness for a long time and continues to live in it for a long time, feeding the soul with the sensual immaterial energy of this earthly miracle. Being next to the temple, you can endlessly admire its unique living image, playing with all the facets of sublime and exquisite beauty from any angle. Many essays have been written about this temple, countless scientific research and, of course, an incalculable amount of material from independent researchers and simply lovers of Russian architecture and antiquity has been posted online.
I wanted to present to my reader about the Church of the Intercession on the Moat something different from the works of other authors, which, of course, in this context, is a difficult and, in many ways, impossible task. However, I will still try) As usual, there will be many of my photographs of this temple, from its most varied angles, in different time year - with the aim of revealing both the external sensual image of the cathedral and showing its amazing internal spaces, without seeing which it is impossible to absorb all this Beauty entirely. As it turned out, while I was in the temple itself, I managed, as often happens to me, to miss some views and details of its rich interior when photographing, which, as usual, becomes clear when preparing specific material. Of course, these shortcomings will be filled in by me here as appropriate visual source material becomes available.
I am extremely interested in the period of construction of tented churches in Rus' and St. Basil's Cathedral occupies, among the miraculously surviving tented churches, its own special unique place, because the central architectural dominant of this masterpiece is the sublime tented church of the Intercession of the Virgin. This article will be one of several in a series of my future review articles about the period of tent construction in Rus'.
In the first part, according to tradition, we will try to absorb the wonderful and unique image of St. Basil's Cathedral, learn about its amazing and mysterious story, the spiritual basis of the history of its creation, about architectural features, and already in the second and third parts - we will examine and explore the church from the inside, because the main thing is a sensory complex impression, and exactly what we take out for ourselves and what remains as a result , with us for a long time, or even forever.
I do not have an architectural education and I do not consider myself an independent expert in this field, but the field of art and creativity in the field of Orthodox architecture is extremely inspiring and interesting to me. Therefore, when talking about the architectural features of the cathedral, third-party sources will be used - as they say - we will not reinvent the wheel where it has already been invented a long time ago and everything is professionally and meticulously described and explained in detail. So, I will not try to be original in this sense. To separate an academic text about the history and architecture of the cathedral, I will highlight my impressions and considerations in italics.
02.
So, the cathedral was built in 1555-1561 by order of Ivan the Terrible in memory of the capture of Kazan and the victory over the Kazan Khanate, which happened precisely on the day of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos - in early October 1552. There are several versions about the creators of the cathedral. According to one version, the architect was the famous Pskov master Postnik Yakovlev, nicknamed Barma.
03.
On the other hand, widely known version Barma and Postnik are two different architects, both involved in the construction. But this version is now outdated. According to the third version, the cathedral was built by an unknown person Western European master(presumably Italian, as before - a significant part of the buildings of the Moscow Kremlin), hence such a unique style, combining the traditions of both Russian architecture and European architecture of the Renaissance, but this version has not yet found any clear documentary evidence.
04.
We have a more emotional detailed report, so I allowed myself to add to my story the warm feeling of the flower beds laid out on Red Square last summer...)
05.
According to Moscow legends, the architects of the cathedral (Barma and Postnik) were blinded by order of Ivan the Terrible so that they could no longer build a second temple of similar beauty. However, if the author of the cathedral is Postnik, then he could not have been blinded, since for several years after the construction of the cathedral he participated in the creation of the Kazan Kremlin.
06.
The temple itself symbolizes Heavenly Jerusalem, but the meaning of the color scheme of the domes remains an unsolved mystery to this day. Even in the last century, the writer Chaev suggested that the color of the domes of the temple can be explained by the dream of Blessed Andrew the Fool (of Constantinople), a holy ascetic with whom, according to Church Tradition, the Feast of the Intercession of the Mother of God is associated. He dreamed of Heavenly Jerusalem, and there “there were many gardens, in them there were tall trees, swaying with their tops... Some of the trees bloomed, others were decorated with golden foliage, others had various fruits of indescribable beauty.”
07.
Initially, the cathedral was painted to resemble brick. Later it was repainted; researchers discovered the remains of drawings depicting false windows and kokoshniks, as well as memorial inscriptions made with paint.
08.
In 1588, St. Basil's Church was added to the temple, for the construction of which arched openings were laid in the northeastern part of the cathedral. Architecturally, the church was an independent temple with a separate entrance. At the end of the 16th century, figurative domes of the cathedral appeared - to replace the original covering, which burned down during another fire. In the second half of the 17th century, significant changes took place in the external appearance of the cathedral - the open gallery surrounding the upper churches was covered with a vault, and porches decorated with tents were erected above the white stone stairs.
09.
The external and internal galleries, platforms and parapets of the porches were painted with grass patterns. These renovations were completed by 1683, and information about them was included in the inscriptions on the ceramic tiles that decorated the façade of the cathedral.
10.
Architecture of St. Basil's Cathedral
No matter how complex the design of the temple may seem, it is actually very logical. In the center of the composition is the main tent-roofed Church of the Intercession, around which are placed eight other pillar-shaped churches with domed tops. In plan, the cathedral forms an eight-pointed star. Large churches are located at the corners of the diamond. A rhombus inscribed in a square is the structure of the temple. The eight-pointed star in Christian symbolism carries a deep meaning - it symbolizes the entire Christian church, which is guiding star in human life to the Heavenly Jerusalem.
11.
Another aspect to consider architectural features the temple as a whole can be reduced to a simple consideration of its architectural forms. All elements of the complex, including the central one, the Intercession Cathedral itself, and large and small churches correspond different types church architecture. But their interaction is based on several compositional elements. This is a combination of an octagon on a quadrangle, or two octagons of different diameters. The central part is two octagons on a quadrangle, crowned by a tent structure. Two octagons topped with a dome - this is how one can describe the architecture of large churches. Small churches - an octagon on a quadrangle, topped with a dome over a round drum. Although the lower part of small churches, their quadrangles, is very difficult to see, they are hidden behind the external decor - kokoshniks.
13.
Along the entire perimeter of the temple is decorated with kokoshniks, they are located in different ways, different sizes, but they perform one function - they smooth out the transition from fours to eights. The cathedral was built on the principle of increasing height - the central tent is twice as high as large churches, large churches are twice as high as small ones.
14.
Another feature of the temple makes it completely different from others - the lack of symmetry in the decor and size of large and small churches. But the whole cathedral leaves an impression of composure and balance. Whoever was the author of the council, its idea is the implementation of both political and religious meaning was embodied in its architectural forms flawlessly. Similarity and difference, unification and separation - the combination of these mutually exclusive elements has become main theme in the architecture of the cathedral and the fundamental idea of its design.
15.
The height of the temple is 65 meters. The cathedral consists of churches, the thrones of which were consecrated in honor of the holidays that fell on the days of the decisive battles for Kazan:
Trinity.
In honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (in honor of his Velikoretskaya icon from Vyatka).
Entry into Jerusalem.
In honor of the martyrs Adrian and Natalia (originally - in honor of the holy martyrs Cyprian and Justina - October 2).
Saints John the Merciful (until XVIII - in honor of Saints Paul, Alexander and John of Constantinople - November 6).
All these eight churches (four axial, four smaller ones between them) are crowned with onion domes and grouped around the ninth pillar-shaped church rising above them in honor of the Intercession of the Mother of God, completed with a tent with a small dome. All nine churches are united by a common base, a bypass (originally open) gallery and internal vaulted passages.
17.
In 1588, a tenth chapel was added to the cathedral from the northeast, consecrated in honor of St. Basil the Blessed (1469-1552), whose relics were located on the site where the cathedral was built. The name of this chapel gave the cathedral a second, everyday name. Adjacent to the chapel of St. Basil's is the chapel of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in which Blessed John of Moscow was buried in 1589 (at first the chapel was consecrated in honor of the Placing of the Robe, but in 1680 it was reconsecrated as the Nativity of the Theotokos). In 1672, the discovery of the relics of St. John the Blessed took place there, and in 1916 it was reconsecrated in the name of Blessed John, the Moscow wonderworker.
19.
A tented bell tower was built in the 1670s.
21.
There are only eleven domes, of which nine are above the temple (according to the number of thrones):
Intercession of the Virgin Mary (center),
Holy Trinity (east),
Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (west),
Gregory of Armenia (northwest),
Alexander Svirsky (southeast),
Varlaam Khutynsky (southwest),
John the Merciful (formerly John, Paul and Alexander of Constantinople) (northeast),
Nicholas the Wonderworker of Velikoretsky (south),
Adrian and Natalia (formerly Cyprian and Justina) (north).
Two more domes are located above St. Basil's chapel and above the bell tower.
22.
The cathedral has been restored several times. In the 17th century, asymmetrical extensions were added, tents over the porches, intricate decorative treatment of the domes (originally they were gold), and ornamental paintings outside and inside (originally the cathedral itself was white).
FIRST LEVEL
Podklet (1st floor)
There are no basement spaces in the Intercession Cathedral. Churches and galleries are built on a single foundation - a basement, consisting of several rooms. The strong brick walls of the basement (up to 3 m thick) are covered with vaults. The height of these rooms is about 6.5 m.
On the plan of the first level, the rooms in the basement are indicated in black. In color - the churches of the second level of the cathedral.
23.
The design of the northern basement is unique for the 16th century. Its long box vault has no supporting pillars. The walls are cut through with narrow openings - vents. Together with "breathable" building material- brick - they provide a special indoor microclimate at any time of the year.
24.
Previously, the basement premises were inaccessible to parishioners. The deep niches in it were used as storage. They were closed with doors, the hinges of which have now been preserved. Until 1595, the royal treasury was hidden in the basement. Wealthy townspeople also brought their property here.
One entered the basement from the upper central Church of the Intercession of Our Lady via an internal white stone staircase. Only particularly trusted persons knew about her. Later this narrow passage was blocked. However, during the restoration process of the 1930s. a secret staircase has been discovered. We'll see her again.
25.
In the basement there are icons of the Intercession Cathedral. The oldest of them is the icon of St. St. Basil's at the end of the 16th century, written specifically for the Intercession Cathedral. Also on display are two icons XVII V. - “Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and “Our Lady of the Sign”. The icon “Our Lady of the Sign” is a replica of the façade icon located on the eastern wall of the cathedral. Written in the 1780s. In the XVIII-XIX centuries. The icon was located above the entrance to the chapel of St. Basil the Blessed.
Church of St. Basil the Blessed
The lower church was added to the cathedral in 1588 over the burial of St. Basil in the church cemetery. A stylized inscription on the wall tells about the construction of this church after the canonization of the saint by order of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich. The temple is cubic in shape, covered with a cross vault and crowned with a small light drum with a dome. The roof of the church is made in the same style as the domes of the upper churches of the cathedral.
We can see the quadrangle of this church and the lowest level dome, green with crimson spikes, and, in fact, its chapels in the foreground in the photo below.
27.
Access to St. Basil's Cathedral itself begins precisely from St. Basil's Cathedral, which is located on the first level, unlike all the other churches of the cathedral...
There are a lot of people here on holidays, as you can see.
29.
Sacristy
In 1680, another church in the name of St. Theodosius the Virgin was added to the cathedral above St. Basil's Church. It was two-story (on the basement). The top was made in the form of an octagon with a head on a narrow drum.
Already in 1783, the octagon was dismantled and the church was turned into a sacristy (storage for vestments and liturgical utensils) at the Church of St. Basil. Hilferding's painting, painted in 1770, is the only image of the Church of St. Theodosius the Virgin before its reconstruction. Currently, the sacristy has partially retained its purpose: it hosts exhibitions of things from the cathedral’s funds, that is, the very things that were once stored there.
A tour of the exhibition of St. Basil's Cathedral begins with the entrance through the small northern porch into the building of the former cathedral sacristy (on the left - in the photo below).
30.
But this photo was taken just from the entrance to the Museum of St. Basil's Cathedral.
31.
We will get to the museum later, but for now I suggest you carefully examine St. Basil’s Cathedral in detail and from different angles.
SECOND LEVEL
Galleries and porches
An external bypass gallery runs along the perimeter of the cathedral around all the churches. Initially it was open. IN mid-19th century, the glazed gallery became part of the interior of the cathedral. Arched entrance openings lead from the external gallery to the platforms between the churches and connect it with internal passages.
32.
The central Church of the Intercession of Our Lady is surrounded by an internal bypass gallery. Its vaults hide the upper parts of the churches. In the second half of the 17th century. the gallery was painted floral ornament. Later, a plot appeared in the cathedral oil painting, which has been updated several times. Tempera painting is currently unveiled in the gallery. On the eastern section of the gallery, an oil painting has been preserved. painting XIX V. - images of saints in combination with floral patterns.
This is a large northern porch - through it the exit of tourists visiting the museum and churches of the cathedral is already carried out.
33.
Actually, these are the views you can take from him...
35.
Previously, daylight penetrated into the gallery from windows located above the passages in the walkway. Today it is illuminated by mica lanterns from the 17th century, which were previously used during religious processions. The multi-domed tops of the outrigger lanterns resemble the exquisite silhouette of a cathedral. We'll also look at the lanterns a little later.
37.
This is the western side of the cathedral. Now we will go around it counterclockwise. Some of the photos you see were taken intentionally with high geometric distortions in order to capture, if possible, the entire façade of the cathedral.
38.
Two galleries unite the chapels of the cathedral into a single ensemble. Narrow internal passages and wide platforms create the impression of a “city of churches”. After passing through the labyrinth of the internal gallery, you can get to the porch areas of the cathedral. Their vaults are “carpets of flowers,” the intricacies of which fascinate and attract the attention of visitors.
48.
Now we are on the south side of St. Basil's Cathedral. The area in front of the cathedral is quite spacious. Relatively recently, this place hosted archaeological excavations. Their results can be seen right there - stone cannonballs and ancient cannons were found...