Saint Basil's Cathedral stands at the southern end of Red Square in Moscow and is formally known as the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God on the Moat. Tsar Ivan the Terrible ordered its construction to commemorate the capture of Kazan from the Tatar khanate in 1552, and the work lasted from 1555 to 1561. Its design is traditionally credited to the architect Postnik Yakovlev. It has a central tower surrounded by eight chapels, each topped with a differently patterned onion dome in bright colours. The popular tale that Ivan blinded the architect so he could never build anything as beautiful is a legend. The church takes its popular name from Basil the Blessed, a holy fool buried there. It has served as a museum since the Soviet era.
Before and after
- 13 December 1553Birth of Henry IV of France
- from January 1554 to March 1576Ottoman expeditions to Morocco
- 9 January 1554Birth of Gregory XV
- 25 January 1554Founding of São Paulo
- 1555Construction of St. Basil's Cathedral
- 25 September 1555Peace of Augsburg
- 23 January 15561556 Shaanxi earthquake
- 1557Founding of Macau
- 1557Discovery of platinum
More in Art, literature & culture
- 1540Construction of Westminster Abbey
- 1616Construction of Sultan Ahmed Mosque
- 1670Construction of avenue des Champs-Élysées
- 17th centuryRise of ukiyo-e
- 25 April 1719Publication of Robinson Crusoe
- October 1745Publication of God Save the King
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 16th century.