First, in 1554, a wooden Church of the Intercession with seven chapels was built next to the walls, and in 1555 a stone Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos was laid - 9 churches on a single basement. Five of them were consecrated in the name of saints and Orthodox holidays, during which the most important events of the Kazan campaign took place.
Chronicles call the builders of this architectural miracle the Russian architects Postnik and Barma. There is even a version that this is one person. But historians believe that the construction of the Intercession Cathedral was not without the participation of Western European masters.
After 30 years, another small church was added to the ensemble in honor of the Moscow holy fool - St. Basil the Blessed. He gave the popular name to the whole cathedral. But this did not happen immediately, but only at the end of the 17th century.
Initially, the new church was not connected to the basement of the cathedral and was the only one of all heated. Therefore, divine services were held in it year-round, and in the other churches of the cathedral - only in the warm season (from the Trinity to the Intercession). Over time, the people began to say that they were going to serve in St. Basil's Cathedral, while they went to St. Basil's Church. So gradually they began to call the entire building a temple in the name of the glorified saint.
And until the 17th century, the cathedral was also called the Trinity Cathedral, since the first wooden church on this site was dedicated to the Holy Trinity. The Cathedral of the Intercession was also known as "Jerusalem", which is associated with the rite of "walking on a donkey", which symbolized the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem on a donkey.
This rite was first mentioned in the 16th century. It did not stop even in 1611, when it was occupied by the Polish interventionists. The ceremony followed a strict ritual. First, the patriarch addressed the tsar with a special invitation speech, and after matins the tsar went out to. He was accompanied by boyars, okolnichy and other courtiers. From there, the procession began, in which up to 300 priests and up to 200 deacons took part. The tsar and the patriarch entered the chapel of the Entrance to Jerusalem of the Intercession Cathedral and prayed there.
They set up a lectern with the Gospel and icons of John the Baptist and Nicholas the Wonderworker, and the path from to the Execution Ground was covered with red clothes or cloth. Not far from the Execution Ground stood a horse covered with a white blanket with long ears sewn to it - the symbol of "donkey" - and an elegant willow. Willow was decorated with raisins, walnuts, dates, apples.
At the end of the prayer, the patriarch climbed up and handed the king a palm branch and willow branches. The archdeacon, facing west, read the Gospel, and with the words “and sent two from the disciple,” the cathedral archpriest and dean went after the donkeys. The patriarch, holding the Gospel and the cross, sat on a donkey. The horse was led by the king himself, before whom the stewards carried the royal staff, the sovereign's willow, the sovereign's candle and the royal towel.
When the procession entered the Spassky Gates, the Kremlin churches rang all the bells. And the ringing continued until the procession entered the Assumption Cathedral. The gospel was read in the cathedral. The tsar went to one of the home churches, and the patriarch completed the liturgy. After that, the patriarch blessed the willow, the keys cut the branches for the altar, the royal family and the boyars. The remains of the willow and decorations were handed out to the people.
An unconditional symbol of Moscow, the Pokrovsky Cathedral was still a completely uncharacteristic building for Russian architecture.
The height of St. Basil's Cathedral is 61 meters (this is very high for the 16th century). The churches were built of brick, a material that was still unusual for that time, and even painted “like a brick”, which gives the cathedral such a “gingerbread” character. But, probably, at first the Intercession Cathedral was not the same as it is now, and its palette was limited only to white and brick colors. But still, he was so handsome that he impressed even foreigners.
But over time, the cathedral decayed, and wooden buildings appeared near its walls. And when Alexander I, during a visit to England, was shown an image of the cathedral without annexes, he said that he would like to have the same in Moscow. The Tsar was explained that St. Basil's Cathedral had been decorating Red Square for almost 300 years. After that, he ordered the demolition of the houses and shops surrounding the cathedral. And in 1817, walls lined with wild stone were built in their place. So the cathedral was, as it were, on a high terrace.
What is what in the churchThe cathedral has 11 domes, and none of them is repeated.
Nine domes over the churches of the second tier (according to the number of thrones), one over the lower church of St. Basil the Blessed and one over the bell tower:
1. Intercession of the Virgin (central),
2. Holy Trinity (eastern),
3. Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (western),
4. Gregory of Armenia (northwest),
5. Alexander Svirsky (southeast),
6. Varlaam Khutynsky (southwestern),
7. Three Patriarchs of Constantinople (northeast),
8. Nicholas the Wonderworker Velikoretsky (southern),
9. Cyprian and Justina (northern).
All 9 churches are united by a common base, bypass gallery and internal vaulted passages.
It is known that earlier the premises of the basement were inaccessible to parishioners, and deep recesses in it were used as storage facilities. They were closed with doors, from which only the hinges remained. Until 1595, the royal treasury was hidden in the basement of the Intercession Cathedral. Wealthy citizens also brought their property here. They got into the basement along the intra-walled white stone staircase from the central church of the Intercession of the Virgin. And only the initiates knew about it. Later, this narrow passage was laid, but during the restoration of the 1930s it was opened.
Now St. Basil's Cathedral inside is a system of labyrinths, the walls of which are covered with frescoes. Narrow internal passages and wide platforms give the impression of a "city of churches".
In 1918, the Intercession Cathedral became one of the first cultural monuments taken under state protection. But in the post-revolutionary years, he was in a distressed situation: the roof was leaking, windows were broken, in winter there was snow inside the churches. And on May 21, 1923, a museum was opened in the cathedral.
Acquisition of funds began, and after 5 years the Pokrovsky Cathedral became a branch. In 1929, St. Basil's Cathedral was finally closed for worship, and the bells were removed for melting down. But the museum was closed only once - during the Great Patriotic War. And this is despite the constant restoration that has been going on in temples for almost 100 years.
In 1991, the Intercession Cathedral was given to the joint use of the museum and the Russian Orthodox Church. Divine services resumed in the temple after a long break. Now they are held every Sunday in St. Basil's Church, and on October 14, on the feast of the Intercession of the Virgin, in the central church.
In the main church of the cathedral there is an iconostasis from the Kremlin Church of the Chernihiv Wonderworkers demolished in 1770, and in the chapel of the Lord's Entrance into Jerusalem there is an iconostasis from the Alexander Nevsky Kremlin Cathedral demolished at the same time.
St. Basil's Cathedral is known all over the world, and his photo is even included in the list of system desktop wallpapers of the Windows 7 operating system.
And mystics call the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos "an icon imprinted in stone." Its shape - 8 churches united by two squares at the base around the central ninth - is not accidental. The number 8 symbolizes the date of the Resurrection of Christ. The circle is a symbol of infinity and harmony of divine creation. The squares symbolize the 4 cardinal points, the 4 main gates of Jerusalem and the 4 evangelists. In addition, you can see how the squares at the base of the cathedral, rotated at an angle of 45 degrees, form an eight-pointed star, reminiscent of the Star of Bethlehem on the day of the birth of Christ. And the system of labyrinths inside the cathedral becomes the embodiment of the streets of the City of Heaven, which begins and ends with the church-chapel.
Contrary to popular belief, the Church of the Savior on Blood in St. Petersburg, although visually similar to the Intercession Cathedral, is not a copy of it. St. Petersburg Cathedral is one temple with several domes and a bell tower. And St. Basil's Cathedral - several independent churches on a single foundation. There are no other cathedrals like this anywhere in the world.
They say that...... during the construction of the Pokrovsky Cathedral, Barma and Postnik did not use drawings, but relied on a diagram drawn right on the construction site. On the other hand, the architects used a full-size wooden model of the temple, so during the restoration, wooden structures were found in the brickwork. This is the scale model of the cathedral.
... the holy fool Vasily lived in Moscow in the 16th century. He possessed the gift of a clairvoyant, and even Ivan IV himself revered Vasily. The king allowed him unheard-of impudence. For example, once Ivan IV invited the holy fool to the palace, wanting to hear some kind of prediction, and ordered him to give him a glass of wine. Several times Vasily knocked a filled cup out the window, and when the king angrily asked what he was doing, the holy fool replied that he was putting out a fire in Novgorod. And soon news of the fire really arrived in Moscow. Perhaps that is why after the death of St. Basil the Blessed, Ivan IV himself volunteered to carry his body to the cemetery.
...one day a rich man gave Vasily the Blessed a fur coat. A gang of thieves noticed her and sent a rogue to him, who said to the holy fool in a mournful voice:
- My friend is dead. And we were so poor with him that there was nothing to cover him. Give the fur coat to God's work, holy man.
- Take it, - said Vasily, - and let everything be as you told me.
When the swindler came up with a fur coat to the one who, pretending to be dead, was lying on the ground, he saw that he had indeed given his soul to God.
...Ivan IV ordered the architects of St. Basil's Cathedral to be blinded so that they would never create anything like it again. But it is known that the allegedly blinded Postnik later participated in the construction of the Kazan Kremlin. Therefore, in fact, this is just a legend that complements the image of the formidable tsar and was sung by the Soviet poet D. Kedrin in the poem "Architects".
...Napoleon, leaving Moscow, wanted to take this miracle with him, but could not. Then he ordered the Intercession Cathedral to be blown up so that no one could get it. According to one legend, a sudden burst of rain extinguished the wicks. According to another, an explosion struck, and the temple remained unshakable.
... in the 1930s L.M. Kaganovich proposed demolishing the temple to make way for demonstrations and vehicular traffic. He even made a model and brought it to Stalin, where, with the words: “And if it were - r-time! ...”, he removed the temple with one jerk.
Stalin replied: "Lazar, put it in its place! .."
They also say that Pyotr Baranovsky knelt down at a meeting of the Central Committee, begging to save the religious building. And it saved the temple.
...there is another urban legend about the construction of the cathedral and Blessed Vasily of Moscow, recorded in 1924 by the folklorist Yevgeny Baranov.
“This church was built, right, by Ivan the Terrible, but it was not started by him. And then there lived in Moscow one such holy fool - St. Basil the Blessed. It was from him that this cathedral began, and Ivan the Terrible came to the ready. Well, the truth is, he did not spare his money.
And this holy fool walked in winter and summer in one shirt and barefoot ... And he collected money. And he collected it like this: he would come to the market, raise the floor and stand, but he himself was silent ... Well, people already know: they will start putting it in the hem - some nickels, some a penny, some as much as they can. And as soon as he gains a full floor, he now runs to Red Square, where St. Basil the Blessed is now standing. He will come running and start throwing money over his right shoulder. And they fall - a nickel to a nickel, a penny to a penny, three pennies to three pennies. They fell in order. And there were many such piles of money. And no one touched them, and the thieves did not touch. Everyone looked, but was afraid to take it.
And that's why they were afraid to take this money: since such a little man was found - let me, he says, I'll take some money. Came at night, filled his pockets. And then there was silver money, and gold. Well, he put it in his pocket, he wants to go, but his legs do not go. He and so, he and that - they don’t go, even though you do what you want. Exactly if someone nailed them to the ground with nails. The thief got scared. He thinks: "I'll throw away the money." And money doesn't come out of your pocket. He suffered, he suffered, his business was not going well. Yes, it stayed that way all night. And here is the morning. Well, the people see: a man is worth Vasiliev's money.
- What are you doing here?
- But, he says, God punished me for stealing. - And he told what trouble befell him.
And Vasily the holy fool is not here, he has already run to the market early in the morning. Well, people look at that thief and are surprised ... They waited, waited for Vasily. Well, he came running, let's throw money over his shoulder. And here is the king. But Vasily did not understand this: the king and the king, but only he does his job. So he left all the money, looked at this thief, shook his finger at him. And then the thief was released. He quickly threw the money out of his pockets, wanted to leave. Only the king says:
- Put this scoundrel on a stake so that he does not steal holy money!
Well, they put him alive. Shouted-shouted and died ...
And no one knew what Vasily collected money for. And he collected them for a long time. And he's become old. That's when people see: Vasily is digging a hole in the very place where he threw the money. And why this hole is for him, no one knows. The people gathered, looked, and he digs everything. So he dug a hole, lay down beside it and folded his arms across his chest.
- What is it? - people think.
Yes, one person explained:
- Why, he says, Vasily was going to die.
Now they ran and said to the king:
- Basil the Blessed is dying.
Here the king quickly got ready, he comes. Basil and points to the king on the money, points to the pocket. Say, take this money. And he died here. So the king ordered all this money to be put in bags, put on a wagon and taken to the palace.
And Vasily was buried at that place. And after that he ordered to build the Church of St. Basil the Blessed in the same place. Well, he did not spare his money.
Freeing Red Square from buildings that "interfere" with holding large-scale festive events (parades and demonstrations), Lazar Kaganovich proposed to completely dismantle St. Basil's Cathedral. And in order to convince Stalin that he was right, for clarity, he made a model of the square, from which the church could be removed. But everything did not go as he planned: when he took the cathedral from the model, the leader did not appreciate these actions and said the phrase that went down in the history of the temple forever: “Lazarus, put it in its place!”.
St. Basil's Cathedral is located in the capital of Russia, in Moscow, not far from the Kremlin, in the southern part of Red Square. On the geographical map, it can be found at the following coordinates: 55° 45′ 9.25″ s. w., 37° 37′ 23.27″ E d.
A huge stone temple appeared here after Tsar Ivan the Terrible promised God to build a cathedral in case of success of the Kazan campaign.
In the meantime, hostilities lasted, after each serious victory on Red Square around the Trinity Church, temporary churches were erected dedicated to the saints on the day of which the battle was won. When the war ended in victory, the tsar ordered that on the site of these churches (there were eight buildings in total) to build one, stone, which would have stood for centuries, and in honor of the fact that the final victory came on Intercession, in October 1552, to call the temple the Intercession Cathedral.
The new church was erected very quickly, in six years. The construction of the Moscow temple began in 1555 and ended in 1561. Researchers have not yet come to a consensus about who exactly was its architect. The official version says that the architects Plotnik Yakovlev and Barma were responsible for the construction work, but recently many historians agree that the architect of the temple was only one master - Ivan Yakovlevich Barma, popularly - Plotnik.
Some historians put forward another unconfirmed hypothesis that the architect of the building is an Italian master (this is evidenced by the original style of the building, which combines both elements of Russian architecture and European architecture of the Renaissance).
After the construction was completed, a legend arose that the king ordered the architects to be blinded so that they could not build a temple of such beauty. Recently, historians have agreed that this is just a myth, since there are documents confirming the architectural activity of Plotnik, who was engaged in the construction of the Kazan Kremlin and other buildings.
Temple names
Even before the start of construction work, the Moscow Tsar Ivan the Terrible, not far from the Kremlin, the temple was called the Pokrovsky Cathedral. Muscovites called the cathedral the Trinity Church for a long time (the previously located shrine was dedicated to the Holy Trinity). And some time after the completion of construction, people called the temple St. Basil's Cathedral - in honor of the local holy fool, who constantly, regardless of the season, walked with chains dressed on his naked body. Basil the Blessed possessed clairvoyance and was able to predict the fire that almost destroyed Moscow in 1547.
He died in 1557 and was buried near the walls of the unfinished shrine, and thirty years later a chapel was erected over his grave, an extension in which an altar with a throne for worship was installed. Naturally, the aisle received the name of the blessed one, who was canonized at the same time: more than one miraculous healing was recorded over the place of his burial.
After the extension was completed, services in the Moscow Cathedral began to be held every day: previously the temple was not heated, and therefore services took place in it only in the warm season (the new extension was more spacious and warmer).
Construction
The architects built the cathedral from brick - a material that was quite new and unusual at that time (usually, when building temples, architects used white hewn stone). In the western part of the temple, the craftsmen were even able to lay out a ceiling of bricks, making round holes in them, inserting a metal clip and securely fastening them together.
Already at the initial stage, the architect faced the first problem: the building had to be built on sandy, loose and wet soil (the proximity of the nearby Moscow River affected), which made it impossible to make a deep foundation (the foundation of the temple has a depth of several meters). To resolve the situation, the architects used a very interesting move: the massive structure of the temple rests on a basement consisting of several rooms - the lower floor, which is six meters high and the walls are three meters wide, while the basement has very powerful vaults and ceilings.
As a building material for the lower floor, it was decided to use white limestone: its ability to absorb moisture well made it possible to minimize the risk of flooding in the event of a flood. After the basements were installed, octagonal foundations were placed on them, on which it was planned to build future temples (thus, the base of the building outwardly resembled a honeycomb and was distinguished by increased strength).
It is interesting that experts, speaking about the secrets of St. Basil's Cathedral, often mention the caches that were equipped in special niches on the lower floor (until the end of the 16th century, the royal treasury was even hidden here, and rich citizens - their property).
It was not easy to get here - only a few people knew about the stairs leading from the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God, and later this narrow passage was walled up. The passage was discovered only in 1930, when restoration work was carried out, now icons of the cathedral are stored in the basement rooms.
An interesting method was used by the architects when creating acoustics inside the cathedral (a method not uncommon in the construction of ancient Russian churches): in order to create a good sound, the architects mounted clay pots, golosniks into the walls of the temple, directing them with their necks towards the inner space of the building. This method made it possible to relieve pressure on the bearing parts of the temple.
Description of the temple
Giving a description of the Moscow temple, experts focus on the fact that it is devoid of a clearly defined main facade: all its sides look like the main ones. The height of the building reaches 65 meters, so for a long time the temple was considered the tallest building in the city.
Nowadays, looking at the temple, it is hard to believe that the cathedral was not originally so colorful: judging by the descriptions, the walls of the church were white. Some time later, they began to repaint it, and they did it, radically changing the appearance of the cathedral - historians found drawings on its walls depicting false windows, kokoshniks, commemorative inscriptions. Polychrome and floral painting on a red background appeared only at the end of the 17th century.
Judging by the descriptions that have come down, in former times the Intercession Cathedral was more beautiful and elegant: it had a more complex painting, and the main dome was surrounded by smaller ones.
The appearance of the building was quite changed already a hundred years after the end of construction: two porches were added, the outer gallery was covered with vaults, and the walls inside the cathedral were painted. Therefore, in the temple you can see a combination of rare monuments of ancient Russian icon painting with frescoes of the sixteenth century, paintings of the seventeenth, oil paintings of the eighteenth.
They built the temple, taking into account the cardinal points: focusing on them, they built four churches, and the same number were built diagonally. Intercession Cathedral has nine churches: in the center is the main temple of the Intercession of the Mother of God, surrounded by four large (from 20 to 30 m) and four small churches (about 15 m), near which there was a bell tower and a chapel of St. Basil the Blessed. All these churches are on the same foundation, have a common bypass gallery and are connected by internal corridors.
Domes of the Intercession Cathedral
First, twenty-five domes were installed at the Intercession Cathedral, symbolizing the Lord and the elders, who are near his throne. Subsequently, only ten of them remained: one is located above the bell tower, the other rises above the chapel of St. Basil the Blessed, the rest - each above its own temple. At the same time, they all differ from each other: not only the pattern of large domes is unique, but also the decoration of each drum.
Scientists suggest that the domes were originally helmet-shaped, but rather soon they were replaced by an onion shape, the current colors appeared only in the middle of the 19th century, and before the 17th century. The temple had golden domes.
Temple today
Judging by the descriptions, throughout history, St. Basil's Cathedral was rebuilt and changed its appearance more than once (frequent fires, which were not uncommon in the city, also contributed to the need for frequent repairs).
For the first time, St. Basil's Cathedral was on the verge of extinction in 1812, when the French, leaving the capital of Russia, mined it (although for some reason they could not blow it up, but the church was plundered). When the war ended, the Intercession Cathedral was not only restored, but its wall was decorated with a cast-iron fence from the side of the river.
The temple experienced the saddest times in the XX century. In 1918, the Bolsheviks shot the rector of the church, John Vostorgov, for "anti-Semitic propaganda." Three years later, all valuables were seized from the cathedral, and the building was transferred to the Historical Museum. For some time it was an active church, until in 1929 worship services were banned, removing all the bells (worship services in the cathedral were resumed only in 1991).
The temple was on the verge of extinction for the second time in 1936, when the restorer Pyotr Baranovsky was asked to measure the temple in order to demolish it later. In response, the architect categorically stated that this idea was insane and criminal, and threatened to commit suicide if it was carried out. Immediately after this, an arrest followed, but the church was not touched: it turned out to have too many defenders. Therefore, when he was released six months later, the temple stood in its original place.
- Address: Russia, Moscow, Red Square, 2
- Start of construction: 1555
- Completion of construction: 1561
- Number of domes: 10
- Height: 65 m.
- Coordinates: 55°45"09.4"N 37°37"23.5"E
- Object of cultural heritage of the Russian Federation
- Official site: www.saintbasil.ru
July 12, 2011 celebrated its 450th anniversary of the most famous Orthodox church in Russia - Pokrovsky Cathedral, or St. Basil's Cathedral.
History of the Cathedral
St. Basil's Cathedral is just a popular name for the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin on the Moat. What kind of moat is this? The fact is that until the 19th century, Red Square was surrounded by a defensive moat, which was filled up in 1813. It was near this moat that the temple was built.
Until the middle of the 16th century, a small church stood on the south side of Red Square. It is not known for certain whether it was stone or wooden, but most researchers still tend to the version of the Trinity Church, cut down from wood.
This is probably why one of the churches of the temple was consecrated in the name of the Trinity. In the middle of the 16th century, the wooden church was demolished, and a new one, also made of wood, was founded in its place. And only a year later, in 1555, it was dismantled and a stone church was laid in honor of the capture of Kazan.
And who built St. Basil's Cathedral?
There are several versions of who was the architect of the miracle of Russia.
According to one of them, the architects Postnik and Barma worked on the creation of the temple. When they completed the construction, Ivan the Terrible allegedly ordered both eyes to be gouged out so that they could not repeat their masterpiece. However, it is documented that Postnik later participated in the creation of the Kazan Kremlin, which means that he did not lose his sight.
According to another version, Postnik and Barma were one person - the Pskov master Postnik Yakovlev, nicknamed Barma. In the annals, we can find references to both two architects: “... a gift to him [Ivan the Terrible] God of two Russian masters according to Postnik and Barma and was wise and convenient for such a wonderful deed”, and about one: “Postnikov’s son, according to Barma ".
The third version says that an overseas architect, probably from Italy, worked on St. Basil's Cathedral - hence the unusual appearance of the temple. However, this version has not been confirmed.
10 churches on one foundation.
The temple received its popular name thanks to the arrival of St. Basil the Blessed, built at the end of the 16th century. In 1557, the famous holy fool and miracle worker Vasily died, who sat for a long time at the temple and bequeathed to bury himself next to it. By order of Fyodor Ivanovich, a church was built, in which the relics of the saint rest.
The main advantage of St. Basil's Cathedral is its unusual architecture. If you look at the temple from above, you can see how it was built. In the center is the main pillar-shaped church in honor of the Intercession of the Mother of God.
Around it are four axial churches and four smaller ones. Each of them is also consecrated in honor of one of the holidays, which accounted for the decisive battles during the capture of Kazan. All nine churches rise on a common base, a bypass gallery and internal stepped vaults. In addition, the parish of St. Basil the Blessed and the hipped bell tower, built at the end of the 17th century, adjoin.
Each church is crowned with an onion dome, traditional for Russian temple architecture. Each onion is unique - carvings, patterns and all kinds of colors create a festive, elegant look. But scientists are still arguing what exactly this or that paint symbolizes. According to one version, such variegated colors can be explained by the dream of Blessed Andrew the Holy Fool, the one who was honored with a vision of the Most Holy Theotokos. Tradition says that he saw in a dream the Heavenly Jerusalem, and in it gardens with beautiful trees and fruits of unspeakable beauty.
Temple structure
There are only 10 domes. Nine domes over the temple (according to the number of thrones):
- Protection of the Mother of God (center),
- Holy Trinity (east),
- Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (zap.),
- Gregory of Armenia (north-west),
- Alexander Svirsky (southeast),
- Varlaam Khutynsky (southwest),
- John the Merciful (former John, Paul and Alexander of Constantinople) (north-east),
- Nicholas the Wonderworker Velikoretsky (Southern),
- Adrian and Natalia (former Cyprian and Justina) (sev.))
- Plus one dome over the bell tower.
In the old days, St. Basil's Cathedral had 25 domes, denoting the Lord and 24 elders sitting at His throne.
The cathedral consists of eight temples, 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),
- Entrance to Jerusalem
- in honor of mchch. 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 Svirsky (April 17 and August 30),
- Varlaam Khutynsky (November 6 and 1st Friday of the Petrov Lent),
- Gregory of Armenia (September 30).
All these eight churches (four axial, four smaller between them) are crowned with onion domes and are grouped around the ninth pillar-shaped church towering 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 foundation, 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 Blessed (1469-1552), whose relics were located at the site where the cathedral was built. The name of this aisle gave the cathedral a second, everyday name. St. Basil's chapel adjoins the chapel of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, in which Blessed John of Moscow was buried in 1589 (at first, the chapel was consecrated in honor of the Deposition of the Robe, but in 1680 it was re-consecrated as the Nativity of the Mother of God). In 1672, the uncovering of the relics of St. John the Blessed took place in it, and in 1916 it was re-consecrated in the name of Blessed John, the Moscow miracle worker.
In the 1670s, a hipped bell tower was built.
The cathedral has been restored several times. In the 17th century, asymmetrical outbuildings, tents over the porches, intricate decorative processing of domes (originally they were gold), ornamental painting outside and inside (originally the cathedral itself was white) were added.
In the main, Intercession Church, there is an iconostasis from the Kremlin Church of the Chernihiv Wonderworkers, which was dismantled in 1770, and in the chapel of the Entrance to Jerusalem, there is an iconostasis from the Alexander Cathedral, which was dismantled at the same time.
The last (before the revolution) rector of the cathedral, Archpriest John Vostorgov, was shot on August 23 (September 5), 1919. Subsequently, the temple was transferred to the disposal of the renovation community.
FIRST FLOOR
basement
There are no basements in the Intercession Cathedral. Churches and galleries stand on a single base - a basement, consisting of several rooms. Strong brick walls of the basement (up to 3 m thick) are covered with vaults. The height of the premises is about 6.5 m.
The construction of the northern basement is unique for the 16th century. Its long box vault has no supporting pillars. The walls are cut with narrow holes - vents. Together with a "breathing" building material - brick - they provide a special microclimate of the room at any time of the year.
Previously, the basement premises were inaccessible to parishioners. Deep niches-hiding places in it were used as storage facilities. They were closed with doors, from which the hinges are now preserved.
Until 1595, the royal treasury was hidden in the basement. Wealthy citizens also brought their property here.
They got into the basement from the upper central church of the Intercession of the Mother of God along the intra-walled white stone staircase. Only the initiates knew about it. Later, this narrow passage was laid. However, during the restoration process of the 1930s. a secret staircase was discovered.
In the basement there are icons of the Intercession Cathedral. The oldest of them is the icon of St. Basil the Blessed at the end of the 16th century, written especially for the Pokrovsky Cathedral.
Also on display are two icons from the 17th century. - "Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos" and "Our Lady of the Sign."
The icon "Our Lady of the Sign" is a replica of the facade icon located on the eastern wall of the cathedral. Written in the 1780s. In the XVIII-XIX centuries. the icon was above the entrance to the chapel of St. Basil the Blessed.
CHURCH OF ST. BASIL
The lower church was added to the cathedral in 1588 over the burial place of St. Basil the Blessed. A stylized inscription on the wall tells of 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 groin vault and crowned with a small light drum with a cupola. The covering of the church is made in the same style with the domes of the upper churches of the cathedral.
The oil painting of the church was made for the 350th anniversary of the beginning of the construction of the cathedral (1905). The Almighty Savior is depicted in the dome, the forefathers are depicted in the drum, the Deesis (the Savior Not Made by Hands, the Mother of God, John the Baptist) is depicted in the crosshairs of the arch, the Evangelists are in the sails of the arch.
On the western wall there is a temple image "Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos". In the upper tier there are images of the patron saints of the reigning house: Theodore Stratilates, John the Baptist, St. Anastasia, the martyr Irina.
On the northern and southern walls are scenes from the life of St. Basil the Blessed: "The Miracle of Salvation at Sea" and "The Miracle of the Fur Coat". The lower tier of the walls is decorated with a traditional ancient Russian ornament in the form of towels.
The iconostasis was completed in 1895 according to the project of the architect A.M. Pavlinov. The icons were painted under the guidance of the famous Moscow icon painter and restorer Osip Chirikov, whose signature is preserved on the icon "The Savior on the Throne".
The iconostasis includes earlier icons: “Our Lady of Smolensk” of the 16th century. and the local image "St. Basil the Blessed against the backdrop of the Kremlin and Red Square" XVIII century.
Above the burial of St. Basil the Blessed, a cancer was installed, decorated with a carved canopy. This is one of the revered Moscow shrines.
On the southern wall of the church there is a rare large-sized icon painted on metal - “The Mother of God of Vladimir with selected saints of the Moscow circle “Today the most glorious city of Moscow flaunts brightly” (1904)
The floor is covered with cast-iron plates of Kasli casting.
St. Basil's Church was closed in 1929. Only at the end of the 20th century. its decoration was restored. August 15, 1997, the day of memory of St. Basil the Blessed, Sunday and holiday services were resumed in the church.
SECOND FLOOR
Galleries and porches
Along the perimeter of the cathedral around all the churches there is an external bypass gallery. It was originally open. In the middle of the XIX century. the glazed gallery became part of the interior of the cathedral. Arched entrances lead from the outer gallery to the platforms between the churches and connect it with the inner passages.
The central church of the Intercession of the Mother of God is surrounded by an internal bypass gallery. Its vaults hide the upper parts of the churches. In the second half of the XVII century. the gallery was painted with floral ornaments. Later, narrative oil painting appeared in the cathedral, which was repeatedly updated. Currently, tempera painting has been uncovered in the gallery. Oil paintings of the 19th century have been preserved in the eastern section of the gallery. - images of saints in combination with floral ornaments.
Carved brick portals-entrances leading to the central church organically complement the decor of the inner gallery. The southern portal has been preserved in its original form, without later plastering, which allows you to see its decoration. The relief details are laid out from specially molded patterned bricks, and the shallow decor is carved on site.
Previously, daylight entered the gallery from windows located above the passages to the promenade. Today it is illuminated by mica lanterns of the 17th century, which were previously used during religious processions. The multi-headed tops of the remote lanterns resemble the exquisite silhouette of the cathedral.
The floor of the gallery is laid out of herringbone brick. Bricks from the 16th century have been preserved here. - darker and more resistant to abrasion than modern restoration bricks.
The vault of the western section of the gallery is covered with a flat brick ceiling. It demonstrates a unique for the XVI century. engineering method of the flooring device: many small bricks are fixed with lime mortar in the form of caissons (squares), the edges of which are made of figured bricks.
In this section, the floor is lined with a special rosette pattern, and the original painting imitating brickwork has been recreated on the walls. The size of the drawn bricks corresponds to the real one.
Two galleries unite the aisles of the cathedral into a single ensemble. Narrow internal passages and wide platforms give the impression of a "city of churches". After passing the mysterious labyrinth of the inner gallery, you can get to the platforms of the porches of the cathedral. Their arches are "flower carpets", the intricacies of which fascinate and attract the eyes of visitors.
On the upper platform of the northern porch in front of the Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, the bases of pillars or columns have been preserved - the remains of the decoration of the entrance.
CHURCH OF ALEXANDER SVIRSKY
The southeastern church was consecrated in the name of St. Alexander Svirsky.
In 1552, on the day of the memory of Alexander Svirsky, one of the important battles of the Kazan campaign took place - the defeat of the cavalry of Tsarevich Yapanchi on the Arsk field.
This is one of four small churches 15 m high. Its base - a quadrangle - passes into a low octagon and ends with a cylindrical light drum and a vault.
The original appearance of the interior of the church was restored during the restoration work of the 1920s and 1979-1980s: a brick floor with a herringbone pattern, profiled cornices, and stepped window sills. The walls of the church are covered with paintings imitating brickwork. The dome depicts a "brick" spiral - a symbol of eternity.
The iconostasis of the church has been reconstructed. Between the wooden beams (tablas), icons of the 16th - early 18th centuries are located close to each other. The lower part of the iconostasis is covered with hanging shrouds skillfully embroidered by craftswomen. On velvet shrouds - the traditional image of the cross of Calvary.
CHURCH OF VARLAM KHUTYNSKY
The southwestern church was consecrated in the name of the Monk Varlaam Khutynsky.
This is one of the four small churches of the cathedral with a height of 15.2 m. Its base has the shape of a quadrangle, elongated from north to south with the apse shifted to the south. The violation of symmetry in the construction of the temple is caused by the need to arrange a passage between the small church and the central one - the Intercession of the Mother of God.
Four turns into a low octagon. The cylindrical light drum is covered with a vault. The church illuminates the oldest chandelier in the cathedral of the 15th century. A century later, Russian craftsmen added a pommel in the shape of a double-headed eagle to the work of the Nuremberg masters.
The table iconostasis was reconstructed in the 1920s. and consists of icons of the XVI - XVIII centuries. The peculiarity of the architecture of the church - the irregular shape of the apse - determined the shift of the Royal Doors to the right.
Of particular interest is the separately hanging icon “The Vision of Sexton Tarasius”. It was written in Novgorod at the end of the 16th century. The plot of the icon is based on the legend about the vision of the Khutynsky Monastery's sexton of disasters that threaten Novgorod: floods, fires, "pestilence".
The icon painter depicted the panorama of the city with topographical accuracy. The composition organically includes scenes of fishing, plowing and sowing, telling about the daily life of the ancient Novgorodians.
CHURCH OF THE ENTRY OF THE LORD INTO JERUSALEM
The Western Church is consecrated in honor of the feast of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem.
One of the four large churches is an octagonal two-tiered pillar covered with a vault. The temple is distinguished by its large size and the solemn nature of the decoration.
During the restoration, fragments of the architectural decoration of the 16th century were discovered. Their original appearance has been preserved without the restoration of damaged parts. No ancient painting was found in the church. The whiteness of the walls emphasizes the architectural details, executed by architects with great creative imagination. Above the northern entrance there is a trace of a shell that hit the wall in October 1917.
The current iconostasis was transferred in 1770 from the dismantled Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin. It is richly decorated with openwork gilded pewter overlays, which give lightness to the four-tiered structure.
In the middle of the XIX century. the iconostasis was supplemented with wooden carved details. The icons of the lower row tell about the Creation of the world.
The church presents one of the shrines of the Intercession Cathedral - the icon "St. Alexander Nevsky in the Life of the 17th century. The image, unique in terms of iconography, probably comes from the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.
The right-believing prince is represented in the middle of the icon, and around him there are 33 hallmarks with plots from the life of the saint (miracles and real historical events: the Battle of the Neva, the prince's trip to the khan's headquarters).
CHURCH OF GREGORY OF ARMENIA
The northwestern church of the cathedral was consecrated in the name of St. Gregory, Enlightener of Greater Armenia (d. 335). He converted the king and the whole country to Christianity, was the bishop of Armenia. His memory is celebrated on September 30 (October 13, N.S.). In 1552, on this day, an important event of the campaign of Tsar Ivan the Terrible took place - the explosion of the Arskaya tower in Kazan.
One of the four small churches of the cathedral (15m high) is a quadrangle, turning into a low octagon. Its base is elongated from north to south with the apse shifted. The violation of symmetry is caused by the need to arrange a passage between this church and the central one - the Intercession of the Mother of God. The light drum is covered with a vault.
The architectural decoration of the 16th century has been restored in the church: ancient windows, semi-columns, cornices, a brick floor laid out “in a Christmas tree”. As in the 17th century, the walls are whitewashed, which emphasizes the severity and beauty of the architectural details.
The tyabla (tyabla - wooden beams with grooves between which the icons were fastened) iconostasis was reconstructed in the 1920s. It consists of windows of the XVI-XVII centuries. The royal gates are shifted to the left - due to the violation of the symmetry of the internal space.
In the local row of the iconostasis is the image of St. John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria. Its appearance is connected with the desire of the wealthy contributor Ivan Kislinsky to re-consecrate this chapel in honor of his heavenly patron (1788). In the 1920s The church was given back its original name.
The lower part of the iconostasis is covered with silk and velvet shrouds depicting Calvary crosses. The interior of the church is complemented by the so-called "skinny" candles - large painted wooden candlesticks of the old form. In their upper part there is a metal base, in which thin candles were placed.
In the display case there are items of priestly vestments of the 17th century: surplice and phelonion, embroidered with gold threads. The 19th-century kandilo, decorated with multi-colored enamel, gives a special elegance to the church.
CHURCH OF CYPRIAN AND JUSTINA
The northern church of the cathedral has an unusual dedication for Russian churches in the name of the Christian martyrs Cyprian and Justina, who lived in the 4th century. Their memory is celebrated on October 2 (N.S. 15). On this day in 1552, the troops of Tsar Ivan IV stormed Kazan.
This is one of the four large churches of the Intercession Cathedral. Its height is 20.9 m. The high octagonal pillar is completed with a light drum and a dome, in which Our Lady of the Burning Bush is depicted. In the 1780s oil painting appeared in the church. On the walls are scenes from the lives of saints: in the lower tier - Adrian and Natalia, in the upper tier - Cyprian and Justina. They are complemented by multi-figure compositions on the theme of gospel parables and stories from the Old Testament.
The appearance in the painting of images of martyrs of the 4th century. Adrian and Natalia is associated with the renaming of the church in 1786. A wealthy contributor Natalya Mikhailovna Khrushcheva donated funds for repairs and asked to consecrate the church in honor of her heavenly patrons. At the same time, a gilded iconostasis in the style of classicism was also made. It is a magnificent example of skillful woodcarving. The lower row of the iconostasis depicts scenes of the Creation of the World (day one and four).
In the 1920s, at the beginning of scientific museum activities in the cathedral, the church returned to its original name. Recently, it appeared before the visitors updated: in 2007, the wall paintings and the iconostasis were restored with the charitable support of the Russian Railways Joint-Stock Company.
CHURCH OF NIKOLA VELIKORETSKY
The southern church was consecrated in the name of the Velikoretsky icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The icon of the saint was found in the city of Khlynov on the Velikaya River and subsequently received the name "Nikola Velikoretsky".
In 1555, by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, the miraculous icon was brought in procession along the rivers from Vyatka to Moscow. An event of great spiritual significance determined the dedication of one of the chapels of the Intercession Cathedral under construction.
One of the large churches of the cathedral is a two-tiered octagonal pillar with a light drum and vault. Its height is 28 m.
The ancient interior of the church was badly damaged during a fire in 1737. In the second half of the 18th - early 19th centuries. a single complex of decorative and fine arts was formed: a carved iconostasis with full ranks of icons and a monumental narrative painting of the walls and vault. The lower tier of the octagon contains the texts of the Nikon Chronicle about bringing the image to Moscow and illustrations for them.
In the upper tier, the Mother of God is depicted on the throne, surrounded by prophets, above are the apostles, in the vault is the image of the Almighty Savior.
The iconostasis is richly decorated with gilded stucco floral decorations. Icons in narrow profiled frames are painted in oil. In the local row there is an image of "St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in his life" of the 18th century. The lower tier is decorated with gesso engraving imitating brocade fabric.
The interior of the church is complemented by two remote double-sided icons depicting St. Nicholas. With them they made religious processions around the cathedral.
At the end of the XVIII century. The floor of the church was covered with white stone slabs. During the restoration work, a fragment of the original covering made of oak checkers was discovered. This is the only place in the cathedral with a preserved wooden floor.
In 2005-2006 The iconostasis and monumental painting of the church were restored with the assistance of the Moscow International Currency Exchange.
CHURCH OF THE HOLY TRINITY.
The eastern one is consecrated in the name of the Holy Trinity. It is believed that the Pokrovsky Cathedral was built on the site of the ancient Trinity Church, by whose name the entire church was often called.
One of the four large churches of the cathedral is a two-tiered octagonal pillar, ending with a light drum and a dome. Its height is 21 m. In the process of restoration in the 1920s. in this church, the ancient architectural and decorative decoration was most fully restored: semi-columns and pilasters framing the arches-entrances of the lower part of the octagon, a decorative belt of arches. In the vault of the dome, a spiral is laid out with small-sized bricks - a symbol of eternity. Stepped window sills in combination with the whitewashed surface of the walls and vault make the Trinity Church especially bright and elegant. Under the light drum, “voices” are mounted in the walls - clay vessels designed to amplify sound (resonators). The church illuminates the oldest Russian chandelier in the cathedral from the end of the 16th century.
On the basis of restoration studies, the form of the original, so-called “tabla” iconostasis (“tabla” - wooden beams with grooves between which the icons were fastened close to each other) was established. The peculiarity of the iconostasis is the unusual shape of the low royal doors and three-row icons that form three canonical ranks: prophetic, Deesis and festive.
The “Old Testament Trinity” in the local row of the iconostasis is one of the most ancient and revered icons of the cathedral in the second half of the 16th century.
CHURCH OF THREE PATRIARCH
The northeastern church of the cathedral was consecrated in the name of the three Patriarchs of Constantinople: Alexander, John and Paul the New.
In 1552, on the day of memory of the Patriarchs, an important event of the Kazan campaign took place - the defeat by the troops of Tsar Ivan the Terrible of the cavalry of the Tatar prince Yapanchi, who was marching from the Crimea to help the Kazan Khanate.
This is one of the four small churches of the cathedral with a height of 14.9 m. The walls of the quadrangle pass into a low octagon with a cylindrical light drum. The church is interesting for its original ceiling system with a wide dome, in which the composition "The Savior Not Made by Hands" is located.
The wall oil painting was made in the middle of the 19th century. and reflects in its plots the then change in the name of the church. In connection with the transfer of the throne of the cathedral church of Gregory of Armenia, it was re-consecrated in memory of the Enlightener of Great Armenia.
The first tier of the painting is dedicated to the life of St. Gregory of Armenia, in the second tier - the history of the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, bringing it to King Avgar in the Asia Minor city of Edessa, as well as scenes from the life of the Patriarchs of Constantinople.
The five-tiered iconostasis combines baroque elements with classical ones. This is the only altar barrier in the cathedral from the middle of the 19th century. It was made especially for this church.
In the 1920s, at the beginning of scientific museum activities, the church returned to its original name. Continuing the traditions of Russian patrons, the leadership of the Moscow International Currency Exchange contributed to the restoration of the interior of the church in 2007. For the first time in many years, visitors were able to see one of the most interesting churches of the cathedral.
BELL TOWER
The modern bell tower of the Intercession Cathedral was built on the site of an ancient belfry.
By the second half of the XVII century. The old belfry was dilapidated and fell into disrepair. In the 1680s it was replaced by a bell tower, which still stands to this day.
The base of the bell tower is a massive high quadrangle, on which an octagon with an open area is placed. The site is fenced with eight pillars, connected by arched spans, and crowned with a high octagonal tent.
The ribs of the tent are decorated with colorful tiles with white, yellow, blue and brown glaze. The edges are covered with figured green tiles. The tent is completed by a small onion dome with an eight-pointed cross. There are small windows in the tent - the so-called "rumors", designed to amplify the sound of bells.
Inside the open area and in the arched openings, bells cast by outstanding Russian masters of the 17th-19th centuries are suspended on thick wooden beams. In 1990, after a long period of silence, they began to be used again.
The height of the temple is 65 meters.
Currently, the Pokrovsky Cathedral is a branch of the State Historical Museum. Included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in Russia.
Pokrovsky Cathedral is one of the most famous sights of Russia. For many inhabitants of the planet Earth, it is a symbol of Moscow (the same as the Eiffel Tower for Paris).
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The famous colorful Church of the Intercession on the Moat, one of the main attractions of Moscow, was erected in 1555-1561 to commemorate the capture of Kazan by Russian troops in 1552. It was consecrated in honor of the Feast of the Intercession because the attack of Russian troops on Kazan began on that very day. We are accustomed to perceive the cathedral as a single one, but in fact it consists of ten independent temples. Hence such a bizarre, unique appearance of the entire cathedral, or, better, the temple complex.
Initially, there were nine temples, and the central one was dedicated to the Protection of the Virgin, and the remaining eight were dedicated to a certain holiday or saint, on whose day this or that memorable event related to the siege of Kazan took place. In 1588, a church was added to the complex over the burial place of the famous Moscow Blessed Basil, and now it only has the right to be called, in the strict sense of the word, the Church of St. Basil the Blessed.
So, we will talk about the Pokrovsky multi-church cathedral, as it was erected in 1555-1561. In many books, and in our time, you can read that its construction was carried out under the supervision of two masters - Barma and Posnik. There are, however, versions that the construction was led by unknown Italian masters. But it has no documentary evidence and no argument, except for the unusual appearance of the cathedral. N.M. Karamzin rashly called the style of the Intercession Cathedral "Gothic", but this is absolutely wrong from an art history point of view, and only the authority of the "first Russian historiographer" allows some to still insist on the foreign authorship of the original St. Basil's Cathedral.
Where did the opinion come from that the construction was led by two masters?
In 1896, priest Ivan Kuznetsov published an excerpt from a handwritten collection that was then kept in the Rumyantsev Museum. This collection was compiled no earlier than the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th century. It contains the "Legend of the transfer of the miraculous image of Nicholas the Wonderworker", which was a royal gift to the Intercession Cathedral. This late legend says that shortly after the capture of Kazan, Tsar Ivan the Terrible erected seven wooden churches around the larger, eighth, stone one, near the Frolovsky Gates (i.e., from the 17th century, the gates of the Spassky Tower of the Kremlin). “And then God gave him two Russian masters, nicknamed Barma and Postnik, who were wise and fit for such a wonderful deed.” This information about the "two masters" was accepted by most historians on faith.
But the legend, rethinking the old tradition, was not a chronicle text. In addition, we recall that the expression "nickname" in the then Russian language, as now, meant only the nickname of a person, and not his own name. A skilled craftsman could be called a barma, since barmas are mantles on the clothes of kings and spiritual dignitaries, richly and variously decorated and requiring skillful and careful execution. Posnik, or Postnik, is a proper name. Therefore, it is not logical that in the "Tale" the first master is named only by a nickname without a name, and the second - only by a name without a nickname.
The text from the “Russian Chronicler from the beginning of the Russian land to the accession to the throne of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich”, written in the first half of the 17th century, that is, much closer to the event of interest to us, can be considered more reliable. We read in it: “In the same year, by order of the Tsar and Sovereign and Grand Duke Ivan, a church was started, promised for the capture of Kazan in honor of the Trinity and the Intercession ..., and Barma and his comrades were the master.” Only one architect is named here, but, obviously, not due to ignorance of the name of the second master (Posnik), but because it was one and the same person.
Subsequently, another source was found, indicating that the names Posnik and Barma really refer to one, and not to two persons. It follows from it that the manuscript of the Sudebnik of 1550 belonged until 1633 to the monastery lawyer, the Moscow servant Druzhina. The squad was the son of Tarutia and the grandson of Posnik, who had the nickname Barma. The matter seems quite clear: two mythical masters, one of whom was called Barma, and the other - Posnik, are combined into one historical person - Posnik (this, of course, is not a baptismal name, but something like a modern surname) nicknamed Barma, which meant that this a man skilled in crafts.
Moreover, the architect Postnik of that time is known for the buildings of a number of buildings, namely: the Kazan Kremlin, Nikolsky and Assumption Cathedrals in Sviyazhsk. However, this fact, brilliantly proven back in 1957 by the Russian archaeologist N.F. Kalinin, are still overlooked by many historians and art critics, who, out of habit, talk about Barma and Postnik as the two builders of the Intercession Cathedral.
The hallmark of Belokamennaya, the temple, which has become the most striking and memorable decoration of the Moscow Kremlin, a cult, truly popular building that has survived a lot of events and wars - all this can rightfully be said about St. Basil's Cathedral.
Aristarkh Lentulov. Basil the Blessed. 1913
This cathedral is one of the most famous monuments of ancient Russian architecture, already in the 16th century it delighted travelers from Europe and guests of Moscow, and for Russians it is a symbol of national character and national history.
Officially, the building has a completely different name - the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, on the Moat, but is better known under the name of St. Basil's Cathedral, which was given to the building by ordinary Muscovites immediately after construction. This is an Orthodox cathedral located on Red Square in Kitay-gorod, in Moscow, its bright domes can be seen not only on numerous postcards and photographs, but also in some films that take place in the Russian capital, in particular "Yolki-2", "New Year's Tariff", "Phantom", and in the film "Life after people" it is shown how St. Basil the Blessed would look 125 years after the disappearance of human civilization.
St. Basil's Cathedral against the backdrop of the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower
It was the Intercession Cathedral in Moscow that became a model for the construction of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ (better known as the Savior on Spilled Blood) in St. Petersburg. This cathedral was completed in 1907 in memory of Emperor Alexander II and has much in common with Moscow.
Cathedral of the Savior on Spilled Blood, St. Petersburg
A bit of history
The history of the cathedral dates back more than 450 years - the decision to build it was made by Ivan the Terrible in 1554. Initially, in 1552, a church was erected on the site of the cathedral in honor of the victory of Russian troops in the long war for the conquest of the Astrakhan and Kazan Khanates. This temple was consecrated in honor of the Holy Trinity, which is why back in the 17th century the new cathedral was called Trinity Cathedral.
Two years later, Ivan the Terrible ordered that a larger cathedral be erected on the site of a small temple, in honor of the Intercession of the Virgin with side chapels, each of which would glorify the victory over the Tatars. Among the townspeople, it was called the Intercession on the Moat, as it was built next to a rather deep moat that ran along the entire eastern wall of the Kremlin.
The construction of the cathedral was carried out from 1555 to 1561, and in 1588 the Church of St. Basil the Blessed was added to the main building, high arched openings were laid in the north-eastern part of the temple for its construction. This new church was architecturally an independent temple with its own separate entrance and porch.
At the end of the 16th century, unique figured domes of the cathedral were decorated - initially, gold coating was used, which was badly damaged during the next Moscow fire.
Engraving of the 16th century depicting a service at St. Basil's Cathedral
Already in the second half of the 17th century, significant changes were made to the external appearance of the cathedral, for example, the open gallery-ambulance surrounding the upper churches was covered with a vault, and a porch was erected over the wide white stone stairs, the main decoration of which were tents.
At the same time, the inner and outer galleries, parapets and platforms of the porches were painted with floral, or rather, herbal ornaments. All these changes were completed only in 1683; information about this is contained in the ceramic tiles that adorned the facade of the temple.
Fires, which so often became a real disaster in wooden Moscow, also caused great harm to the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin, therefore, from the end of the 16th century, repairs were regularly carried out in it. In 1737, the architect Ivan Michurin carried out work to restore the temple after the strongest "Trinity Fire", at the behest of Catherine II in 1784-1786, under the leadership of Ivan Yakovlev, the interiors and facades of the cathedral were again reconstructed. Then, in 1900-1912, a new restoration of the temple was carried out by the architect Solovyov.
In 1918, the Moscow Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin became one of the first cultural monuments that were taken under state protection as a monument of world and national significance. It is from this moment that the history of St. Basil the Blessed as an Orthodox church is interrupted - it gradually becomes one of the most famous museums in the capital.
In the 1920s, the cathedral was in the most deplorable state - the roof was leaking, windows were broken, many valuable icons were lost. In 1923, it was decided to create a historical and architectural museum in the temple, E.I. Silin, at the same time the museum fund began to be completed.
In 1928, the Intercession Cathedral (already as an ordinary historical and architectural monument) became one of the branches of the State Historical Museum. The following year, the bells of the cathedral were removed and services were completely banned. It is interesting that restoration work in the temple has been carried out almost continuously since the 1920s - the interior or facade of one or the other limit is being updated, but it is always open to visitors. The only time the museum was completely closed was during the Great Patriotic War. In 1947, for the celebration of the 800th anniversary of Moscow, the cathedral again opened its doors to Muscovites and guests of the capital.
View of the cathedral from Red Square
In 1991, St. Basil's Cathedral was again returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, and although it remains a branch of the State Historical Museum, and is also included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, it, like hundreds of years ago, services are held, and the Museum and the Orthodox Church jointly manage the complex.
The structure and composition of the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin
The bright, immediately eye-catching Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed is famous for its unique domes, among which it is impossible to find not only the same, but even simply similar ones. In fact, there are eleven domes in the temple, they all have their own names:
- The central dome is the Intercession of the Virgin.
- Southwestern - Varlaam Khutynsky.
- Eastern - Holy Trinity.
- Northwestern - Gregory of Armenia.
- Western - the Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem.
- Southeast - Alexander Svirsky.
- North-Eastern - John the Merciful (previously was named in honor of Paul, John and Alexander of Constantinople).
- Southern - Nicholas the Wonderworker.
- Northern - Natalia and Adrian (formerly Justina and Cyprian).
- Basil's Dome.
- The dome crowning the bell tower of the temple.
Domes of the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat
Such a large number of domes is due to the fact that the cathedral is a single complex that unites several churches, the thrones of which were once consecrated in honor of the holidays that fell on the days of the decisive battles with the Kazan Khanate:
- the church of Alexander Svirsky - on the day of the memory of this saint, the Russian army defeated the cavalry of Tsarevich Yapancha in the battle on the Arsky field;
- Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, in honor of his icon Velikoretskaya from Vyatka;
- Trinity Church - built on the site of an ancient temple, previously the entire cathedral was called Trinity Cathedral;
- the church of Gregory of Armenia, the Enlightener of Armenia, who did a lot for the development of Orthodoxy in this country. On the day of the memory of the saint, the most important event of the war with the Kazan Khanate took place - the explosion of the Arskaya tower;
- the Church of Varlaam Khutynsky - known for its separately hanging icon "The Vision of Sexton Tarasy", who described the disasters that threatened Novgorod at the end of the 16th century;
- the Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem - apparently, the construction of this limit is associated with the triumphant return of the troops led by Ivan the Terrible to the capital after the victory over part of the former Golden Horde - the Kazan Khanate;
- the Church of the Martyrs Natalia and Adrian (originally named after Saints Justina and Cyprian, renamed in 1786 in honor of the heavenly patrons of a wealthy contributor who donated a significant amount for the reconstruction of the cathedral) - on the day of remembrance of the saints, the troops of Ivan the Terrible stormed the capital of the Khanate - the city of Kazan;
- Church of St. John the Merciful (until the 18th century it was named after Saints Paul, John and Alexander of Constantinople) - on the day of the holy patriarchs, a significant battle took place between Russian troops and the cavalry of the Tatars who came to the aid of the Kazan Khanate.
Four axial churches are large, the other four, smaller, are located between them. All eight churches of the Intercession Cathedral on Red Square are crowned with onion domes and are grouped around the higher Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God. These nine churches are united by a single base, a bypass gallery, which was glazed only in the second half of the 17th century, as well as internal vaulted passages.
Separately, the Church of St. Basil the Blessed was added, consecrated in honor of the Moscow saint (1469-1552), whose relics were located on the site of construction.
The hipped bell tower, which was erected on the site of the ancient belfry in 1680, as well as the basement - the foundation of the cathedral, which has no basements, deserve special mention.
Bell tower of the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary
It is in the basement, where a special microclimate was created thanks to the construction technology unique for that time and the use of "breathing" bricks, that the ancient icon of St. Basil the Blessed of the end of the 16th century, painted specifically for the cathedral, as well as the icons "Our Lady of the Sign" and "Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos" are kept. (both from the 17th century). Previously, the parishioners did not even suspect the existence of this secret room, where the royal treasury and the property of especially important and wealthy citizens were kept, only during the reconstruction in the 1930s a secret passage was found and now the basement of St. Basil's Cathedral has become part of the museum exposition. The thickness of the basement walls reaches 3 meters, the main building materials were stone and thin brick used for decoration.
The height of the cathedral is 65 meters, until the end of the 16th century, when Boris Godunov completed the construction of the bell tower of the Kremlin church of John of the Ladder, it rose to 81 meters, and Ivan the Great appeared in the capital, the temple remained the tallest building in Moscow.
Basement of St. Basil's Cathedral with the icon "Our Lady of the Sign"
Cathedral Legends
The first legend of this Moscow temple is associated with the decision to build it by Ivan the Terrible. As you know, the stern king was distinguished by devout religiosity, so that executions and cruel punishments alternated with periods of repentance. Also, Ivan the Fourth was distinguished by superstitiousness, so that when in the field church, hastily erected near Kazan, at the next lunch service, the deacon proclaimed stanzas from the Gospel: “Let there be one flock and one shepherd,” and at the same time a large piece of the fortress wall of the enemy city took off into the air, thanks to which the Russian troops were able to enter Kazan, the tsar decided to build a temple in Moscow to thank the heavenly patrons.
There is another version of the beginning of construction, which is associated with the most famous Moscow holy fool - St. Basil the Blessed. He began to collect money for the construction of the cathedral long before the start of the construction of the temple, he brought the collected pennies to Red Square and threw them over his right shoulder - “penny to penny, penny to penny”, and even the most notorious thieves did not touch these coins. Ivan the Terrible talked with the elder and even visited him personally with the queen during his illness, it was the revered holy fool who showed him the place for construction. By the way, many legends of the Moscow church are associated with St. Basil the Blessed - his relics became one of the main relics of the cathedral, and healings often occurred at the burial site. However, the Church of St. Basil the Blessed was erected on the burial site of the saint already during the reign of Fyodor Ioannovich, at the same time a silver shrine was built for his relics.
Silver shrine and canopy over St. Basil's grave
There is also a legend that Ivan the Terrible ordered to blind the architects - Russian architects Barma and Postnik, who, to his question - "Will you be able to build something else as beautiful", boldly answered - "Yes, and even better." Historians believe that the chief architect of the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin was one person - Ivan Yakovlevich Barma, who had the nickname Postnik, since he always adhered to a strict post. And he was not blinded at all - after completing work in Moscow, he 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 annals.
Another legend says that an Italian was in charge of the construction of the temple on Red Square, which is why the cathedral is somewhat similar to the buildings of the European Renaissance, but this version has not been confirmed.
Interestingly, many mystics call the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos "an icon imprinted in stone." Its shape - eight churches, united by two squares at the base, is not accidental - the number 8 symbolizes the date of the Resurrection of Christ, in addition, if you wish, you can see how the squares turned at an angle of 45 degrees at the base of the cathedral form an eight-pointed star, which has become a reminder of the Star of Bethlehem ascended on the day of the birth of Christ.
Another interesting detail - for all its magnificent decoration and beauty, St. Basil's Cathedral is not at all large and already in the 16th century could not accommodate all the believers who came to the festive services. Then a lectern was placed on the Execution Ground, the clergy held a service, and the cathedral itself became a real altar of a huge Temple, spread out in the open.
Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin on Red Square
Many legends are connected with the happy fate of the temple - it was repeatedly under the threat of destruction and each time it was miraculously saved. So, during the war of 1812, when Napoleon managed to occupy Moscow, the Emperor liked the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin so much that he decided to move it to Paris. Of course, the technologies of that time did not allow to realize the idea of Napoleon Bonaparte. Then the French simply laid explosives in the base of the cathedral and lit the fuse. The gathered Muscovites prayed for the salvation of the temple, and a miracle happened - heavy rain began, which put out the wick.
Once again, the temple miraculously survived during the October Revolution - for a long time there were traces of shells on its walls. In 1931, a bronze monument to Minin and Pozharsky was moved to the cathedral - the authorities freed the square from 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 to completely demolish the Intercession Cathedral in order to further clear the place for demonstrations and military parades. The legend says that Kaganovich ordered to make a detailed model of Red Square with a removable temple and brought it to Stalin. Trying to prove to the leader that the cathedral interferes with cars and demonstrations, he, unexpectedly for Stalin, tore off the model of the temple from the square. Surprised, Stalin allegedly at that moment uttered the historical phrase: “Lazar, put it in its place!”, So the question of demolishing the cathedral was postponed - the leader did not back down.
According to the second legend, the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin owes its salvation to the famous restorer P.D. Baranovsky, who sent telegrams to Stalin urging him not to destroy the temple. The legend says that allegedly Baranovsky, who was invited to the Kremlin on this issue, knelt before the assembled members of the Central Committee, begging to keep the religious building, and this unexpectedly worked. True, then Baranovsky went to the Gulag for a considerable period.
At one time, the historian Ivan Zabelin said: "St. Basil's Cathedral is the same, if not more, Moscow, moreover, a folk wonder, like Ivan the Great, the Tsar Bell and the Tsar Cannon." Indeed, it is simply impossible to imagine Red Square without the bright, always festive domes and walls of the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, it is easily recognizable and not so long ago was one of the most popular contenders for the title of the new seven wonders of the world.
Anna Sedykh, rmnt.ru
