St. Basil's Cathedral, Eastern Orthodox church on Red Square, Russia
Saint Basil's Cathedral is an Eastern Orthodox church on Red Square in Moscow, instantly recognizable by its multicolored onion domes and asymmetrical layout. Nine separate chapels are grouped around a central tower that rises about 47 meters, and each chapel has its own roof painted in bright colors and patterns.
Tsar Ivan the Fourth commissioned the church in 1555 to celebrate a military victory over the Khanate of Kazan. Construction finished in 1561, and the building later took the name of Basil the Blessed, a local saint whose grave lies in one of the chapels.
Visitors walk through narrow passages connecting the chapels, where they can see icons and frescoes displayed in dim light that creates a quiet, contemplative atmosphere. Orthodox believers sometimes stop to pray or light candles before the images, giving the space a sense of continuous devotion.
The church stands directly on Red Square and opens daily except Wednesday, with the entrance facing the square. Inside, the passages are narrow and the stairs steep, so visitors should wear comfortable shoes and allow time to walk through at a relaxed pace.
No two domes share the same pattern or color scheme, and each was designed individually, which makes the building look different from every angle. A local legend claims that Ivan the Fourth had the architects blinded so they could never create anything comparable again, though no historical evidence supports the story.
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