Saint Basil's Cathedral

About this place

Saint Basil's Cathedral is a Russian Orthodox church on Red Square in central Moscow and one of Russia's most popular cultural symbols. It is now a museum, officially called the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat. It is known for its bright onion domes and a shape likened to the flame of a bonfire rising into the sky. It was built from 1555 to 1561 on the orders of Ivan the Terrible, to mark the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan, and it was completed with its colours in 1683. The original building had eight chapels around a ninth at the centre. A tenth was added in 1588 over the grave of the local saint Vasily, or Basil, which gave the common name. It shares the UNESCO listing with the square. You stand before nine different domes, each with its own pattern in green, red, blue and yellow, with a pointed tent roof at the centre. Beneath them are red brick walls with white decoration. In front is a bronze statue of Minin and Pozharsky. From the Moskva River side you see the whole building above a green slope, its finest view. Red Square is a few steps away, and the Kremlin under half a kilometre in a straight line. The inner passages are narrow and can get crowded in summer. Dress modestly, as services are still sometimes held, and ask about photo rules. The building changes with the light, so see it in both morning and evening if you can. The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Russia, and non-Russian bank cards may not work, so read the current advice before you plan.