Saint Basil's Cathedral

Saint Basil's Cathedral is a historic Russian Orthodox church on Moscow's Red Square, formally dedicated to the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat. Its clustered chapels and vividly patterned onion domes form one of Moscow's best-known landmarks.

Red Square: Red Square is Moscow's central public square beside the Kremlin and the site of major civic ceremonies. The cathedral stands at the square's southern end, beside the Kremlin walls.
Centralized church plan: A centralized church plan organizes worship space around a central axis or focal volume rather than a long nave. The cathedral gathers chapels around a central church instead of using a single basilican hall.
Siege of Kazan (1552): The Siege of Kazan in 1552 was the Russian campaign that captured the capital of the Kazan Khanate. The victory commemorated by the cathedral followed this decisive siege.
Pokrovsky Cathedral: Pokrovsky Cathedral is the church's formal historical name, derived from its dedication to the Intercession of the Theotokos. The formal name distinguishes the religious dedication from the popular name Saint Basil's.
Dormition Cathedral, Moscow: The Dormition Cathedral is a major Orthodox church inside the Moscow Kremlin, completed in 1479. It served as a principal state church, unlike the commemorative church outside the Kremlin.
Russian Orthodox Church: The Russian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church rooted in the Christianization of Rus'. The cathedral's worship and architectural traditions belong to this church.
Tent roof: A tent roof is a steep, pyramidal roof form used in some historic Russian architecture. Tall tent roofs help distinguish several of the cathedral's towers.
Kazan Khanate: The Kazan Khanate was a Tatar state centered on Kazan that existed from the fifteenth century until its conquest by Russia. Its defeat provided the political occasion for the cathedral's construction.
Saint Basil the Blessed: Saint Basil the Blessed was a sixteenth-century Russian holy fool whose burial chapel is associated with the cathedral. His name became the familiar name for the church, although he was not its original dedicatee.
Church of the Ascension at Kolomenskoye: The Church of the Ascension at Kolomenskoye is a sixteenth-century Russian church distinguished by its tall tent-roofed design. Its single soaring structure contrasts with Saint Basil's clustered composition.

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