Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, on the Moat (St. Basil's Cathedral). Intercession Cathedral (St. Basil's Cathedral)

One of the brightest, majestic and mysterious architectural monuments of the capital is St. Basil's. Back in the 16th century, wanderers and visiting people, visiting this cathedral, forever remained 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

The construction of the cathedral, and that is how it is called by the people, began in 1555. And in just 6 years, the builders built a stone palace of unprecedented beauty. The order to lay the temple came from the Tsar of All Russia, Ivan the Terrible, in honor of the victory that the Russian troops won over the Kazan Khan. This event happened on one of the Orthodox holidays - Intercession Holy Mother of God, so 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 such a nickname because he fasted carefully and for a long time. It was one of the most skillful masters of Pskov. Later, he was sent to Kazan to supervise the construction of a stone city. An interesting parable tells about the collection of money for the construction of the parish. 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 at least one. Over time, when there was enough money, Vasily gave them to Ivan the Terrible.

But the facts show that it's just beautiful fairy tale, since the holy fool died even before it was decided to build a cathedral. Nevertheless, it was on the site of the construction of the building that St. Basil the Blessed was buried.

Legend two

Over the construction of the cathedral, two masters conjured at once - Postnik and Barma. Legend has it that as soon as Ivan the Terrible saw the completed building, he was struck by its singularity and ensemble. So that the architects could no longer repeat such beauty, the king ordered the architects' eyes to be gouged out. But this version does not find confirmation, since the name of Postnik is found in later chronicles. It turns out that the master could be engaged in the construction of other buildings.

Legend three

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

Throughout its long history, the temple could be destroyed or devastated. But always some miracle saved this pride of Russia.

In the 18th century, during a fire in Moscow, the building was engulfed in flames, but the 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 conflagration.

In the 19th century, when Napoleon entered the capital of Russia, sheds for horses were built in the cathedral. Later, when leaving Moscow, the emperor in a rage ordered not to leave even a stone in this cathedral. The wonderful structure was to be blown up. And again the heroic Muscovites and the Lord God helped to 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 downpour poured down with such crushing force that it extinguished all sparks.

Already in the 20th century, Kaganovich, showing a model of the renovation and reconstruction of Red Square to Joseph Stalin, removed the figurine of the temple, deciding to demolish it forever. But the supreme commander-in-chief said menacingly: "Lazar, put me in his place!"

In 1936, during the construction highways it was decided to destroy the temple, as it interfered with the movement. 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 building is an ensemble of churches. In the very center stands the Church of the Intercession, the highest among all. There are 8 more aisles around it. Each temple is crowned with a dome. If you look at the cathedral from a bird's eye view, this building is five-pointed star. It is a symbol of heavenly Jerusalem.

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

• In honor of the feast of the Trinity.
• Nicholas the Wonderworker (in honor of the Velikoretsky icon).
• Palm Sunday, or the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.
• Martyrs Cyprian and Ustina. In the future, Adrian 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 Basil the Blessed.

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 depicting 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 is the basement, which forms the foundation of the cathedral. It consists of private rooms, in which the treasury was previously hidden, and rich citizens brought their acquired goods here.

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

First, in 1554, a wooden Church of the Intercession with seven aisles 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 major events Kazan campaign.

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 warm time year (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 sewn to it long ears- the symbol of "donkey" - and an elegant willow. The 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, royal family and 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 at its walls appeared wooden buildings. 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.

The 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 aisle of the Entry of the Lord 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 Intercession Cathedral, Barma and Postnik did not use drawings, but relied on a diagram drawn directly on construction site. But the architects used wooden model temple in full size, therefore, during restoration in brickwork discovered wooden structures. 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.

One of the most interesting and beautiful sights of the Russian capital is St. Basil's Cathedral (photo below), also known as the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God, built back in the 16th century by order of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible. Almost every person in the country knows that it is located on Red Square, but not everyone knows the history of its construction and the legends associated with it. But still, it will not be enough to learn only about the cathedral. The saint, in whose honor the chapel was built, and later the temple itself became known, bore the name of St. Basil the Blessed. The history of his life, deeds and death is no less interesting than the story of the construction of the cathedral.

Versions about the creators

(its photo is decorated with many postcards for tourists) was erected in the period from 1555 to 1561 in memory of the capture of the fortress city of Kazan by Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich. There are many versions of who was the true creator of this architectural monument. Consider only three main options. The first of them was the architect Postnik Yakovlev, who bore the nickname Barma. It was a well-known Pskov master at that time. The second option is Barma and Postnik. These are two architects who participated in the construction of this temple. And the third - the cathedral was erected by some unknown Western European master, presumably from Italy.

In favor latest version says the fact that most of the buildings of the Kremlin were built by immigrants from this country. The unique style in which St. Basil's Cathedral was created (the photos perfectly demonstrate it) harmoniously combined the traditions of Russian and European architecture. But it should be noted right away that this version has absolutely no documentary evidence.

There is also a legend according to which all the architects who worked on the project of the temple were deprived of their sight by order of Ivan the Terrible - with the aim that they would never again be able to build anything similar. But there is one problem here. If the author of the temple is still Postnik Yakovlev, then he could not be blinded in any way. Just a few years later, he was also working on the creation of the Kremlin in Kazan.

Temple structure

The cathedral has only ten domes: nine of them are located above the main building, and one - above the bell tower. It includes eight temples. Their thrones were consecrated only in honor of those holidays during which the decisive battles for Kazan took place. All eight churches are located around the highest ninth, which has a pillar-like structure. It was built in honor of the protection of the Mother of God and ends with a tent with a small cupola. The rest of St. Basil's domes look traditional at first glance. They have a bulbous shape, but differ from each other in their design. All nine temples stand on a common foundation and are interconnected by vaulted internal passages and a bypass gallery, which was open in the original version.

In 1558, a chapel was added to the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Mother of God, which was consecrated in honor of St. Basil the Blessed. It was erected on the spot where the relics of this saint had previously been. Also, his name gave the cathedral a second name. Approximately 20 years later, the temple acquired its own hipped bell tower.

First floor - basement

I must say that St. Basil's Cathedral (photos, of course, do not show this) does not have basement. All of its constituent churches stand on the same foundation, called the basement. It is a structure with rather thick (up to 3 m) walls, divided into several rooms, the height of which is more than 6 m.

The northern basement has, one might say, a unique design for the 16th century. Its vault is made in the form of a box without supporting pillars, despite the fact that it has a large length. In the walls of this room there are narrow openings called air vents. Thanks to them, a special microclimate is created here, which remains unchanged throughout the year.

Once all the premises of the basement were inaccessible to parishioners. These deep recesses in the form of niches were used as vaults. Previously, they were closed with doors. But now only loops are left of them. Until 1595, the royal treasury and the most valuable property of wealthy citizens were kept in the basement.

To get into these previously secret rooms of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, one had to go through a white stone staircase inside the walls, which only the initiates knew about. Later, as unnecessary, this move was laid down and forgotten about, but in the 30s of the last century it was accidentally discovered.

Chapel, organized in honor of St. Basil the Blessed

It is a cubic church. It is covered with a groin vault with a small light drum crowned with a cupola. The roof of this temple itself is made in the same style as the upper churches of the cathedral. There is a stylized inscription on the wall here. She reports that the Church of St. Basil the Blessed was built in 1588 right above the burial place of the saint immediately after his canonization by order of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich.

In 1929 the temple was closed for worship. Only at the end of the last century, its decorative decoration was finally restored. The memory of St. Basil the Blessed is venerated on August 15. It was this date in 1997 that was the starting point for the resumption of worship in his church. Today, over the very burial place of the saint, there is a shrine with his relics, decorated with fine carvings. This Moscow shrine is the most revered among the parishioners and guests of the temple.

Church decoration

It must be admitted that it is impossible in one article to reproduce in words all the beauties that St. Basil's Cathedral is famous for. Describing them would take more than one week, and possibly months. Let us dwell only on the details of the decoration of the church, consecrated in honor of this particular saint.

Its oil painting was timed to coincide with the 350th anniversary of the beginning of the construction of the cathedral. Basil the Blessed is depicted on the southern and northern walls. Pictures from his life represent episodes about a miracle with a fur coat and rescue at sea. Under them, on the lower tier, there is an ancient Russian ornament made of towels. In addition, a large-sized icon hangs on the south side of the church, the drawing of which is made on metal surface. This masterpiece was written in 1904.

The western wall is decorated with a temple image of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. The upper tier contains images of saints who patronize the royal house. This is the martyr Irina, John the Baptist, and Theodore Stratilat.

The sails of the vault are occupied by the image of the Evangelists, the crosshairs - by the Savior Not Made by Hands, John the Baptist and the Mother of God, the drum is decorated with the figures of the forefathers, and the dome - by the Almighty Savior.

As for the iconostasis, it was made according to the project of A. M. Pavlinov in 1895, and the famous Moscow restorer and icon painter Osip Chirikov supervised the painting of the icons. His original autograph is preserved on one of the icons. In addition, the iconostasis also has more ancient images. The first is the icon "Our Lady of Smolensk", referring to XVI century, and the second - the image of St. Basil the Blessed, where he is depicted against the backdrop of Red Square and the Kremlin. The latter dates from the 18th century.

Bell tower

In the middle of the 17th century, the previously built belfry was in a terrible state. Therefore, it was decided to replace it with a bell tower in the 80s of the same century. By the way, it's still standing. The basis for the bell tower is a high and massive quadrangle. On top of it, a more elegant and openwork octagon was erected, made in the form of an open area, which is fenced with eight pillars, and they, in turn, are connected at the top by arched spans.

The bell tower is crowned with a fairly high octagonal tent with ribs, decorated with multi-colored tiles with blue, white, brown and yellow glaze. Its edges are covered with green figured tiles and small windows, which, when the bells ring, can significantly amplify their sound. At the very top of the tent there is a small onion dome with a gilded cross. Inside the site, as well as arched openings bells are suspended, which were cast back in the 17th-19th centuries by famous Russian masters.

Museum

Intercession Cathedral in 1918 was recognized by the Soviet authorities as a historical monument of architecture not only national, but also international importance and taken under state protection. It was then that it began to be considered a museum. Its first caretaker was John Kuznetsov (archpriest). I must say that after the revolution, the temple was, without exaggeration, in a very distressed situation: almost all the windows were broken, the roof was full of holes in many places, and in winter snowdrifts lay right inside the premises.

Five years later, on the basis of the cathedral, it was decided to create a historical and architectural complex. E. I. Silin, a researcher at the Moscow Historical Museum, became its first head. Already on May 21, the temple was visited by the first visitors. Since that time, work began on staffing the fund.

In 1928, the museum, called Pokrovsky Cathedral, became a branch of the Historical Museum. A year later, the temple was officially closed for worship and all the bells were removed. In the 30s of the last century, rumors spread that they were planning to demolish it. But he was still lucky to avoid such a fate. Despite the fact that the temple has been underway here for almost a century, it is always open for Muscovites and guests of the capital. For all the time the museum was closed only once, when the Great Patriotic War was going on.

After the end of the war, all measures were immediately taken to restore the cathedral, so by the day of the celebration of the 800th anniversary of the capital, the museum started working again. He gained wide popularity during the Soviet Union. It should be noted that the museum was well known not only in the USSR, but also in many other countries. Since 1991, the temple has been in use by both the Orthodox Church and the State Historical Museum. After a long break, services have finally resumed here.

Saint's childhood

Future Moscow miracle worker Blessed Basil was born at the very end of 1468. According to legend, this happened right on the porch of the Yelokhov Church, erected in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. His parents were ordinary people. When he grew up, he was sent to learn shoemaking. Over time, his mentor began to notice that Vasily was not like all the other children.

An example of his eccentricity is the following case: once a merchant brought bread to Moscow and, seeing the workshop, went to order boots for himself. At the same time, he asked that he could not wear shoes for a year. Hearing these words, Blessed Basil wept and promised that the merchant would not even have time to wear down those boots. When the master, who did not understand anything, asked the boy why he thought so, the child explained to his teacher that the customer would not be able to put on the boots, as he would soon die. This prophecy came true just a few days later.

Recognition of holiness

When Vasily was 16 years old, he moved to Moscow. It was here that his thorny path as a holy fool began. According to eyewitnesses, Blessed Basil walked the streets of the capital barefoot and almost naked. all year round, regardless of whether it was a fierce crackling frost or a scorching summer heat.

Not only his actions were considered strange, but also his actions. For example, passing by market stalls, he could spill a vessel filled with kvass, or overturn a counter with rolls. For this, Basil the Blessed was often beaten by angry merchants. Strange as it may sound, he always gladly accepted beatings and even thanked God for them. But as it turned out later, the spilled kvass was unusable, and the kalachi were badly baked. Over time, he was recognized not only as a detractor of untruth, but as a man of God and a holy fool.

Here is another incident from the life of a saint. Once a merchant decided to build a stone church in Moscow, on Pokrovka. But for some reason, its arches collapsed three times. He came to St. Basil the Blessed to ask for advice on this matter. But he sent him to Kiev, to poor John. Upon arrival in the city, the merchant found the person he needed in a poor hut. John sat and rocked the cradle, in which there was no one. The merchant asked him who he was pumping after all. Na answered him that he was lulling his mother for his birth and upbringing. Only then did the merchant remember his mother, whom he once kicked out of the house. It immediately became clear to him why he was unable to complete the church. Returning to Moscow, the merchant found his mother, asked her forgiveness and took her home. After that, he easily managed to complete the church.

Acts of a miracle worker

Blessed Basil always preached mercy to his neighbors and helped those who were ashamed to ask for alms, while needing help more than others. On this occasion, there is a description of one case when he gave all the royal things donated to him to a visiting foreign merchant, who, by chance, lost absolutely everything. The merchant had not eaten for several days, but he could not ask for help, as he was wearing expensive clothes.

Basil the Blessed always severely condemned those who gave alms out of selfish motives, and not out of compassion for poverty and misfortune. For the sake of saving his neighbors, he even went into taverns, where he comforted and tried to encourage the most degraded people, seeing in them grains of kindness. so purified his soul by prayers and great deeds that the gift of foresight was revealed to him. In 1547, the Blessed managed to predict a great fire that happened in Moscow, and with his prayer he put out the flames in Novgorod. Also, his contemporaries claimed that once Vasily reproached Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible himself, since during the service he was thinking about building his palace on Sparrow Hills.

The saint died on August 2, 1557. The then Moscow Metropolitan Macarius and his clergy performed the burial of Vasily. He was buried at the Trinity Church, where in 1555 they began to build the Intercession Church in memory of the conquest of the Kazan Khanate. 31 years later, on August 2, this saint was glorified by the Council, headed by Patriarch Job.

Contemporaries described him in much the same way, and they necessarily mentioned three features: he was extremely thin, wore a minimum of clothes and always had a staff in his hand. This is how St. Basil the Blessed appears before us. Photos of icons and paintings with his image are presented in this article.

The veneration of this holy wonderworker among the people was so great that the Pokrovsky Cathedral began to be called his name. By the way, his chains are still preserved in the Theological Academy of the capital. Anyone who wants to admire a wonderful monument of medieval architecture can find it at the address: St. Basil's Cathedral.

Cathedral of the Intercession of the Mother of God, on the moat - this is the name of this temple on Red Square. But among the people it is often called St. Basil's Cathedral. There are also those who recall the name Trinity Cathedral, which existed in the 16th century. This temple, 65 meters high, closes the perspective of Bolshaya Dmitrovka. And earlier, before the construction of tall buildings in Moscow at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the cathedral was visible in the perspective of large sections of Pokrovka, Tverskaya, Myasnitskaya, and Petrovka. It was rightfully called the main temple of the Moscow Posad.

The cathedral was built in 1555-1561 next to the Kremlin moat. It can be said, on the edge of the moat, hence its name - that on the moat. Tsar Ivan the Terrible became the customer for the construction of the cathedral. The cathedral was built as a memory of the capture of the capital of the Kazan Khanate, the city of Kazan. The siege of Kazan began on August 15, 1552 and ended with an assault on the Feast of the Intercession. It was decided to build a cathedral with 9 thrones, or 9 churches, in honor of those holidays that fell on important points siege and assault on the city.

The central temple, completed with a tent, is the Protection of the Virgin. Around it are churches: from the east - the Trinity, the western temple - the Entrance to Jerusalem, Nikola Velikoretsky, Cyprian and Justina (later re-consecrated in the name of Adrian and Natalia), Paul, Alexander and John of Constantinople (later - John the Merciful), Alexander Svirsky, Barlaam Khutynsky, Gregory of Armenia. Services in each of the churches were performed only on their patronal feasts. All churches, except for the central one, Pokrovskaya, are completed with colored patterned onion domes. They appeared at the end of the 16th century instead of the old helmet-shaped domes. All churches stand on the high basement that unites them, as if on a pedestal. Around all the churches there are circular passages. In the 16th century, the outer gallery around the temples was open, and the processing of the walls at the level of the gallery in all churches looked like a wide strip of arches and cornices, visually uniting the entire building. Today, this wall treatment can be seen in the interior of the gallery, at the southeast corner of the cathedral. Due to Moscow climatic conditions in the middle of the 17th century, the gallery was covered with vaults, and stone tents were placed over the porches. At the same time, for the first time, bright decorative painting appeared on the facades of the cathedral. A little earlier, in the 1670s, a hipped bell tower was built instead of a belfry.

In 1588, a low single-domed church was added to the northwestern part of the gallery over the grave of St. Basil the Blessed (1469 - 1552). Even during his lifetime, Vasily was famous as a holy fool and a seer. During the funeral, Vasily's coffin was carried by Ivan the Terrible himself with the boyars, and Metropolitan Macarius was the funeral service. Over time, Vasily became one of the Moscow saints beloved by the people. The service in the Basil's Church was performed daily, therefore the whole cathedral was called the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed.

At the beginning of the 18th century, there were already 18 altars in the Intercession Cathedral. New altars were consecrated in the basement rooms.

TO early XIX For centuries, the cathedral was surrounded by long shopping rows of small shops, taverns and taverns, blocking it off from Red Square. During the restoration of the city after the fire of 1812, it was decided to clear the territory, and in 1817 the architect Osip Bove built a retaining wall from the west, south and east. The cathedral received a forged fence that has survived to our time.

It is believed that the cathedral was built by masters Barma and Postnik. Some researchers believe that it was one person, Postnik Yakovlev, nicknamed Barma. Other buildings of Postnik Yakovlev, created by him after the construction of the cathedral, are also known. But none of them bears resemblance to the Intercession Cathedral either in details or in technique. The architecture of the cathedral has many architectural forms, which could only be created by a person who worked and studied in Western Europe. But such a person is not yet known to us.

In 1923, it was decided to create a museum in the cathedral. Divine services in St. Basil's Church continued until 1929. The last rector of the cathedral, Fr. Ioann Vostorgov, was shot by a court verdict in 1918, and in 2000 he was canonized. Since 1991, the cathedral has been in the joint use of the museum and the Orthodox Church.

Since 1931, a monument to Minin and Pozharsky has been standing in the fence of the cathedral (1818, sculptor Ivan Martos). The monument was moved to the cathedral from the middle of Red Square, where it began to interfere with parades and mass demonstrations held twice a year, on May 1 and November 7.

Not far from the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin, in the very heart, the world-famous St. Basil's Cathedral is located. It has several other names: the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat, as well as the Intercession Cathedral. Until the beginning of the 17th century, this monument of Russian architecture had the name Trinity, since the old wooden church was built in honor of the Holy Trinity. Let's take a short excursion into history and find out who built St. Basil's Cathedral and where, in fact, this cathedral is located.

The history of the creation of St. Basil's Cathedral

In 1552 on the day of the Intercession Mother of God Russian soldiers began to storm Kazan, which, as you know, ended in victory over the Golden Horde. In honor of her, Tsar Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of a cathedral that would immortalize such a joyful event.

The construction of the stone St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square began two years later on the site where the Trinity Church made of wood used to be, and where, according to legend, the holy fool, after whom the cathedral was named, was buried. There is a legend that Basil the Blessed personally collected money for this Temple, but no one knows whether it was true or not. After all, the exact date of the death of the holy fool has not been established. Nevertheless, Fyodor, the son of Ivan the Terrible, ordered the creation of a chapel of St. Basil the Blessed in the Intercession Church, where his relics were placed.

The Pokrovsky Cathedral was under construction for six years. The author of the main idea of ​​the temple is Metropolitan Macarius, and it was implemented by two architects, Barma and Postnik. Another version of this says that the Pskov artisan, nicknamed Barma, built the Pokrovsky Cathedral. Another legend says that Ivan the Terrible was delighted with the beautiful temple and did not want the same beautiful cathedral to be built anywhere else. Therefore, he asked the architect if he could build an equally beautiful building. The master boldly replied that he could do it, and then the king became angry and ordered the architect to be blinded.

Basil's Cathedral style

The building of the Intercession Cathedral is a structure consisting of a central tent and eight main towers located around it. In plan, this is a figure consisting of two combined squares, which together form an eight-pointed star, a symbol of the Most Holy Theotokos. Also, the number eight symbolizes the day when Jesus Christ resurrected and is a reminder of the Star of Bethlehem, which showed the way to the newborn Christ. The combination of two squares is a symbol of the fact that the Gospel is spread to all parts of the world.

The building of the temple was erected from a new material at that time - brick. Decor elements, foundation and plinth were lined with white brick. The tent of the central temple is decorated with polychrome tiles and decorated with kokoshniks. The architectural design of the facade and interior in the cathedral has similar motifs.

Metropolitan Macarius, still unfinished in 1557, consecrated the church in the presence of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. For a long time Intercession Cathedral, located on Red Square, was.

During a terrible fire that happened in 1737, the Intercession Cathedral was seriously damaged, but then it was restored, and in the 17th century it was rebuilt again. At this time, the hipped bell tower was combined with the temple itself. At that time, the cathedral was so colorfully decorated, as we can see it today. In its design, a beautiful ornamental fresco painting appeared on the vaults and pillars of the galleries.

At the end of the last century, after a long break, an all-night vigil was held in St. Basil's Cathedral, and then a liturgy. Every year, on the Feast of the Intercession, a divine service is held here.