St. Basil the Blessed

Author: Linda DeLaine
Website: RL Online
Department:
Page: 1   ( 1) pages

Summary: St. Basil the Blessed is both a well known Moscow landmark and cherished saint. Learn about the ten pillars of the cathedral and what it means to be a 'fool for Christ.'

The dramatic domes of Saint Basil the Blessed, which rise above Red Square, are the most familiar image most people from the West have of Moscow and Russia. Ivan IV, the Terrible (1530-1584), commissioned the building and dedicated St. Basil's to commemorate Russia's victory over the Tatars in Kazan, Kazan Khanate (1552-1554). At the time of the final victory over the Tatars, eight wooden churches had already been built. Each was named for the patron saint which was believed to have achieved the individual victories for Russia.

Wanting more permanent memorials, Ivan the Terrible had the wooden churches replaced by the stone and brick of St. Basil's eight domes.

St. Basil's is also known as Pokrovsky Cathedral or Pokrovsky Sobor. It was dedicated to the intercession of the Holy Mother and was originally called the Cathedral of the Intercession. Later, it became known as Cathedral of Vasily Blazhenny (St. Basil the Beatified). St. Basil, in this case, refers to Basil, idiot for Christ a popular prophet and miracle worker of the 1500s. He was buried in the cathedral's walls during the time of Tsar Fyodor I (1584 - 1598).

St. Basil's construction began in 1554 and was consecrated in 1560. It was designed by Russian architects Posnik and Barma (who may have been one person), but many believe that the original designer was Italian. Legend states that the Italian architect was blinded by the Tsar to prevent him for designing another structure of equal or great beauty again.

St. Basil's original construction involved a total of nine pillars or churches, replacing the former wooden churches, situated on a single foundation. A tenth pillar was added (1588) after the death of St. Basil and stands over his burial site. The center (ninth) and tallest pillar was dedicated to the Feast of the Intercession of Our Lady (celebrated on October 1). This was the day that the city of Kazan was taken. Each pillar is different in design and decoration. At the time, St. Basil's was the tallest building in Moscow. The cathedral was built of brick which was a fairly new construction material at the time. Wood and stone were more common. St. Basil's foundation was made of stone.

St. Basil's was designed to not have a well defined front or back. It is round and it was intended to be viewed from all sides. The observer can walk around the cathedral both on the outside as well as the inside. The structure is large and one would think the interior would be equally spacious. This is not the case. The inside is a maze of corridors with the tall pillars creating a cramped feeling. The tallest pillar rises 46 meters above the church's foundation. The interior of the Intercession of Our Lady church is 64 square meters.

After centuries of exposure to the elements, St. Basil's was restored in 1954-1955. During this process, the secret to the Russian architecture was revealed. How the architects had managed to build such a complex structure without benefit of design drawings had been a mystery. Restorers discovered that the walls of St. Basil had been outlined with thin timbers. This provided a three-dimensional image of what the completed structure would look like and a guide for the bricklayers.

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A Long Walk to Church: A Contemporary History of Russian Orthodoxy
Nathaniel Davis
Paperback, 1st ed., 381pp.
Westview Press
February 1995