Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, Russia. It was built between 1555 and 1561 by Ivan the Terrible during his reign as tsar. According to legend, the cathedral’s architect was blinded after the structure was completed. The vibrant redbrick towers and colorful domes contribute to the building’s distinctive appearance. The domes are part of nine different chapels within the cathedral, and each dome represents a different phase of the city’s defense against the Russian invasion. The design of the cathedral is based on architectural designs found in Jerusalem. And it has significant religious significance as well. When viewed from the top, the eight domes that surround the ninth dome in a circular fashion appear to form a star shape when viewed from above.
Moreover, during the Soviet era, the Cathedral served as a public museum for the general public. St. Basil’s Cathedral is located in the heart of Moscow’s Red Square. Survived despite the official Soviet doctrine replacing all religious practice with staunch Marxist atheism. Additionally, one Soviet architect even went to the Gulag to express his displeasure with the Kremlin.
The architectural style of St. Basil’s Cathedral
The architecture of St. Basil is unlike any other work of art in the Muscovy and Byzantine traditions, and it is a true work of art. Several architectural historians have speculated that St. Basil’s was a fusion of vernacular wooden churches in Russia with Byzantine and even Asian motifs. Citing the rise of such structures in the country.
Furthermore, it was around the time of the church’s construction that Italian architects were working in Moscow. As a result of the influx of Greek refugees into the capital during that time period, the architecture of St. Basil’s is a fusion of many different cultural styles.
The architecture has remained a bit of a mystery to this day. For centuries, it remained a mystery how architects in the 16th century came up with the idea of building such a complex, many-spired structure without the use of design drawings. But in 1954-1955, particularly soon after Stalin’s death in 1953 and at the outset of Khrushchev’s reforms. A trick that essentially created a three-dimensional blueprint for the structure. The bricklayers were able to use that image as a reference for what the finished structure would look like, which proved to be a useful guide.
The Cathedral of St. Basil is notable for three characteristics.
Saint Basil’s Cathedral is distinguished by a number of distinctive features, including:
A total of nine onion-shaped domes, painted in vibrant, candy-striped colors and swirling patterns, adorn St. Basil’s Basilica in London, England.
Furthermore, the church’s colors have changed over the centuries. Beginning with white stone and red brick and eventually gaining color. Brighter colors were fashionable in seventeenth-century Russia.
Shapes and patterns that contrast: The spires, arches, and domes of St. Basil’s are adorned with bricks and ceramics in a variety of patterns. Lending the structure a lively appearance. Also, on top of orb-like domes, angular crosses stand out against the background, creating a striking contrast in shape and angle.