St Basil's Cathedral: symbol of the Russian soul?
Martine Self
April 15, 2006
Even though I?ve been passing Russia?s most recognisable icon on the way home along the embankment for some six years now, every time I pass St Basil?s Cathedral, I still gawp and wonder at its chaotic onion-dome confectionary in sheer amazement.
Just how did it come about? Why on earth were such ideas going round in its creator?s head at that time, when architecture in Russia, was of a plainer, far less ambitious kind? What possessed him? Was he tripping on Ecstasy? Are there any other similar buildings around? How has it survived nearly five hundred years intact?
It is really something else, St Basil?s, something quite remarkable, one of the world?s greatest architectural wonders without any doubt. In a strange way, it symbolises the Russian soul: maddeningly illogical, anarchic and yet so beautiful, or perhaps, indescribable, unfathomable. So let?s examine it in detail and find out just what it is all about.
It stands at the south-easterly end of Red Square, the heart of Moscow and the heart of all Russia, dominating the cobbled square, and overlooking the Moscow River and the city beyond. It was built on the site of the former Trinity Cathedral which was named after an adjacent square.
Designed and constructed on the orders of the ruling Tsar, Ivan the Terrible, who wished to celebrate and commemorate his victory over the Tatars, or Golden Horde. As the victory had taken place on the same day as the feast day of the Virgin?s Intercession and as a moat ran beside the Kremlin at the time, he called the cathedral the rather ponderous ?Cathedral of the Intercession of the Mother of God on the Moat?.
Thankfully, it has also since been referred to as St Basil?s, after the enormously popular ?holy fool? Basil the Blessed (1468 ? 1552) who was buried there. The ?fool? often barefoot, sometimes used to roam Moscow naked, even during the depths of winter, preaching the word of God. He was said to have predicted the fires of Moscow in 1547 and that Ivan the Terrible would murder his own son.
There is much confusion as to whether one or two architects were responsible for the design: Research cites the names Barma and Postnik Yakovlev , though some sources say that ?Barma? meaning ?the mumbler? was the nickname for Postnik or Posnik Yakovlev. Whether it was one or two architects, the construction was carried out between 1555 and 1561. Popular legend has it that Ivan the terrible was so impressed by the cathedral once he saw it completed, that he had the (one or) two architects blinded so that they would not be able to build anything again. However, rumour also has it that the architect/s did go on to build another cathedral in the town of Vladimir.
Architectural historians believe that the design was based on Russian wooden church architecture at the time. The mists of history shroud the exact evolution of the cathedral, but records indicate that it was initially white-washed, and only gained its delightful colours and patterns over the ensuing 200 years. Between 1772 ? 84 a metal roof was placed on the cathedral and gold leaf covered the domes according to the prevailing fashion.
You might imagine that it has a cavernous interior perfect for holding solemn mass for a reasonably large crowd, but you would be wrong, as the cathedral is made up of nine separate chapels, each with its own tower. Eight smaller chapels each with an onion dome are united by the dominant spire of the central chapel which symbolises the dominance of the Mother of God over the Orthodox Church and Russia?s territories. The poet Lermontov unforgettably compared the tent-roofed spire?s cupola to ?the cut-glass stopper of an antique carafe?.
Deep religious symbolism permeates the design which is said to represent the New Jerusalem.
On plan, the design reveals an eight-pointed star - eight is a number heavy with meaning in the Orthodox Church. It denotes the day of Christ?s Resurrection, and is a symbol of the Virgin who is depicted with eight-pointed stars which indicate her eternal purity. The eight also represents the eight separate assaults on Kazan.
Inside, the structure is more like a rabbit warren with individual dimly lit chapels leading you on in your exploration. Intricate and ornate frescoes depict an ancient orthodoxy infused with colour and symbolism. The floral designs are picked out in pale 17th century pastels with a naivet?hich seem to confirm the cathedral?s great age. The contrast comes as a little bit of a surprise perhaps because the exterior is so lovingly repaired and maintained on a continual basis, you almost imagine that the exterior was built relatively recently.
Apart from visiting the small chapels and taking in their differing interiors, the visitor can climb a narrow wooden spiral staircase which was hidden until the 1970s and which leads to the marvellous 19th century Baroque iconostasis of the Chapel of the Intercession.
It?s a wonder St Basil?s is still standing. Legend has it that Napoleon wished to transfer the church to Paris, but as there was no technology to dismantle it, he ordered that it should be blown up, along with the Kremlin. It is said that the fuses were already lit but a sudden and of course, miraculous cloudburst put an end to his plan.
How on earth did it survive the Bolshevik years, they who destroyed countless churches in the Kremlin and throughout Moscow and the Soviet Union? How did they leave it standing, this great monument to Christianity which could hardly be ignored?
In the Great October revolution which included the taking of the Kremlin, some damage was done to the cupolas of the cathedral. In 1918, St Basil?s chief priest was shot and church property was confiscated and its bells melted. The cathedral was closed down.
In the 1930s and 1940s Stalin asked his henchmen to come up with a grand plan for the reconstruction of Moscow so that the Bolsheviks could put their stamp on the city and never be forgotten. Several plans were drawn up for buildings to replace St Basil?s including an enormous industrial plant. These were proposed to Stalin but he refused.
Eleanor Roosevelt heard about the plans afoot to demolish the cathedral and offered to buy it and ship it to the US. Her offer was turned down.
At a later stage, when plans were resurrected to demolish it, one brave architect, P Baranovsky, who was ordered to implement plans for its destruction, refused, threatened to kill himself by slitting his throat on the steps of the cathedral, and sent a very sharply-worded telegram to the Politburo. Stalin decided not to demolish it, even though Baranovsky was put in jail for a few years.
Nowadays, the cathedral is often the backdrop for pop concerts on Red Square. Historians and architects complain that the noise and reverberation from speakers could damage the precious building. There is also concern that vibrations from the metro below Red Square could also have negative effects.
It is possible to visit the interior of the church every day except Tuesday from 11am to 5.30pm. Excursions in English are available.
Just how did it come about? Why on earth were such ideas going round in its creator?s head at that time, when architecture in Russia, was of a plainer, far less ambitious kind? What possessed him? Was he tripping on Ecstasy? Are there any other similar buildings around? How has it survived nearly five hundred years intact?
It is really something else, St Basil?s, something quite remarkable, one of the world?s greatest architectural wonders without any doubt. In a strange way, it symbolises the Russian soul: maddeningly illogical, anarchic and yet so beautiful, or perhaps, indescribable, unfathomable. So let?s examine it in detail and find out just what it is all about.
It stands at the south-easterly end of Red Square, the heart of Moscow and the heart of all Russia, dominating the cobbled square, and overlooking the Moscow River and the city beyond. It was built on the site of the former Trinity Cathedral which was named after an adjacent square.
Designed and constructed on the orders of the ruling Tsar, Ivan the Terrible, who wished to celebrate and commemorate his victory over the Tatars, or Golden Horde. As the victory had taken place on the same day as the feast day of the Virgin?s Intercession and as a moat ran beside the Kremlin at the time, he called the cathedral the rather ponderous ?Cathedral of the Intercession of the Mother of God on the Moat?.
Thankfully, it has also since been referred to as St Basil?s, after the enormously popular ?holy fool? Basil the Blessed (1468 ? 1552) who was buried there. The ?fool? often barefoot, sometimes used to roam Moscow naked, even during the depths of winter, preaching the word of God. He was said to have predicted the fires of Moscow in 1547 and that Ivan the Terrible would murder his own son.
There is much confusion as to whether one or two architects were responsible for the design: Research cites the names Barma and Postnik Yakovlev , though some sources say that ?Barma? meaning ?the mumbler? was the nickname for Postnik or Posnik Yakovlev. Whether it was one or two architects, the construction was carried out between 1555 and 1561. Popular legend has it that Ivan the terrible was so impressed by the cathedral once he saw it completed, that he had the (one or) two architects blinded so that they would not be able to build anything again. However, rumour also has it that the architect/s did go on to build another cathedral in the town of Vladimir.
Architectural historians believe that the design was based on Russian wooden church architecture at the time. The mists of history shroud the exact evolution of the cathedral, but records indicate that it was initially white-washed, and only gained its delightful colours and patterns over the ensuing 200 years. Between 1772 ? 84 a metal roof was placed on the cathedral and gold leaf covered the domes according to the prevailing fashion.
You might imagine that it has a cavernous interior perfect for holding solemn mass for a reasonably large crowd, but you would be wrong, as the cathedral is made up of nine separate chapels, each with its own tower. Eight smaller chapels each with an onion dome are united by the dominant spire of the central chapel which symbolises the dominance of the Mother of God over the Orthodox Church and Russia?s territories. The poet Lermontov unforgettably compared the tent-roofed spire?s cupola to ?the cut-glass stopper of an antique carafe?.
Deep religious symbolism permeates the design which is said to represent the New Jerusalem.
On plan, the design reveals an eight-pointed star - eight is a number heavy with meaning in the Orthodox Church. It denotes the day of Christ?s Resurrection, and is a symbol of the Virgin who is depicted with eight-pointed stars which indicate her eternal purity. The eight also represents the eight separate assaults on Kazan.
Inside, the structure is more like a rabbit warren with individual dimly lit chapels leading you on in your exploration. Intricate and ornate frescoes depict an ancient orthodoxy infused with colour and symbolism. The floral designs are picked out in pale 17th century pastels with a naivet?hich seem to confirm the cathedral?s great age. The contrast comes as a little bit of a surprise perhaps because the exterior is so lovingly repaired and maintained on a continual basis, you almost imagine that the exterior was built relatively recently.
Apart from visiting the small chapels and taking in their differing interiors, the visitor can climb a narrow wooden spiral staircase which was hidden until the 1970s and which leads to the marvellous 19th century Baroque iconostasis of the Chapel of the Intercession.
It?s a wonder St Basil?s is still standing. Legend has it that Napoleon wished to transfer the church to Paris, but as there was no technology to dismantle it, he ordered that it should be blown up, along with the Kremlin. It is said that the fuses were already lit but a sudden and of course, miraculous cloudburst put an end to his plan.
How on earth did it survive the Bolshevik years, they who destroyed countless churches in the Kremlin and throughout Moscow and the Soviet Union? How did they leave it standing, this great monument to Christianity which could hardly be ignored?
In the Great October revolution which included the taking of the Kremlin, some damage was done to the cupolas of the cathedral. In 1918, St Basil?s chief priest was shot and church property was confiscated and its bells melted. The cathedral was closed down.
In the 1930s and 1940s Stalin asked his henchmen to come up with a grand plan for the reconstruction of Moscow so that the Bolsheviks could put their stamp on the city and never be forgotten. Several plans were drawn up for buildings to replace St Basil?s including an enormous industrial plant. These were proposed to Stalin but he refused.
Eleanor Roosevelt heard about the plans afoot to demolish the cathedral and offered to buy it and ship it to the US. Her offer was turned down.
At a later stage, when plans were resurrected to demolish it, one brave architect, P Baranovsky, who was ordered to implement plans for its destruction, refused, threatened to kill himself by slitting his throat on the steps of the cathedral, and sent a very sharply-worded telegram to the Politburo. Stalin decided not to demolish it, even though Baranovsky was put in jail for a few years.
Nowadays, the cathedral is often the backdrop for pop concerts on Red Square. Historians and architects complain that the noise and reverberation from speakers could damage the precious building. There is also concern that vibrations from the metro below Red Square could also have negative effects.
It is possible to visit the interior of the church every day except Tuesday from 11am to 5.30pm. Excursions in English are available.
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