Mother of God on the Moat: St. Basil’s Cathedral

Buildings you know from sight but don’t know the official name of. If this were a competition, this one would win: the Pokrov or St. Basil’s Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow, consecrated in 1561, better known as the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Mother of God on the Moat.

Ivan IV

Built to commemorate the Conquest of Kazan on the orders of Ivan IV (1530-1584), better known as the Terrible or Грозный. While the name translates to “terrible,” it’s a bit exaggerated – as a character sketch, it’s still mild.

Postnik Yakovlev

A masterpiece by architect Postnik Yakovlev (with Ivan Barma or Барма, either as a nickname or as a colleague – opinions differ). Job well done. According to the most famous legend, Ivan asked him if he could create an even more beautiful building. Maybe Yakovlev should have said no, but who knows? In some versions, he was blinded – so this work could never be surpassed. In other versions, Barma also met the same fate.

Basil the Blessed

Then there’s Vasily (or Basil, Basilius, etc.), after whom the cathedral is named. Blessed Basil, Basil Fool for Christ, Wonderworker of Moscow, Basil the Blessed – quite the names for “a Russian vagrant and thief” ( Wikipedia). However, this Basil was a thief for the poor and the man who got away with scolding Ivan the Terrible (Russia Beyond, 2017). The lesson here might be: better to be a wandering thief than a top architect.

An animated history in Про Василия Блаженного (About Saint Basil) Рассказ о жизни Василия Блаженного (Гора самоцветов, 2014, 13 m).

Famous Landmarks of Moscow I St. Basil’s Cathedral
(Firebird Tours, 2018, 11 m)

12th July 1561: The consecration of Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow
(History Pod, 2017, 2 m)

Interesting facts about Russia in slow Russian – Basil
(Real Russian Club, 2016, 5 m)

The Tragic Story Behind St. Basil’s Cathedral
(Seth Adam Smith, 2014, 3 m)

St. Basil’s Cathedral: Ginger castle on Red Square
(primetimeru, 2011, 3 m)

More

See

• Inside Visit Saint Basil’s Cathedral (World Traveler, 2019, 16 m)
• Tales of Old Russia: Stories of Saint Basil’s Cathedral (Channel Legendarium, 2019, 9 m)
• St. Basil’s Cathedral – History and Origin (History & Origin, 2017, 4 m)
• Moscow Guide – St. Basil’s Cathedral (Express to Russia, 2013, 3 m)
• Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow. “Real Russia” ep.28 (Sergey Baklykov, 2013, 14 m)
• St. Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow (Russia) - Travel Guide (GeoBeats Science, 2010, 1 m)

There’s also a version in Lego (The Brickman, 2016, 2 m) and a drawing lesson (Ashley Cassens, 2020, 9 m).

See/read

• The mysterious origins of Moscow’s multicolored landmark (CNN, 2020)
• 12 Facts About Saint Basil’s Cathedral (Mental Floss, 2016)
• ‘Many legends of St. Basil’s Cathedral are nonsense’ (NOS, 2011)
• St Basil’s Cathedral (Lonely Planet)
• Saint Basil the Blessed (Britannica)
• St Basil’s Cathedral (Bridge to Moscow)
• Saint Basil’s Cathedral (Wikipedia)
• 7 интересных фактов о храме Василия Блаженного (Culture.ru)

(more singing here)