The history of the creation of St. Basil's Cathedral. Russian Orthodox Churchfinancial and economic management

For the whole world the most famous " business cards» Russia are the Kremlin, and St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. The latter also has other names, the most popular of which is the Intercession Cathedral on the Moat.

General information

The cathedral celebrated its 450th anniversary on July 2, 2011. This unique structure was erected on Red Square. The temple, amazing in its beauty, is a whole complex of churches united by a common foundation. Even those who know nothing about Russian architecture will immediately recognize St. Basil's Church. The cathedral has a unique feature - all its colorful domes are different from each other.

In the main (Pokrovskaya) church there is an iconostasis, which was moved from the Kremlin Church of the Chernigov Wonderworkers, destroyed in 1770. In the basement of the Church of the Intercession of Our Lady there are the most valuable ones, the oldest of which is the icon of St. Basil (16th century), painted specifically for this temple. Icons from the 17th century are also on display here: Our Lady of the Sign and the Intercession Holy Mother of God. The first copies the image located on the eastern side of the church facade.

History of the temple

St. Basil's Cathedral, the history of whose construction is surrounded by a number of myths and legends, was built by order of the first Tsar of Rus', Ivan the Terrible. It was dedicated to a significant event, namely the victory over the Kazan Khanate. Much to the regret of historians, the names of the architects who created this incomparable masterpiece have not survived to this day. There are many versions as to who worked on the construction of the temple, but it has not been reliably established who created St. Basil's Cathedral. Moscow was the main city of Rus', so the tsar collected in the capital the best masters. According to one legend, the main architect was Postnik Yakovlev from Pskov, nicknamed Barma. Another version completely contradicts this. Many believe that Barma and Postnik - different masters. Even more confusion arises from the third version, which states that St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow was built according to the design of an Italian architect. But the most popular legend about this temple is the one that talks about the blinding of the architects who created this masterpiece, so that they could not repeat their creation.

origin of name

Amazingly, despite the fact that the main church of this temple was dedicated to the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it is known throughout the world as St. Basil's Cathedral. There have always been many holy fools (blessed “God’s people”) in Moscow, but the name of one of them is forever etched in the history of Rus'. Mad Vasily lived on the street and even in winter walked half naked. At the same time, his whole body was entwined with chains, which were iron chains with large crosses. This man was highly respected in Moscow. Even the king himself treated him with unusual reverence. St. Basil the Blessed was revered by the townspeople as a miracle worker. He died in 1552, and in 1588 a church was erected over his grave. It was this building that gave the generally accepted name to this temple.

Almost everyone who visits Moscow knows that the main symbol of Russia is Red Square. St. Basil's Cathedral occupies one of the most honorable places in the whole complex of buildings and monuments located on it. The temple is crowned with 10 magnificent domes. Around the main (main) church, called the Intercession of the Virgin Mary, 8 others are symmetrically located. They are built in the shape of an eight-pointed star. All these churches symbolize the religious holidays that fall on the days of the capture of the Kazan Khanate.

Domes of St. Basil's Cathedral and bell tower

Eight churches are crowned with 8 onion domes. The main (central) building is completed with a “tent”, above which a small “head” rises. The tenth dome was built over the church bell tower. The amazing thing is that they are all completely different from each other in their texture and color.

The modern bell tower of the temple was erected on the site of the old belfry, which completely fell into disrepair in the 17th century. It was erected in 1680. At the base of the bell tower there is a tall, massive quadrangle on which an octagon is erected. It has an open area fenced with 8 pillars. All of them are connected to each other by arched spans. The top of the site is crowned with a high octagonal tent, the ribs of which are decorated with tiles different color(white, blue, yellow, brown). Its edges are covered with green figured tiles. At the top of the tent there is a bulbous dome topped with an octagonal cross. Inside the site on wooden beams hanging bells that were cast back in the 17th-19th centuries.

Architectural features

The nine churches of St. Basil's Cathedral are connected to each other by a common base and a bypass gallery. Its peculiarity is the whimsical painting, the main motif of which is floral ornaments. The unique style of the temple combines the traditions of both European and Russian architecture of the Renaissance. Distinctive feature the cathedral are and the height of the temple (according to the highest dome) is 65 m. The names of the churches of the Cathedral: St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Trinity, Martyrs Adrian and Natalia, Entrance to Jerusalem, Varlaam Khutynsky, Alexander Svirsky, Gregory of Armenia, Intercession Mother of God.

Another feature of the temple is that it does not have a basement. It has extremely strong basement walls (they reach a thickness of 3 m). The height of each room is approximately 6.5 m. The entire structure of the northern part of the temple is unique, since the long box vault of the basement does not have any supporting pillars. The walls of the building are “cut through” by so-called “vents”, which are narrow openings. They provide a special microclimate in the church. For many years, the basement premises were not accessible to parishioners. Hiding niches were used as storage and were closed with doors, the presence of which is now evidenced only by hinges preserved on the walls. It is believed that until the end of the 16th century. The royal treasury was kept in them.

Gradual transformation of the Cathedral

Only in late XVI V. Figured domes appeared above the temple, replacing the original ceiling, which burned down in another fire. This Orthodox cathedral was built until the 17th century. was called Trinity, since the very first wooden church that was located on this site was built in honor of the Holy Trinity. Initially, this structure had a more austere and restrained appearance, since it was built of stone and brick. Only in the 17th century. all domes were decorated with ceramic tiles. At the same time, asymmetrical buildings were added to the temple. Then tents appeared over the porches and intricate paintings on the walls and ceiling. During the same period, elegant paintings appeared on the walls and ceiling. In 1931, a monument to Minin and Pozharsky was erected in front of the temple. Today, St. Basil's Cathedral is jointly administered by the Russian Orthodox Church and Historical Museum the building is a cultural heritage of Russia. The beauty and uniqueness of this temple was appreciated and throughout St. Basil's in Moscow is classified as an object World Heritage UNESCO.

The significance of the Intercession Cathedral in the USSR

Despite persecution Soviet power in relation to religion and the destruction of a huge number of churches, St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow back in 1918 was taken under state protection as a cultural monument of world significance. It was at this time that all efforts of the authorities were aimed at creating a museum in it. The first caretaker of the temple was Archpriest John Kuznetsov. It was he who practically independently took care of the renovation of the building, although its condition was simply terrible. In 1923, the historical and architectural museum “Pokrovsky Cathedral” was located in the Cathedral. Already in 1928 it became one of the branches of the State Historical Museum. In 1929, all the bells were removed from it, and worship services were prohibited. Despite the fact that the temple has been constantly being restored for almost a hundred years, its exhibition was closed only once - during the Great Patriotic War.

Intercession Cathedral in 1991-2014.

After the collapse Soviet Union St. Basil's Cathedral passed into joint use by the Russian Orthodox Church and the State Historical Museum. From August 15, 1997, holiday and Sunday services were resumed in the church. Since 2011, previously inaccessible aisles have been open to the public and housed new exhibitions.

One of the most striking, majestic and mysterious architectural monuments of the capital is St. Basil's. Back in the 16th century, wanderers and visiting people visiting this cathedral remained forever fascinated by its stateliness and beauty. But there are still several legends in the world about who built St. Basil's Cathedral.

History of St. Basil's Cathedral

Construction of the cathedral, and this is what people call it, began in 1555. And in just 6 years, the builders erected a stone palace of unprecedented beauty. The order to found the temple came from the Tsar of All Rus', Ivan the Terrible, in honor of the victory that Russian troops won over the Kazan Khan. This event happened on one of the Orthodox holidays- The Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, which is why this cathedral is often called the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God.

The history of St. Basil's Cathedral is still mysterious and unclear.

Legend one

The temple was built by an architect whose real name is Postnik Yakovlev. He received this nickname because he fasted carefully and for a long time. He was one of the most skilled craftsmen in Pskov. Later he was sent to Kazan to supervise the construction of the stone city. An interesting parable tells about collecting money for the construction of a parish. St. Basil the Blessed lived and begged in Moscow. He threw the collected coins over his right shoulder into one place, and no one dared to take even one. Over time, when there was enough money, Vasily gave it to Ivan the Terrible.

But the facts suggest that this is just a beautiful fairy tale, since the holy fool died even before it was decided to build the cathedral. Nevertheless, it was at the site where the building was built that St. Basil the Blessed was buried.

Legend two

Two masters worked on the construction of the cathedral at once - Postnik and Barma. Legend has it that as soon as Ivan the Terrible saw the completed building, he was struck by its unusualness and ensemble. So that architects could no longer repeat such beauty, the king ordered the architects' eyes to be gouged out. But this version is not confirmed, since the name of Faster appears in later chronicles. It turns out that the master could have been engaged in the construction of other buildings.

Legend three

The most realistic version is considered to be the following: the temple was erected under the guidance of an architect who came from Western Europe. An unusual style in which patterns of Russian and Western European architecture are intertwined is considered proof of this fact. But this version has not been officially confirmed anywhere.

For all my long history the temple could have been destroyed or plundered. But some miracle always saved this pride of Russia.

In the 18th century, during a fire in Moscow, the building was engulfed in flames, but courageous Muscovites saved the temple as best they could. As a result, the building was damaged, but survived. Later it was recreated in almost the same form as before the fire.

In the 19th century, when Napoleon entered the Russian capital, barns for horses were built in the cathedral. Later, when leaving Moscow, the emperor, in a rage, ordered not to leave a single stone in this cathedral. The wonderful structure had to be blown up. And again the heroic Muscovites and the Lord God helped defend the temple. When the French soldiers began to light the wicks that went to the barrels of gunpowder, people began to put out the fire at the cost of their lives. And then the rain came to their aid. The rain poured with such crushing force that it extinguished all the sparks.

Already in the 20th century, Kaganovich, showing a model of the renovation and reconstruction of Red Square to Joseph Stalin, removed the figure of the temple, deciding to demolish it forever. But the Supreme Commander-in-Chief said menacingly: “Lazarus, put him in his place!”

In 1936, during construction highways it was decided to destroy the temple because it interfered with traffic. But the Moscow restorer Baranovsky came to his defense. The Kremlin received a telegram from him: “If you decide to blow up the temple, blow it up with me!”

In appearance, this picturesque structure is an ensemble of churches. In the very center stands the Church of the Intercession, the highest among all. There are 8 more chapels around it. Each temple is crowned with a dome. If you look at the cathedral from a bird's eye view, this building represents five-pointed star. This is a symbol of heavenly Jerusalem.

Each church is inherently unique and inimitable. They received their names from the names of the holidays on which the decisive battles for Kazan fell.

• In honor of the holiday of Trinity.
• Nicholas the Wonderworker (in honor of the Velikoretsky image).
• Palm Sunday, or the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.
• Martyrs Cyprian and Ustina. In the future, Adriana and Natalia.
• Saints Paul, Alexander and John of Constantinople - until the 18th century, then John the Merciful.
• Alexander Svirsky.
• Varlaam Khutynsky;
• Gregory of Armenia.

Later, another chapel was added in honor of the holy fool St. Basil.

Each dome has its own various decorations - kokoshniks, cornices, windows and niches. All temples are connected by ceilings and vaults.

A special place is given to paintings that depict portraits of eminent persons and colorful landscape sketches. Everyone can feel the atmosphere of the times of Ivan the Terrible if they carefully study the church utensils of that time.

At the very bottom there is a basement that forms the base of the cathedral. It consists of separate rooms in which the treasury used to be hidden, and rich townspeople brought their acquired property here.

It is impossible to talk about the beauty of this temple. In order to fall in love with this place forever, you must visit it. Then pride will appear in the heart of any person that this unique and mysterious cathedral is located here in Russia. And it doesn’t matter who built St. Basil’s Cathedral, this fantastic and stunningly beautiful symbol of our Motherland.

St. Basil's Cathedral (Russia) - description, history, location. Exact address and website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.

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The unusually beautiful St. Basil's Cathedral, or the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the Moat, flaunting on Red Square, is one of the most famous architectural monuments of Moscow. At the sight of a multi-colored temple, the tops of which are one more beautiful than the other, foreigners gasp in admiration and grab their cameras, but compatriots proudly declare: yes, that’s what it is - majestic, elegant, withstood even in difficult times for all churches Soviet time.

There is even a historical story regarding the last fact. Allegedly, when presenting a project for the reconstruction of Red Square to Stalin, Kaganovich swept away the model of the temple from the diagram, making way for demonstrations of workers, to which the Secretary General sternly replied: “Lazarus, put it in its place.” Whether it was so or not, the temple was one of the few that survived and was constantly restored throughout the second half of the 20th century.

History and modernity

The Intercession Cathedral was built in 1565-1561. by decree of Ivan the Terrible, who vowed to build a church in memory of this event in the event of the successful capture of Kazan. The temple consists of nine churches on one foundation and a bell tower. At first glance, it can be difficult to understand the structure of the temple, but once you imagine that you are looking at it from above (or actually look at the temple from this angle on our live map), everything immediately becomes clear. The main pillar-shaped church in honor of the Intercession of the Mother of God with a tent topped with a small dome is surrounded on four sides by axial churches, between which four more smaller ones are built. The tented bell tower was built later, in the 1670s.

Today the cathedral is both a temple and a branch of the Historical Museum at the same time. In 1990, services were resumed. Architecture, external decorative decoration, monumental painting, frescoes, rare monuments of Russian icon painting - all this makes the cathedral unique in its beauty and significance as a temple in Russia. In 2011, the cathedral turned 450 years old, anniversary events were held throughout the summer, chapels that were previously inaccessible to visitors were opened for the memorable date, and a new exhibition was arranged.

St. Basil's Cathedral

Information

Address: Red Square, 2.

Opening hours: excursions are held daily from 11:00 - 16:00.

Entrance: 250 RUB. Prices on the page are as of October 2018.

The central church of the Cathedral is not accessible for inspection due to restoration work.

The chronicle names the Russian architects Postnik and Barma as the authors of St. Basil's Cathedral, who, quite likely, built the cathedral without any drawings at all. There is a legend according to which Ivan the Terrible, having seen the cathedral built according to their design, was so delighted with its beauty that he ordered the architects to be blinded so that they could not build a temple anywhere else equal in beauty to the Intercession Cathedral. Some modern historians offer a version according to which the architect of the temple was one person - Ivan Yakovlevich Barma, who was nicknamed Postnik because he held strict fast. As for the legend about the blinding of Barma and Postnik, its partial refutation can be the fact that the name of Postnik later appears in the chronicle in connection with the creation of other significant architectural structures.

St. Basil's Cathedral is a symmetrical ensemble of eight pillar-shaped churches surrounding the ninth - the tallest - temple, topped with a tent. The chapels are connected to each other by a system of transitions. The pillar-shaped churches are topped with onion domes, none of which is identical in architectural decoration to the others. One of them is densely dotted with golden cones, they are like stars in the sky on a dark night; on the other, scarlet belts run in zigzags across a bright field; the third resembles a peeled orange with yellow and green segments. Each dome is decorated with cornices, kokoshniks, windows, and niches.

Before late XVII century, until the bell tower of Ivan the Great was built on the territory of the Kremlin, St. Basil's Cathedral was the most tall building in Moscow. The height of the cathedral is 60 meters. In total, there are nine iconostases in St. Basil's Cathedral, which contain about 400 icons of the 16th-19th centuries, representing best samples Novgorod and Moscow icon painting schools.

Story

The Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was erected in memory of the liberation of the Russian state from the Polish-Lithuanian invaders, which took place with the help and intercession of the Mother of God, who showed Her mercy through the miraculous Kazan Icon. The temple was built at the expense of the first king of the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Feodorovich, and consecrated in 1636. Since its construction, the temple has become one of the most important Moscow churches, its rector occupied one of the first places in the Moscow clergy.

Throughout its history, the cathedral was rebuilt several times - in the 1760s, 1802-05, 1865.

In the 1920s Renovationists served in the cathedral for some time. In 1925-1933. The restoration of the cathedral was carried out under the leadership of the architect P.D. Baranovsky. In 1928, the cathedral's bell tower was demolished. In 1930, the Kazan Cathedral was closed, and in 1936 it was demolished.

The cathedral was restored in 1990-1993. financed by the Moscow City Hall and donations from citizens. The Kazan Cathedral is the first of the Moscow churches completely lost during Soviet times, which was recreated in its original forms. It became possible to recreate the historical appearance of the temple thanks to measurements made by the architect P.D. Baranovsky before the destruction of the temple, and the research of historian S.A. Smirnova. On November 4, 1993, the temple was consecrated.