July 12, 2016 marks the 455th anniversary of one of the most famous architectural monuments of Moscow - the Cathedral of the Intercession Holy Mother of God on the Moat, which we know as St. Basil's Cathedral.
This famous cathedral, with its powerful walls and vaults, used to be used for hiding places. Deep niches were built in the walls of the basement, the entrance to which was closed by metal doors. There were heavy forged chests in which rich townspeople kept their valuable property - money, jewelry, utensils and books. The royal treasury was also kept there. What other legends and secrets does the temple that we call St. Basil’s Cathedral keep today?
Where did the name "St. Basil's Cathedral" come from?
Despite the fact that the cathedral was built in 1554 in honor of the victories of Ivan the Terrible over the Golden Horde, it was popularly named St. Basil's, after the name of the chapel attached to the cathedral on the north-eastern side in 1588. It was built by order of the son of Ivan the Terrible - Fyodor Ioannovich over the grave of Blessed Vasily, who died in 1557, and was buried near the walls of the cathedral under construction. The holy fool walked naked in winter and summer, wearing iron chains; Muscovites loved him very much for his gentle disposition. In 1586, under Fyodor Ioannovich, the canonization of St. Basil took place. With the addition of St. Basil's Church, services in the cathedral became daily. Previously, the cathedral was not heated, as it was in to a greater extent, a memorial, and services were held there only in the warm season. And the chapel of St. Basil's was warm and more spacious. Since then, the Intercession Cathedral has been known more as St. Basil's Cathedral.
Is it true that Ivan the Terrible gouged out the eyes of the temple builders?
The most common myth about the cathedral is the chilling story of gullible souls 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 newly erected architectural masterpiece. Meanwhile, there is no real historical evidence. Yes, the builders of the temple were really called 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. Moreover, after completing the work in Moscow, Ivan Yakovlevich Barma took part in the construction of the Annunciation Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin, the Kazan Kremlin and other iconic buildings, which are mentioned in the chronicles.
Is it true that the cathedral was originally intended to be so colorful?
No, it's misconception. The current appearance of the Intercession Cathedral is very different from its original appearance. It had white walls, strictly painted to resemble brick. All the polychrome and floral painting of the cathedral appeared only in the 1670s. By this time, the cathedral had already undergone significant reconstruction: two large porches were added - on the north and south sides. The external gallery was also 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.
Is it true that Napoleon wanted to move the temple to Paris?
During the War of 1812, when Napoleon occupied Moscow, the Emperor liked the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary so much that he decided to move it to Paris. The technology of that time did not allow this to happen. Then the French first built stables in the temple, and later simply planted explosives in the base of the cathedral and lit the fuse. The assembled Muscovites prayed for the salvation of the temple, and a miracle happened - heavy rain began, which extinguished the wick.
Is it true that Stalin saved the Cathedral from destruction?
The temple miraculously survived the October Revolution - marks from shells remained on its walls for a long time. In 1931, a bronze monument to Minin and Pozharsky was moved to the cathedral - the authorities cleared the area of unnecessary buildings for parades. Lazar Kaganovich, who was so successful in destroying the Kazan Cathedral of the Kremlin, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and a number of other churches in Moscow, proposed completely demolishing the Intercession Cathedral in order to further clear the place for demonstrations and military parades. Legend has it that Kaganovich ordered the production of a detailed model of Red Square with a removable temple and brought it to Stalin. Trying to prove to the leader that the cathedral interfered with cars and demonstrations, he unexpectedly tore off the model of the temple from the square. The surprised Stalin allegedly at that moment uttered the historical phrase: “Lazarus, put him in his place!”, so the question of demolishing the cathedral was postponed. According to the second legend, the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary owes its salvation to the famous restorer P.D. Baranovsky, who sent telegrams to Stalin calling not to destroy the temple. Legend has it that Baranovsky, who was invited to the Kremlin on this issue, knelt before the assembled members of the Central Committee, begging to preserve the iconic building, and this had an unexpected effect.
Is it true that the Cathedral now serves only as a museum?
The historical and architectural museum in the cathedral was founded in 1923. However, even then, in Soviet era, services in the cathedral continued anyway. They continued until 1929, and resumed again in 1991. Today the cathedral is in joint use of the State historical museum and Russian Orthodox Church. Divine services are held in St. Basil's Cathedral weekly on Sundays, as well as on patronal holidays - August 15, the day of remembrance of St. Basil, and October 14, the day of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
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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. The architectural ensemble of 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 times 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 hipped-roof churches in Rus' and St. Basil's Cathedral occupies, among the miraculously surviving hipped-roof churches, its own special unique place, because the central architectural dominant of this masterpiece is the sublime hipped-roof 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 complicated 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.
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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 the author of the council was, 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 17th-century icons. - “Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos” 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).
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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...
(St. Basil's Cathedral) is a striking monument of Russian architecture located on Red Square. The magnificent and solemn appearance of the cathedral with unusual multi-colored domes, loved by Muscovites and well remembered by foreigners, made it one of the main symbols not only of Moscow, but of all of Russia.
The temple was built in 1555-1561 by an unknown architect (there are different versions) on the orders of Ivan the Terrible in memory of the victory over the Kazan Khanate and the capture of Kazan, which fell on the day of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Subsequently it was rebuilt several times.
The peculiarity of the temple is that it is essentially 9 separate churches united by a common foundation. In the center is the pillarless Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, around it are grouped 8 smaller churches: Trinity, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (in honor of the Velikoretsk Icon), Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, Martyrs Adrian and Natalia, St. John the Merciful, Alexander of Svir, Varlaam of Khutyn, Gregory of Armenia . The altars of churches are consecrated in honor Orthodox holidays and days of remembrance of saints falling on days decisive battles for Kazan.
Architecture
The architectural appearance of the Intercession Cathedral is unique. Pretentious and solemn, like a painted gingerbread, at first glance it seems like a chaotic pile of multi-colored domes, but in reality this is not the case. The cathedral building has a clear structure and is a rhombus inscribed in a square, forming an eight-pointed star in plan. In fact, these are 9 separate churches united by a common base (basement): in the center there is the pillarless Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, ending with a high tent with a small gilded dome; around it are grouped 8 smaller churches, crowned with relief onion domes of different colors. On the southern side there is a two-tiered tented bell tower, and on the eastern side there is a chapel in honor of St. Basil the Blessed. The building is surrounded by a closed gallery-gulbische, adjacent to which are two massive porches with a hip roof.
The height of the cathedral is 65 meters.
In total, the Intercession Cathedral is decorated with 11 domes, 9 of which are located above the churches, one above the chapel of St. Basil the Blessed, and another (very small) above the bell tower. Of these, 9 domes are distinguished by a unique relief and coloring: colored spikes, rhombuses, ornaments; The meaning of their colors is not known for certain, but it is believed that the temple symbolizes Heavenly Jerusalem. According to the assumption of the Russian writer Nikolai Chaev (1824 - 1914), the color of the domes is explained by the dream of Blessed Andrei the Fool (of Constantinople), who dreamed of the Heavenly Jerusalem with gardens with many flowering trees and fruits of unspeakable beauty.
The decorative design of the temple looks magnificent, but laconic: it includes flies, half-columns, kokoshniks and weights traditional for Russian temple architecture. The entire perimeter of the gallery is painted with images of flowers and floral patterns. The walls are decorated with façade icons of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the upcoming Basil and St. John the Blessed (southern wall of the bell tower) and Our Lady of the Sign with saints in the fields (eastern façade).
History of the Intercession Cathedral
The Cathedral of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is on the Moat, got its name from its location near the city, which passed along Red Square along the eastern wall of the Kremlin in the 16th-19th centuries. However, in colloquial speech official name The temple is practically not used: it became better known as St. Basil's Cathedral - in honor of the most famous Moscow holy fool and miracle worker. - legendary personality in the history of Moscow; in the past, on the site of the Intercession Cathedral, there was a wooden Trinity Church (on the Moat), in the cemetery at which the holy fool was buried. After his canonization in 1588, a chapel in his honor was added above the burial place of the wonderworker to the Intercession Cathedral. Subsequently, people began to call the entire cathedral after the miracle worker.
The temple was built in 1555-1561 by order of Ivan the Terrible in memory of the capture of Kazan.
The history of St. Basil's Cathedral is full of mysteries and blind spots: in particular, it is not known for certain who its architect was. According to the most common version, it was built by architects Ivan Barma and Postnik Yakovlev, however, it is considered outdated. There is a version that the legendary Barma and Postnik are the same person (Postnik Yakovlev, nicknamed Barma), as well as a theory that the cathedral could have been built by an unknown Italian architect (since a significant part of the Kremlin buildings were built by Italians), which has not yet been found convincing confirmation. A widespread urban legend says that after construction, Tsar Ivan the Terrible, amazed by the beauty of the cathedral, ordered the architects to be blinded so that they would not build anything like that again, however, in reality this is unlikely: if one of the architects was really Postnik Yakovlev, then after the Intercession Cathedral he took participation in the construction of the Kazan Kremlin and, obviously, could not be blinded. Although, again, there is a version that these were different Fasters.
The walls of the temple were built from red brick, which was a rather innovative building material for Moscow at that time. To protect the rare material from exposure to precipitation, the outside walls of the building were painted in red and white tones, emphasizing the masonry. In 1588, by order of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, the chapel of St. Basil's was added to the temple, in the form of an independent pillarless church with a separate entrance.
Not much information has been preserved about what the Intercession Cathedral looked like originally. It is known that in the past the bypass gallery surrounding it was open and did not have massive hipped porches and paintings with floral patterns: the vault over the gallery and two porches over the stairs were built on in the second half of the 17th century, when the building underwent significant reconstruction. During the same period, new churches were added to the cathedral: the Deposition of the Virgin Mary, the Holy Virgin Theodosius and others. According to the Russian historian Peter Khavsky, by 1722 there were 18 thrones in the cathedral: Life-Giving Trinity, Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, St. Nicholas of Velikoretsky, Beheading of John the Baptist, Paraskeva-Friday, Barlaam of Khutyn, Apostle Andronicus, Gregory of Armenia, Cyprian and Justinia, Deposition of the Virgin Mary, Sergius of Radonezh, Basil the Great, Alexander of Svirsky, Virgin Theodosia, Mary of Egypt, All Saints, Epiphany and Three Patriarchs.
The domes also looked different: those colored figured domes for which St. Basil's Cathedral is known today appeared only at the end of the 16th century; the former were probably helmet-shaped, and their covering was destroyed by one of the city fires. Even their original number is questionable: it is known that during the restoration of 1784-1786 under the leadership of the architect Ivan Yakovlev, 8 small domes at the base of the tent were dismantled, which were recognized as later additions.
IN Patriotic War In 1812, the cathedral was plundered by the French, but immediately after the war it was repaired and consecrated. In 1817, when Red Square was reconstructed according to the design of Osip Bove, the retaining wall of the temple from Vasilievsky Spusk and Moskvoretskaya Street was lined with stone, and a cast-iron fence was installed at the top.
IN Soviet years St. Basil's Cathedral escaped demolition (although services were still banned in it) and became one of the first architectural monuments taken under state protection. Its museumification began in 1918, and in 1923 it was decided to create a historical and architectural museum there, which later became part of the State Historical Museum. Initially, the building was in a deplorable state, but already in the 1920s, repair and restoration work began in it, designed to return the cathedral to its original appearance and partially recreate the interiors of the 16-17 centuries. In 1931, the monument to Minin and Pozharsky, previously installed in the central part of Red Square, was moved to the cathedral.
After the breakup Soviet Union- since 1991 - the temple building is in joint use of the museum and the Russian Orthodox Church.
Myths and legends
Being one of the most famous sights of Moscow and having at the same time a rather vague history, St. Basil's Cathedral was simply bound to acquire urban legends.
The most common legend concerns the construction of the temple: supposedly Tsar Ivan the Terrible, struck by the incredible beauty of the building, ordered its architects - Barma and Postnik - to be blinded, so that they would never be able to build a more beautiful temple anywhere than in Moscow. In reality, this is unlikely: firstly, it is not known for certain which architects erected the building. In addition, it is not clear whether the legendary Barma and Postnik were different people- Ivan Barma and Postnik Yakovlev - or it was one person - Postnik Yakovlev, nicknamed Barma. Be that as it may, after the construction of the Intercession Cathedral, Postnik Yakovlev participated in the construction of the Kazan Kremlin, which means he could not have been blinded - unless, again, these were different people.
There is a legend that the image of the historical Kul-Sharif mosque, destroyed by Russian troops during the capture of Kazan in 1552, is “encrypted” in the structure of St. Basil’s Cathedral: 8 of its chapters supposedly symbolize the 8 minarets of the destroyed mosque, and the 9th dominates them to commemorate the victory .
They say that St. Basil the Blessed, foreseeing victory over Kazan, collected money for the construction of the Intercession Cathedral and, shortly before his death in 1552, transferred it to Ivan the Terrible. However, this legend has no evidence.
Not without the library of Ivan the Terrible! According to one legend, it was hidden precisely in the basements of the Intercession Cathedral. Unfortunately, in reality this is impossible: the building simply does not have basements. The cathedral was built on a massive basement, which rests on an artificial hill, and its foundation is not so deep. However, in the basement there were rooms for storing valuables; another urban legend says that they could have housed the royal treasury.
During the Patriotic War of 1812, when French troops were leaving Moscow, Napoleon ordered the cathedral to be blown up, however, the French failed to do this: supposedly, the rain that started extinguished the wicks and prevented them from preparing the explosion of the building. They say that Napoleon gave such an order in his hearts: he liked the cathedral so much that he wanted to move it to Paris, but he was informed that this was impossible (what a surprise!).
In the 1930s, Lazar Kaganovich proposed demolishing the Intercession Cathedral to make more space for parades and demonstrations on Red Square. According to urban legend, he made a model of Red Square with a removable cathedral building and brought it for demonstration to Stalin to show how the cathedral interfered with the passage of cars and columns. Showing the model, he unexpectedly tore off the Intercession Cathedral from it to clearly show how much better it would be without it, but the surprised Stalin exclaimed: “Lazarus, put it in its place!” - and the cathedral was saved.
Nowadays, St. Basil's Cathedral is one of the most popular attractions in Moscow, a must-see point on the maps of tourists coming to the capital. Its unusual and memorable appearance made it one of the wonders and symbols of Russia - and even those who have never been to Moscow can easily guess its domes, which are often printed on postcards and souvenir products, in books, textbooks and encyclopedias. If somewhere they talk or write about Moscow and Russia, the words will most likely be illustrated with a photograph of the Intercession Cathedral.
At the same time, the townspeople truly love him.
Cathedral of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the Moat located on Red Square, building 2. You can get to it on foot from the metro stations "Okhotny Ryad" Sokolnicheskaya line, "Revolution Square" Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya, "Theatrical" Zamoskvoretskaya and "China Town" Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya and Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya lines.
Description:Central Deanery
Story
The Cathedral of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin on the Moat was created in 1555-1561. according to the vow of Tsar Ivan the Terrible and with the blessing of Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow and All Rus' in honor of the capture of Kazan and the annexation of the Kazan Khanate to Russia.
In 1552, immediately after the conquest of the Kazan Khanate by Tsar Ivan the Terrible, on the border of the Kremlin and the settlement, next to the moat surrounding the Kremlin walls (hence the names of the temple - “Protection on the Moat at the Trinity Gate” and “Trinity on the Moat”, because .to mid-17th century V. a wooden Trinity Church stood on this site), a stone Trinity Church was built, around which seven wooden churches were built in memory of the Kazan victories.
In 1555, masters Barma and Postnik Yakovlev began construction of a new cathedral. Nine separate churches were erected on a single foundation, with one, the central one, crowned with a large tent, surrounded by eight pillars-churches arranged crosswise in the plan. The dedications of the thrones reflected the main stages of the Kazan victories.
The central church was consecrated in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos - on this holiday, October 1, 1552, the attackers launched a powerful attack, the success of which was crowned with the capture of the city of Kazan the next day. The other five thrones were consecrated in honor of the saints, whose memory fell on the days when the main events of the Kazan expedition took place: in honor of Saints Cyprian and Justinia (October 2 - the capture of Kazan), the Patriarchs of Constantinople Alexander, John and Paul the New and the Venerable Alexander of Svir (August 30 - victory of the Russians on the Arsk field), Gregory of Armenia (September 30 - the beginning of the assault on the city), Varlaam Khutynsky (November 6 - the Tsar’s return to Moscow). Symbolic meaning have the dedication of thrones in honor of the Holy Trinity and the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.
The ninth throne was dedicated to an event not related to the Kazan victories. In the summer of 1555, the image of Nikola Velikoretsky was brought to Moscow from Vyatka. Numerous miracles and healings from this image occurred both on the way to the capital and in Moscow, in the Assumption Cathedral. To commemorate this manifestation of God's grace, the ninth altar of the church under construction was consecrated in honor of Nikola Velikoretsky; later it contained a copy of the miraculous icon made by Metropolitan Macarius himself.
On June 29 (Old Art.), 1561, the throne of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos was consecrated, which marked the completion of the construction of the entire cathedral.
In 1588, over the grave of St. Basil the Blessed (buried near the walls of the Trinity Church in August 1552), a new chapel was built in the northeast, consecrated in his honor and giving a second name to the entire cathedral. In 1672, in the southeast, a chapel of the Deposition of the Robe (from 1680 - the Nativity of the Virgin Mary) was built over the grave of the blessed one. John of Moscow.
In the second half of the 17th century. a tented bell tower was built, a walkway with porches was added, the shape of the domes was changed from helmet-shaped to onion-shaped, and the walls were painted in many colors.
In the second half of the XVI-XVII centuries. The Intercession Cathedral was the center of the celebration Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem: a solemn church procession led by the Tsar and the Patriarch, called the “procession on a donkey,” was heading towards him from the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin.
Throughout its history, the cathedral was burned and rebuilt many times. In 1817, the architect Osip Bove, while reconstructing Red Square, lined the retaining wall of the temple with stone and installed a cast-iron fence.
As a monument of national and world significance, the Intercession Cathedral was one of the first to be taken under state protection according to the decree of October 5, 1918. At the end of 1919, services in the Intercession Cathedral were stopped, but in St. Basil's Church they continued until 1929, when the church was permanently closed. At the same time, almost all the bells of the belfry were confiscated and melted down.
In 1923, the historical and architectural museum “Pokrovsky Cathedral” was opened in the temple (since 1928 - a branch of the State Historical Museum).
In the 20s of the XX century. Extensive scientific and restoration studies of the cathedral were launched, thanks to which it became possible to restore its original appearance and recreate the interiors of the 16th-17th centuries in individual churches. In the 60s of the XX century. restoration work was also carried out. In the interiors of four churches, iconostasis of the 16th century were reconstructed, consisting of icons of the 16th-17th centuries, among which there are rarities (“Trinity” of the 16th century, “Alexander Nevsky in the Life” of the 17th century). In the remaining churches, iconostases from the 18th-19th centuries have been preserved. Among them are two unique first half of the XVIII V. from the Moscow Kremlin.
By decree of the President of the RSFSR dated November 18, 1991, the Russian Orthodox Church was allowed to hold regular services in the Kremlin cathedrals and St. Basil's Cathedral. In accordance with this decree, an Agreement “On the use of the temples of the Moscow Kremlin and the Church of the Intercession on the Moat (St. Basil’s Cathedral) on Red Square in Moscow” was concluded between the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Moscow Patriarchate in November 1992, and to this day the cathedral is a branch State Historical Museum. Included in list of objects World Heritage UNESCO in Russia.
The first service took place on the patronal feast of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary on October 14, 1991.
On August 15, 1997, after restoration, St. Basil's Church was opened, in which regular services began to be held.
- Orthodox St. Basil's Cathedral (XVI century) is symbol of Russian church architecture of that time.
- During Soviet times there was a museum here, and religious services resumed in 1991. Now held every week.
- Architect, who built St. Basil's Cathedral, was called Barma Postnik.
- The magnificently decorated church was a thanksgiving to the Almighty for the outstanding military success ‒ capture of Kazan.
- The cathedral consists of nine separate churches, which are located on the same foundation and connected by two galleries.
- The relics of St. Basil, the holy fool who lived in Moscow in the 16th century, are buried in the temple.
The narrow galleries between the churches also have decoration: in the 17th century. they were painted with floral patterns, and a little later - with subject frescoes. Special attention It is worth paying attention to the basement, which used to serve as a treasury. Its space is covered with complex box vaults. In addition, a collection of icons is exhibited in the basement, as well as silverware, samples of weapons and a beautiful cover on the shrine of St. Basil, embroidered in the 16th century.
St. Basil the Blessed and the shrines of the cathedral
Saint Basil the Blessed, whose relics are buried in the Cathedral, lived in Moscow in the 16th century. and was a holy fool - a religious ascetic who rejected worldly goods. His life says that he all year round walked without clothes, slept on the street and observed strict fasting. According to legend, he performed many miracles and had the gift of providence: Ivan the Terrible himself was afraid of his speeches. The saint was greatly revered, and his memory has been preserved to this day. The temple also contains the tomb of Blessed John of Moscow.