When was St. Basil's Cathedral built? Intercession Cathedral (St. Basil's Cathedral)

20.09.2019

They freeze in admiration when they see St. Basil's Cathedral, unrivaled in its beauty, next to the Kremlin. This monument Russian history and culture with its colorful painted domes has long become an integral part of the capital of Russia and its symbol. The official name of this attraction is the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Moat. Until the 17th century, the cathedral was called Trinity, since the originally built wooden church was dedicated to the Holy Trinity. Currently, the cathedral is included in the list of world cultural heritage and is protected by UNESCO.

History of the construction of St. Basil's Cathedral.

The order for the construction of the Intercession Cathedral was given by Ivan the Terrible in honor of the victory over the Kazan Khanate and the storming of the impregnable Kazan fortress. This event took place on the Feast of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in honor of which the temple was named. Construction began in 1555 and was completed six years later. Reliable information about the architects who built the cathedral has not been preserved. Most researchers are inclined to believe that this is the work of the Pskov master Postnik Yakovlev, who had the nickname Barma.

After the addition of St. Basil's Church to the existing churches in 1588, the cathedral acquired its name. According to the author's plan, the ensemble of temples was a symbol of Heavenly Jerusalem. To replace the burnt church coverings at the end XVI century the familiar to our eyes figured domes appeared.

In the 80s of the 17th century, porches decorated with tents were erected over the stairs leading to the temple, and the open gallery surrounding the cathedral acquired vaults. In painting the surface of the gallery, the masters used herbal motifs, and during the restoration work the first half of the 19th century centuries, a cast-iron fence was installed around the cathedral.

Since the first days of Soviet power, St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow has been under state protection, although until 1923 it was in disrepair. After the creation of a historical and architectural museum there, major construction work was done and collections were completed. On May 21, 1923, the first visitors crossed its threshold. Since 1928 it has been a branch of the State historical museum. At the end of 1929, the bells were removed from the temple and services were prohibited. During the Great Patriotic War, the museum was closed, but after its end and regular restoration activities, the museum reopened its doors to visitors. The beginning of the 90s of the 20th century was marked by the resumption of church services in the temple. Since that time, the cathedral has been jointly used by the museum and the Russian Orthodox Church.

The height of St. Basil's Cathedral is 65 meters. But, despite this modest figure, the beauty of the cathedral leaves no one indifferent. Due to the fact that its ensemble includes nine churches built on a common foundation, it is included in the list of the largest cathedrals in the world in terms of volume. The uniqueness of the temple is that it does not have a clearly defined main entrance. When you first enter the temple, you can get confused about its layout. But, if you look at it from a bird's eye view, or at its drawing (top view), placed on the wall of one of the churches, everything becomes clear and understandable.

Church of St. Basil's Cathedral.

In the center of the complex there is a pillar-shaped church, consecrated in honor of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The central exits of the main temples surrounding it face the four cardinal directions. Between them, smaller churches were erected, completing the composition. When looking at the entire ensemble from above, you can clearly see two squares turned to each other at an angle and forming a regular eight-pointed star, symbolizing the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The sides of the squares themselves, in addition to the four ends of the life-giving cross, meant the firmness of faith. And the unification of churches around the Pillar Temple symbolizes the unity of faith and God's protection, spread over Russia. The bell tower, built in 1670, is located a little further away.

Cache in the temple.

Another feature of the unique ensemble is the absence of basements. It was erected on a basement - a complex of premises, the height of the walls of which exceeds six meters, and the thickness reaches more than three meters. There are special openings in its walls that serve to create a constant microclimate in the premises, independent of the time of year. In ancient times, the basement was used as a secret storage for church valuables and the royal treasury. The hiding place could only be accessed from the second floor of the central cathedral via a secret staircase located in the wall. Now there is a storage facility for icons that belong to the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is on the Moat. The oldest of them is the image of St. Basil, dating from the end of the 16th century.

The entire ensemble is surrounded by a covered bypass gallery, which has long become one with it. Like the inner bypass, it is painted with grass and floral pattern dating back to the 17th century. Their floors are lined with bricks, partly with herringbone masonry, and some areas with a special “rosette” pattern. Interestingly, bricks preserved from the sixteenth century are more resistant to abrasion than those used in restoration work.

St. Basil's Cathedral inside.

The interior decoration of all the nine temples that make up the complex is not similar to one another and differs in the style of painting, color scheme and in the manner of its execution. Some of the walls are decorated with oil paintings, and some still have frescoes dating back to the sixteenth century. The main wealth of the cathedral is its unique iconostasis, which contains more than four hundred priceless icons dating back to the period of the 16th-19th centuries and belonging to the brushes of Moscow and Novgorod masters.

After the return of the temple to the fold of the Orthodox Church, which occurred on the bright holiday of the Intercession, the museum began to resume the collection of bells. Today you can see nineteen exhibits representing masterpieces of foundry art. The “oldest” of them was cast five years before the capture of Kazan, and the youngest turns twenty years old in 2016. You can see with your own eyes the armor and weapons with which Ivan the Terrible’s troops attacked the Kazan Kremlin.

In addition to unique icons, inside St. Basil's Cathedral you can see paintings by Russian masters of portraiture and landscape painting nineteenth century. The pride of the museum exhibition is the collection of ancient handwritten and first-printed books. You can view all the priceless exhibits of the museum and wander around the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin as part of a group excursion, or order an individual visit. It should be remembered that you can take photos and videos by making a separate payment through the museum’s cash desk. Between the basement and the second floor of the temple there are shops where you can buy souvenirs.

Kazan Cathedral on Red Square

Rector: Archpriest Nikolai Inozemtsev.

Address: Moscow, Nikolskaya street, 3.

Phones: headman 698-27-26; candle box 698-19-96; church house 698-27-01.

The Department of City Property of the City of Moscow issued an order dated 05/04/2016 No. 10717 on the transfer of ownership to the Russian Orthodox Church buildings of the Kazan Cathedral on Red Square, located at: Moscow, st. Nikolskaya, 3. The building is the object of the restoration reconstruction of “Kazan Cathedral. Recreation, 1993, architect. O.I. Zhurin, G.Ya. Mokeev." The cathedral was restored on the preserved foundations of the first quarter of the 17th century.

TEMPLE-MONUMENT

The first wooden temple of the Kazan icon Mother of God on Nikolskaya Street was built under the care of Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, according to various sources, in 1625 or 1630.

The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is one of the most revered images among the Russian people. According to legend, the miraculous salvation of Russia from the Polish invasion in 1612 is associated with this icon. In gratitude for ridding the country of foreign invaders and in memory of the Russian soldiers who died in this war, Prince Dmitry Pozharsky decided at lunch to establish a temple on Nikolskaya Street. However, in 1635 the church burned down.

The stone cathedral was erected at the expense of the first tsar of the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich. And it was consecrated in 1636.

By the 1650s, a new porch and bell tower were built, at the end of the 17th century - a front porch with a dome, and in 1690 - a fence. Updated in 1760, 1805, 1825, 1865. In 1801 the old one was broken down and in 1805 a new two-tier (from 1865 - three-tier) bell tower was built. In 1812, the temple was damaged by the explosion of the Kremlin's Nikolskaya Tower by retreating Napoleonic troops. In 1865, the facades were decorated in classic style(architect N.I. Kozlovsky). In 1873, new interior painting was done.

In the 1920s it was captured by renovationists. Restored with funds church community in 1925-1033 (architect P. D. Baranovsky). Closed in 1930. After the cathedral was closed, the temple image - the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God - disappeared. It was demolished in 1936 (P.D. Baranovsky managed to take measurements and photograph it before the destruction of the temple). On the site of the cathedral there was a pavilion in honor of the Third International, and later a city toilet.

Restored in 1989-1993 based on surviving measurements and data archaeological excavations(architect O.I. Zhurin, G.Ya. Mokeev) at the expense of the Moscow City Hall and donations from citizens. Consecrated on November 4, 1993. The shrine is the especially revered Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.

The main altar is the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The northern aisle is of St. Gury, Archbishop of Kazan, and St. Barsanuphius, Bishop of Tver, the southern aisle is of the Hieromartyrs Hermogenes and Tikhon, Patriarchs of Moscow and All Rus'.

The Kazan Cathedral represents a characteristic of the first half XVI 1st century type of square, pillarless, single-domed church with a hill of kokoshniks, probably dating back to the old cathedral Donskoy Monastery. Among the churches of the Moscow suburb, the Church of St. Nicholas the Revealed on Arbat belonged to this type. Temple with three sides surrounded by open galleries that lead to the hipped bell tower at the northwestern corner and to the northeastern aisle of Averky of Hierapolis.

According to the remark of the Soviet architectural historian P. A. Rappoport, the arrangement of kokoshniks and especially the combination of large kokoshniks with small ones revealed the desire of Russian architects to enrich a bright, major composition with more detailed details - a harbinger of the onset of the “patterned” era.

REVIVAL OF THE KAZAN CATHEDRAL ON RED SQUARE

On November 4, 1990, on the autumn holiday of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, with an unprecedentedly large crowd of people on Moscow’s Red Square, the foundation stone ceremony of the Kazan Cathedral, which was being recreated more than half a century after its barbaric destruction in 1936, took place. His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II performed a prayer service on the open ancient foundations of the cathedral church. The very place of the throne was marked with a wooden Cross and a memorial plaque, and into the small chapel built at the confluence of Nikolskaya Street and Red Square, an image of the Virgin Mary, painted modern master Archimandrite Zeno especially for the restored temple. The sounds of majestic chants spread far around " Zealous Intercessor, Mother of the Lord Most High..." and the ringing of bells on the improvised belfry marked the opening new page history of the Kazan temple, the beginning of its second birth...

The restoration of the cathedral Temple-monument on the main square of the country cannot be considered as a task of a purely architectural-artistic or historical-urban planning plan (although the ensemble of Red Square, dating back more than one century, was significantly depleted after the demolition of the cathedral). The Kazan Cathedral played a very special role in the life of Moscow (and all of Russia!) and stood out, first of all, for its exceptional church-wide, historical and memorial significance, as the main monument of the liberation war of the Time of Troubles. The Kazan Cathedral can be placed on a par with the cathedrals of the Moscow Kremlin, St. Basil's Cathedral and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior - the greatest monuments of the persistent sovereign power of the Russian people, a power rooted in Orthodoxy and fed from this exalting source of Faith.

The Kazan Cathedral invariably served as a receptacle for a particularly revered national shrine - the Kazan Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, this victorious banner of the militia of Minin and Pozharsky, the defender of the Russian Land. Built in honor of the miraculous image of the Mother of God, the Cathedral-monument testified to the deep faith of our ancestors in the saving sovereign Veil " Mother of the Lord Most High"over Russia, about the nationwide grateful prayerful memory and veneration of the Diligent Intercessor, who showed God's mercy in times of trial. The cathedral-monument was, undoubtedly, a school of fidelity to the covenants of Orthodoxy.

Initiator of the re-creation of the Council in the name of the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary " Kazansky", The Moscow city branch of VOOPiK (MGO VOOPiK), of course, sought not only to restore its former beauty, but also to pay tribute to the memory of the feat of the ancestors who stood firmly " For Holy Rus', for the House of the Blessed Virgin Mary", calling - in the name of a new cleansing and revival of the native Fatherland - for the help of the Heavenly Intercessor... This initiative was supported by the Moscow Government and received the blessing His Holiness Patriarch Alexia II.

We bring to your attention: Word of His Holiness the Patriarch on the consecration of the Cathedral

St. Basil's Cathedral is a chapel of the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is one of the eight churches surrounding the central cathedral. Although the official name of the shrine of the Russian Orthodox Church is the Cathedral of the Intercession, for believers and those interested in religious architectural monuments, it is known as St. Basil's Cathedral. You can understand the symbolism of the temple and its significance for Russia and the Russian people by considering the history of the emergence of the unique cathedral and the churches attached to it.

Background to the construction of the cathedral

St. Basil's Cathedral is not the first construction of a religious shrine to arise in Moscow in the 16th century. Initially, wooden churches were built in honor of saints or Orthodox holidays, falling on the day of some military event on Kazan land, when Tsar Ivan the Terrible fought the Tatar invasion. One of the great battles, which took place on October 2, 1552, ended with a complete victory over the Kazan Khanate and the annexation of the city’s lands to the Orthodox city of Moscow.

This date (October 1) falls on the religious holiday of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which gave rise to the construction of a cathedral in memory of the final victory, which was consecrated in honor of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary. But the day of the campaign and victory itself coincided with another Orthodox day - the veneration of Saints Cyprian and Justina.

By decree of Ivan the Terrible, it was decided to combine all the camp churches erected on Red Square earlier and the new temple into a cathedral, which should become stone. But upon returning to Moscow, a wooden cathedral with seven chapels was built. It was consecrated in the name of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. Only a year later the wooden buildings were dismantled and the construction of a stone church began, but it still had nothing to do with the name of St. Basil.

Reasons for the founding of the temple

St. Basil's Cathedral, among other buildings of the Intercession Church, appeared only in 1588 and became the 9th church of a unique monument Orthodox faith. The reasons for the construction of St. Basil's Cathedral were the events that took place during the reign of Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible and his son Fyodor Ivanovich. According to legends, Vasily was a holy fool and collected alms on Red Square, from which he fed and lived. He dressed in rags or went without any clothes even in the bitter cold. He wore chains as a symbol of repentance and sacrificing himself for the sake of Christ. He had the gift of healing and foresight, as evidenced by various legends or descriptions of his life.

Ivan the Terrible treated the holy fool with special respect and after his death, the date of which is twofold (1552 or 1557), permission was given to bury the body near the walls of the Intercession Church. According to chronicle documents, several years after the death of Basil, several healings were recorded from his relics, which was the reason for erecting a shrine made of precious metal with expensive stones over the grave of St. Basil and building a church, which was consecrated in honor of this saint.

Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich set the date for the veneration of the name of St. Basil - August 2, the day of the miraculous healing.

Unlike other churches that were part of the ensemble of churches of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Basil's Cathedral was an independent building and had a separate entrance.

There are two versions of the reasons for the construction of a multi-aisle temple:

The Intercession Cathedral was supposed to become a semblance of the Vlachensky Monastery, in which the miracle of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos was revealed. It has a seven-tower shape. The Intercession Cathedral in Moscow was supposed to commemorate the ideology of the state of that time, that Moscow is the Third Rome.
The idea of a multi-aisled cathedral was proposed by Metropolitan Macarius, who wanted to build another city in the center of Moscow, symbolizing Jerusalem, so to speak, a city within a city, which also echoed the concept of the Third Rome. The Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos is the Heavenly Jerusalem and it must be indivisible, which is why all the buildings were erected on a single foundation.

Regardless of what idea caused the creation of a religious shrine, it is a unique object Orthodox architecture, which still inspires admiration among people.

How the cathedral was built: versions

There are several versions about the construction of the cathedral, the ensemble of buildings of which includes St. Basil's Cathedral, who is the architect of the project and what their fate was after the completion of the work.

One version suggests that Ivan the Terrible invited an architect from Pskov to implement his idea. His name was Postnik Yakovlev, but the people had the nickname Barma. This indicates that one person created the design of the Intercession Church and supervised its construction.
The second version comes down to the fact that Postnik and Barma are two different people, who together brought the idea of a multi-altar cathedral to life.
The third version has nothing to do with Postnik or Barma. It is assumed that the author of the project was a European architect, presumably Italian. The style of the temple is very similar to the motifs of the Moscow Kremlin, the construction of which was carried out by the European architect. But there is no documentary evidence of this version.

Changes in architecture and design

The modern appearance of St. Basil's Cathedral (the official name is the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary) differs in many ways from the cathedral built in the mid-16th century. Changes in style and architecture occurred due to frequent fires and the desire to make the cathedral more convenient to use.

Initially, the appearance of all buildings was strict, but immediately elegant. The walls were painted with frescoes and designs imitating brickwork to give the cathedral greater majesty.

The churches did not have porches. St. Basil's Cathedral was not included in the project and was not built simultaneously with other chapels. The bell tower stood separately and had a different shape.

The central cathedral in a tented style, surrounded by small churches in honor of significant dates The Kazan campaign was a kind of memorial monument and did not require a special style.

Until 1588, the cathedral did not have a single heated room, which excluded the possibility of holding services during the cold period. St. Basil's Cathedral became the first heated building, which attracted pilgrims and believers all year round to the Moscow shrine. The temple worked around the clock and hosted traveling people for the night. This point may have contributed to the fact that the cathedral became known precisely by the name of St. Basil's Cathedral, and not the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos.

16th century modifications

Due to frequent fires in Moscow, the wooden tops of churches burned down. Once again it was decided to change the shape of the temple heads. They were made figured and covered with iron.

From the inside, all the rooms of the cathedral were united by labyrinths of passages, allowing servants to move freely from one room to another. The area of the churches themselves was so small that they were compared to cells. IN big holidays services were held on Red Square, because not a single church could accommodate everyone.

How the temple changed in the 17th century

Significant changes occurred only in the 17th century. A hipped bell tower was added to the ensemble of the cathedral in 1670. The cathedral received a new coloring in the form of a motley ornament. To the cathedral of eight chapels and St. Basil's Cathedral, several more churches were added, which had to be removed from Red Square due to their disrepair. According to the inventory of dilapidations of 1688, there is information that 20 thrones were attached to the Intercession Cathedral.

In addition to moving the existing churches, in 1672 a chapel was added over the grave of another Moscow holy fool named John, who died in 1589 and was buried on the territory of the cathedral.

By 1680, the cathedral had been significantly updated due to the fact that open-type wooden galleries were replaced by brick ones with a closed top, which made it possible to move around the perimeter of the cathedral in any weather and protected the churches and St. Basil's Cathedral from destruction by fires. Outside and inside, the walls of the gallery and other rooms were painted with herbal patterns, which added more elegance to the religious shrine.

Inscriptions about the date of completion of the restoration (1683) were applied to ceramic tiles and placed on the walls of the cathedral.

Fire and recovery

The Trinity Fire in Moscow in 1737 did not spare the church, which burned down almost 100%. But a decision was made to restore the temple. Work on the interior and architecture of the cathedral was entrusted to Ivan Michurin, who compiled detailed plan and a description of the Intercession Cathedral at the time of restoration.

New work to repair and change the architecture of the cathedral was carried out in 1784–1786 with the assistance of Catherine the Second, who allocated impressive funds for the renovation of the cathedral.

St. Basil's Cathedral, which received a covered porch due to the abolition of the throne of the Theodosius Church from the northern facade of the Intercession Cathedral, also came under alteration.

During this period, the exterior of the cathedral had nothing in common with modern look because it wasn't banned street vending. Bookstores and the Apple Row completely covered the walls of the cathedral. Only Alexander the First resolved the issue with inappropriate buildings and transformed the area around the cathedral with the help of wild stone and iron lattice.

XIX - early XX centuries and their influence

Left its mark on the cathedral history XIX-XX centuries. At first, Napoleon attempted to destroy the shrine because he was amazed by the unique construction and wanted to destroy the Orthodox core of Russia. Attempts to blow up all the churches and St. Basil's Cathedral were in vain, but church utensils were stolen and the premises were desecrated. This led to a new stage of restoration work in the cathedral, which made it possible to preserve the shrine to this day.

Regular restoration work was carried out in the temple in 1890 and 1912:

strengthened the floors;
The cathedral sacristy was renovated, decorating its windows with colored stained glass.

Foundation of the museum in the 19th–20th centuries

The beginning of the 20th century was marked for the Intercession Cathedral by the fact that in 1918 it was taken under state protection as historical site national and global scale. Services in some churches have stopped completely. The process of transitioning the cathedral to the status of a museum began.

In 1923, it was decided to house a historical and architectural museum in the premises under the leadership of E. I. Silin, who was a researcher at the State Historical Museum.

In 1928, the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary (popularly St. Basil's) received the status of a branch of the State Historical Museum, which has survived to this day.

Until 1949, the cathedral was research papers, which opened underground passages connecting the temple with the Kremlin. The functional significance of some rooms located in the basement of the cathedral was revealed.

Since 1991, St. Basil's Cathedral has been under the joint guardianship of the State Historical Museum and the Russian Orthodox Church.

Current state of the temple

Today the cathedral has been completely restored and is functioning, combining the functions of a museum and a place for worship on Sundays and Easter.

In 2008, the Intercession Cathedral received the status of one of the seven wonders of Russia, and in 2017 it was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, being a unique architectural monument and the pride of Russian Orthodoxy.

St. Basil's Cathedral, or the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Mother of God on the Moat, as its canonical full name sounds, was built on Red Square in 1555-1561. This cathedral is rightfully considered one of the main symbols not only of Moscow, but of all of Russia.

In the place where the cathedral now stands, in the 16th century there stood the stone Trinity Church, “which is on the Moat.” There really was a defensive ditch here, stretching along the entire Kremlin wall along Red Square. This ditch was filled in only in 1813. Now in its place is a Soviet necropolis and Mausoleum.

Ivan the Terrible, who personally led the army in the campaign to conquer the Kazan and Astrakhan kingdoms in 1552, vowed, in the event of victory, to build a grandiose temple in Moscow on Red Square in memory of this. While the war was going on, in honor of each major victory, a small wooden church was erected next to the Trinity Church in honor of the saint on whose day the victory was won. When Russian army returned to Moscow in triumph, Ivan the Terrible made a decision on the site of the eight wooden churches put one large stone one - for centuries.

In 1552, he was buried near the stone Trinity Church blessed Basil, who died on August 2 (according to other sources, he died not in 1552, but in 1551). Moscow “Fool for Christ’s sake” Vasily was born in 1469 in the village of Elokhov, and from his youth was endowed with the gift of clairvoyance; he predicted the terrible fire of Moscow in 1547, which destroyed almost the entire capital. Ivan the Terrible revered and even feared the blessed one. The legend said that Vasily himself collected money from the floor for the future Church of the Intercession, brought it to Red Square and threw it across right shoulder- nickel to nickel, kopeck to kopeck, and no one, not even thieves, touched these coins. After the death of St. Basil, he was buried in the cemetery at the Trinity Church (probably by order of the Tsar), with great honors. And soon the grandiose construction of a new Intercession Cathedral began here, where the relics of Vasily were later transferred, at whose grave miraculous healings began to take place.

There is a lot of controversy about the builder (or builders) of St. Basil's Cathedral. It was traditionally believed that Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of the masters Barma and Postnik Yakovlev, but many researchers now agree that it was one person - Ivan Yakovlevich Barma, nicknamed Postnik.

St. Basil's Church. Lithograph of Bichebois

There is a legend that after construction, Grozny ordered the masters to be blinded so that they could no longer build anything like that, but this is nothing more than a legend, since the documents indicate that after the construction of the Cathedral of the Intercession on the Moat, master Postnik “according to the Barma” (t .e., nicknamed Barma) built the Kazan Kremlin.

The ground around St. Basil's Cathedral seemed to be covered with felt, since barbers sat around the temple for a long time. They cut their hair, but never removed it, so the layer of hair that had accumulated here over the years made it look like felt.

St. Basil's Cathedral consists of nine churches on one foundation. The central altar of the temple is dedicated to the Feast of the Intercession of the Mother of God. It was on this day that the wall of the Kazan fortress was destroyed by an explosion and the city was taken.

The design of the Intercession Cathedral is based on the apocalyptic symbolism of the Heavenly Jerusalem. Eight chapters located around the central ninth tent form a geometric figure of two squares placed at an angle of 45 degrees, in which it is easy to see an eight-pointed star.

The number 8 symbolizes the day of the Resurrection of Christ, which according to the Hebrew calendar was the eighth day, and the coming Kingdom of Heaven - the Kingdom of the “eighth century” (or “eighth kingdom”), which will come after the Second Coming of Christ - after the end of earthly history associated with the apocalyptic number 7.

The square expresses the firmness and constancy of faith and is a cosmic symbol of the Universe: its four equal sides mean the four cardinal directions, the four winds of the Universe, the four ends of the cross, the four canonical Gospels, the four evangelist apostles, the four equilateral walls of Heavenly Jerusalem. The combined squares symbolize the preaching of the Gospels to the four cardinal directions, that is, to the whole world.

Eight-pointed star - a reminder of Star of Bethlehem, who showed the Magi the way to the infant Christ, the Savior of the world, symbolizes the entire Christian Church as a guiding star in human life to the Heavenly Jerusalem. The eight-pointed star is also a symbol of the Most Holy Theotokos - the Lady of the Church and the Queen of Heaven: in Orthodox iconography, the Mother of God is depicted in a maforia (veil) with three eight-pointed stars on her shoulders and on her forehead as a sign of Her Eternal Virginity - before, during and after the Nativity of Christ.

There are only 10 domes. Nine domes over the temple (According to the number of thrones: the Intercession of the Virgin Mary (central), Holy Trinity (eastern), Entrance to Jerusalem (western), Gregory of Armenia (north-western), Alexander of Svirsky (south) -east), Barlaam of Khutyn (south-west), John the Merciful (formerly John, Paul and Alexander of Constantinople) (north-east), Nicholas the Wonderworker of Velikoretsky (south), Adrian and Natalia (formerly Cyprian and Justina) (northern)) plus one dome over the bell tower. (In the old days, St. Basil's Cathedral had 25 domes, representing the Lord and 24 elders sitting at His throne).

The cathedral consists of eight churches, the altars of which were consecrated in honor of the holidays that occurred during the decisive battles for Kazan: Trinity, in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (in honor of his Velikoretskaya icon from Vyatka), Entry into Jerusalem, in honor of the martyr. Adrian and Natalia (originally - in honor of St. Cyprian and Justina - October 2), St. John the Merciful (before XVIII - in honor of St. Paul, Alexander and John of Constantinople - November 6), Alexander of Svir (April 17 and August 30), Varlaam of Khutyn (November 6 and the 1st Friday of Peter's Lent), Gregory of Armenia (September 30 ).

All these eight churches (four axial, four smaller ones between them) are crowned with onion domes and grouped around the ninth pillar-shaped church rising above them in honor of the Intercession of the Mother of God, completed with a tent with a small dome. All nine churches are united by a common base, a bypass (originally open) gallery and internal vaulted passages.

In 1588, a chapel was added to the cathedral from the northeast, consecrated in honor of St. Basil. The bell tower was added to the cathedral only in 1670.

The height of St. Basil's Cathedral is 65 meters. In 1737, the Church of the Intercession was badly damaged by fire and was restored, and the altars of fifteen churches from Red Square were moved under its arches. In the second half of the 18th century, under Catherine II, the cathedral was reconstructed: 16 small chapters around the towers were demolished, preserving the octal symbolism at the base, and the hipped bell tower was connected to the cathedral building. At the same time, the cathedral acquired a modern multi-colored coloring and became a real Moscow miracle.

According to legend, Napoleon wanted to transfer the Moscow miracle to Paris, but for now the horses of the French army were stationed in the temple. The technology of that time turned out to be powerless against this task, and then, before the retreat of the French army, he ordered the temple to be blown up along with the Kremlin. Muscovites tried to extinguish the lit wicks, and suddenly pouring torrential rain helped stop the explosion.

In 1929, the cathedral was closed and transferred to the Historical Museum. In 1936, Pyotr Dmitrievich Baranovsky was called and offered to take measurements of the Church of the Intercession on the Moat so that it could be demolished. The temple, according to the authorities, interfered with the movement of cars on Red Square... Baranovsky, telling officials that the demolition of the cathedral was madness and a crime, promised to immediately commit suicide if this happened. After this, Baranovsky was immediately arrested. When it was liberated six months later, the cathedral continued to stand in its place...

There are many legends about how the cathedral was preserved. The most popular is the story of how Kaganovich, presenting to Stalin a project for the reconstruction of Red Square for the convenience of holding parades and demonstrations, removed a model of St. Basil's Cathedral from the square, to which Stalin commanded him: “Lazarus, put it in its place!” This seemed to decide the fate of the unique monument...

One way or another, St. Basil's Cathedral, having survived everyone who tried to destroy it, remained standing on Red Square. In 1923-1949, large-scale research was carried out in it, which made it possible to restore the original appearance of the gallery. In 1954-1955, the cathedral was again painted “brick-like” as in the 16th century.

In the 70s, during restoration, a spiral wooden staircase was discovered in the wall. Museum visitors now take it to the central temple, where they can see a magnificent tent soaring into the sky, a valuable iconostasis, and walk through the narrow labyrinth of the internal gallery, entirely painted with marvelous patterns.

In November 1990, the first all-night vigil and liturgy were held in the church, and its bells rang at the consecration of the Kazan Cathedral. On the patronal feast of the Intercession, October 13-14, a service is held here.

The cathedral houses a branch of the Historical Museum, and the flow of tourists there never ends. Since 1990, services have sometimes been held there, but the rest of the time it is still a museum. The museum contains 19 bells that were cast back in 1547 by famous craftsmen. In addition to the bells, in the cathedral you will see a huge collection of weapons that Ivan the Terrible collected during his lifetime.

№ 7710342000 State good Website Official site Cathedral of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the Moat (St. Basil's Cathedral) on Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 55°45′08.88″ n. w. / 37°37′23″ E. d. 55.752467° s. w.55.752467 , 37.623056

37.623056° E. d.(G) (O) (I) Cathedral of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the Moat, also called St. Basil's Cathedral- an Orthodox church located on the Red Square of Kitai-Gorod in Moscow. Wide

famous monument

Russian architecture. Until the 17th century, it was usually called Trinity, since the original wooden church was dedicated to the Holy Trinity; was also known as “Jerusalem”, which is associated both with the dedication of one of the chapels and with the procession of the cross to it from the Assumption Cathedral on Palm Sunday with the “procession on the donkey” of the Patriarch.

Status

The Intercession Cathedral is one of the most famous landmarks in Russia. For many, it is a symbol of Moscow, Russian Federation. Since 1931, in front of the cathedral there has been a bronze Monument to Minin and Pozharsky (installed on Red Square in 1818).

Story

Versions about creation

The Pokrovsky Cathedral was built in 1920 by order of Ivan the Terrible in memory of the capture of Kazan and the victory over the Kazan Khanate. There are several versions about the creators of the cathedral. According to one version, the architect was the famous Pskov master Postnik Yakovlev, nicknamed Barma. According to another, widely known version, Barma and Postnik are two different architects, both participating in the construction; this version is now outdated. According to the third version, the cathedral was built by an unknown Western European master (presumably an Italian, as before - a significant part of the buildings of the Moscow Kremlin), hence the unique style, combining the traditions of both Russian architecture and European architecture of the Renaissance, but this version is still I never found any clear documentary evidence.

According to legend, the architect(s) of the cathedral were blinded by order of Ivan the Terrible so that they could not build another similar temple. However, if the author of the cathedral is Postnik, then he could not have been blinded, since for several years after the construction of the cathedral he participated in the creation of the Kazan Kremlin.

The cathedral at the end of the 16th - 19th centuries.

in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (in honor of his Velikoretskaya icon from Vyatka),
in honor of the torment. Adrian and Natalia (originally - in honor of St. Cyprian and Justina - October 2),
St. John the Merciful (until XVIII - in honor of St. Paul, Alexander and John of Constantinople - November 6),
Alexander Svirsky (April 17 and August 30),
Varlaam Khutynsky (November 6 and 1st Friday of Peter's Lent),
Gregory of Armenia (September 30).

All of these eight churches (four axial, four smaller ones between them) are crowned with onion-shaped domes and grouped around the ninth pillar-shaped church towering above them in honor of the Intercession of the Mother of God, completed by a tent with a small dome. All nine churches are united by a common base, a bypass (originally open) gallery and internal vaulted passages.

First floor

Podklet

“Our Lady of the Sign” in the basement

There are no basements in the Intercession Cathedral. Churches and galleries stand on a single foundation - a basement, consisting of several rooms. The strong brick walls of the basement (up to 3 m thick) are covered with vaults. The height of the premises is about 6.5 m.

The design of the northern basement is unique for the 16th century. Its long box vault has no supporting pillars. The walls are cut with narrow holes - by the spirits. Together with the “breathable” building material - brick - they provide a special indoor microclimate at any time of the year.

Previously, the basement premises were inaccessible to parishioners. The deep niches in it were used as storage. They were closed with doors, the hinges of which are now preserved.

Until 1595, the royal treasury was hidden in the basement. Wealthy townspeople also brought their property here.

One entered the basement from the upper central Church of the Intercession of Our Lady via an internal white stone staircase. Only the initiated knew about it. Later this narrow passage was blocked. However, during the restoration process of the 1930s. a secret staircase was discovered.

In the basement there are icons of the Intercession Cathedral. The oldest of them is the icon of St. St. Basil's at the end of the 16th century, written specifically for the Intercession Cathedral.

The icon “Our Lady of the Sign” is a replica of the façade icon located on the eastern wall of the cathedral. Written in the 1780s. In the XVIII-XIX centuries. The icon was located above the entrance to the chapel of St. Basil the Blessed.

Church of St. Basil the Blessed

Canopy over the tomb of St. Basil the Blessed

The lower church was added to the cathedral in 1588 over the burial place of St. St. Basil's. A stylized inscription on the wall tells about the construction of this church after the canonization of the saint by order of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich.

The temple is cubic in shape, covered with a cross vault and crowned with a small light drum with a dome. The roof of the church is made in the same style as the domes of the upper churches of the cathedral.

The oil painting of the church was done for the 350th anniversary of the start of construction of the cathedral (1905). The dome depicts the Savior Almighty, the forefathers are depicted in the drum, the Deesis (Savior Not Made by Hands, the Mother of God, John the Baptist) is depicted in the crosshairs of the vault, and the Evangelists are depicted in the sails of the vault.

On the western wall is the temple image of the “Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary”. In the upper tier there are images of the patron saints of the reigning house: Fyodor Stratelates, John the Baptist, Saint Anastasia, and the Martyr Irene.

On the northern and southern walls there are scenes from the life of St. Basil: “The Miracle of Salvation at Sea” and “The Miracle of the Fur Coat.” The lower tier of the walls is decorated with a traditional ancient Russian ornament in the form of towels.

The iconostasis was completed in 1895 according to the design of the architect A.M. Pavlinova. The icons were painted under the guidance of the famous Moscow icon painter and restorer Osip Chirikov, whose signature is preserved on the icon “The Savior on the Throne”.

The iconostasis includes more than early icons: “Our Lady of Smolensk” XVI century. and the local image of “St. Saint Basil against the backdrop of the Kremlin and Red Square" XVIII century.

Above the burial place of St. St. Basil's Church has an arch decorated with a carved canopy. This is one of the revered Moscow shrines.

On the southern wall of the church there is a rare large-sized icon painted on metal - “Our Lady of Vladimir with selected saints of the Moscow circle” “Today flaunts brightly” most glorious city Moscow" (1904)

The floor is covered with Kasli cast iron slabs.

St. Basil's Church was closed in 1929. Only at the end of the 20th century. its decorative decoration was restored. On August 15, 1997, on the day of remembrance of St. Basil the Blessed, Sunday and holiday services were resumed in the church.

Second floor

Galleries and porches

An external bypass gallery runs along the perimeter of the cathedral around all the churches. Initially it was open. In the middle of the 19th century. the glazed gallery became part of the cathedral's interior. Arched entrance openings lead from the external gallery to the platforms between the churches and connect it with internal passages.

The central Church of the Intercession of Our Lady is surrounded by an internal bypass gallery. Its vaults hide the upper parts of the churches. In the second half of the 17th century. the gallery was painted with floral patterns. Later, narrative oil paintings appeared in the cathedral, which were updated several times. Tempera painting is currently unveiled in the gallery. On the eastern section of the gallery, an oil painting has been preserved. painting XIX V. - images of saints in combination with floral patterns.

Carved brick entrances leading to the central church organically complement the decor. The portal has been preserved in its original form, without late coatings, which allows you to see its decoration. The relief details are laid out from specially molded pattern bricks, and the shallow decoration is carved on site.

Previously, daylight penetrated into the gallery from windows located above the passages in the walkway. Today it is illuminated by mica lanterns from the 17th century, which were previously used during religious processions. The multi-domed tops of the outrigger lanterns resemble the exquisite silhouette of a cathedral.

The floor of the gallery is made of brick in a herringbone pattern. Bricks from the 16th century have been preserved here. - darker and more resistant to abrasion than modern restoration bricks.

Gallery painting

The vault of the western section of the gallery is covered with a flat brick ceiling. It demonstrates a unique for the 16th century. engineering technique for constructing a floor: many small bricks are fixed with lime mortar in the form of caissons (squares), the edges of which are made of figured bricks.

In this area, the floor is laid out with a special “rosette” pattern, and on the walls the original painting has been recreated, imitating brickwork. The size of the drawn bricks corresponds to the real ones.

Two galleries unite the chapels of the cathedral into a single ensemble. Narrow internal passages and wide platforms create the impression of a “city of churches”. After passing through the labyrinth of the internal gallery, you can get to the porch areas of the cathedral. Their vaults are “carpets of flowers,” the intricacies of which fascinate and attract the attention of visitors.

On the upper platform of the right porch in front of the Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, the bases of pillars or columns have been preserved - the remains of the decoration of the entrance. This is due to the special role of the church in the complex ideological program of the cathedral’s dedications.

Church of Alexander Svirsky

Dome of the Church of Alexander Svirsky

The southeastern church was consecrated in the name of St. Alexander of Svirsky.

In 1552, on the day of memory of Alexander Svirsky, one of the important battles of the Kazan campaign took place - the defeat of the cavalry of Tsarevich Yapancha on the Arsk field.

This is one of four small churches 15 m high. Its base - a quadrangle - turns into a low octagon and ends with a cylindrical light drum and a vault.

The original appearance of the church interior was restored during restoration work in the 1920s and 1979-1980s: a brick floor with a herringbone pattern, profiled cornices, stepped window sills. The walls of the church are covered with paintings imitating brickwork. The dome depicts a “brick” spiral - a symbol of eternity.

The iconostasis of the church has been reconstructed. Icons from the 16th - early 18th centuries are located between the wooden beams (tyablas) close to each other. The lower part of the iconostasis is covered with hanging shrouds, skillfully embroidered by craftswomen. On the velvet shrouds there is a traditional image of the Calvary cross.

Church of Varlaam Khutynsky

Royal doors of the iconostasis of the Church of Varlaam Khutynsky

The southwestern church was consecrated in the name of St. Varlaam of Khutyn.

This is one of the four small churches of the cathedral with a height of 15.2 m. Its base has the shape of a quadrangle, elongated from north to south with the apse shifted to the south. The violation of symmetry in the construction of the temple is caused by the need to create a passage between the small church and the central one - the Intercession of the Mother of God.

The four turns into a low eight. The cylindrical light drum is covered with a vault. The church is illuminated by the oldest chandelier in the cathedral from the 15th century. A century later, Russian craftsmen supplemented the work of the Nuremberg masters with a pommel in the shape of a double-headed eagle.

The Tyablo iconostasis was reconstructed in the 1920s. and consists of icons from the 16th – 18th centuries. A feature of the church's architecture - the irregular shape of the apse - determined the shift of the Royal Doors to the right.

Of particular interest is the separately hanging icon “Vision of Sexton Tarasius”. It was written in Novgorod at the end of the 16th century. The plot of the icon is based on the legend about the vision of the sexton of the Khutyn monastery of disasters threatening Novgorod: floods, fires, “pestilence”.

The icon painter depicted the panorama of the city with topographical accuracy. The composition organically includes scenes of fishing, plowing and sowing, telling about Everyday life ancient Novgorodians.

Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem

Royal Doors of the Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem

The Western Church was consecrated in honor of the Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.

One of the four large churches is an octagonal two-tier pillar covered with a vault. The temple is distinguished by its large size and the solemn nature of its decorative decoration.

During the restoration, fragments of architectural decoration from the 16th century were discovered. Their original appearance has been preserved without restoration of damaged parts. No ancient paintings were found in the church. The whiteness of the walls emphasizes the architectural details, executed by architects with great creative imagination. Above the northern entrance there is a trace left by a shell that hit the wall in October 1917.

The current iconostasis was moved in 1770 from the dismantled Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin. It is richly decorated with openwork gilded pewter overlays, which add lightness to the four-tier structure. In the middle of the 19th century. The iconostasis was supplemented with wooden carved details. The icons in the bottom row tell the story of the Creation of the world.

The church displays one of the shrines of the Intercession Cathedral - the icon “St. Alexander Nevsky in the Life of the 17th century. The icon, unique in its iconography, probably comes from the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

In the middle of the icon the noble prince is represented, and around him there are 33 marks with scenes from the life of the saint (miracles and real historical events: Battle of Neva, the prince’s trip to the Khan’s headquarters, Battle of Kulikovo).

Church of Gregory of Armenia

The northwestern church of the cathedral was consecrated in the name of St. Gregory, the enlightener Great Armenia(d. 335). He converted the king and the entire country to Christianity, and was the bishop of Armenia. His memory is celebrated on September 30 (October 13 n.st.). In 1552 on this day took place an important event the campaign of Tsar Ivan the Terrible - the explosion of the Arsk tower in Kazan.

One of the four small churches of the cathedral (15m high) is a quadrangle, turning into a low octagon. Its base is elongated from north to south with a displacement of the apse. The violation of symmetry is caused by the need to create a passage between this church and the central one - the Intercession of Our Lady. The light drum is covered with a vault.

The architectural decoration of the 16th century has been restored in the church: ancient windows, half-columns, cornices, brick floor laid out in a herringbone pattern. As in the 17th century, the walls are whitewashed, which emphasizes the severity and beauty of the architectural details.

The tyablovy (tyablas are wooden beams with grooves between which icons were attached) iconostasis was reconstructed in the 1920s. It consists of windows from the 16th-17th centuries. The Royal Doors are shifted to the left - due to a violation of the symmetry of the internal space.

In the local row of the iconostasis is the image of St. John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria. Its appearance is connected with the desire of the wealthy investor Ivan Kislinsky to re-consecrate this chapel in honor of his heavenly patron (1788). In the 1920s the church was returned to its former name.

The lower part of the iconostasis is covered with silk and velvet shrouds depicting Calvary crosses. The interior of the church is complemented by the so-called “skinny” candles - large wooden painted candlesticks of an antique shape. In their upper part there is a metal base in which thin candles were placed.

The display case contains items of priestly vestments from the 17th century: a surplice and a phelonion, embroidered with gold threads. The 19th century candilo, decorated with multi-colored enamel, gives the church a special elegance.

Church of Cyprian and Justina

Dome of the Church of Cyprian and Justina

The northern church of the cathedral has an unusual dedication for Russian churches in the name of the Christian martyrs Cyprian and Justina, who lived in the 4th century. Their memory is celebrated on October 2 (15). On this day in 1552, the troops of Tsar Ivan IV took Kazan by storm.

This is one of the four large churches of the Intercession Cathedral. Its height is 20.9 m. The high octagonal pillar is completed with a light drum and a dome, which depicts Our Lady of the Burning Bush. In the 1780s. Oil painting appeared in the church. On the walls are scenes of the lives of saints: in the lower tier - Adrian and Natalia, in the upper - Cyprian and Justina. They are complemented by multi-figure compositions on the theme of Gospel parables and scenes from the Old Testament.

The appearance of images of martyrs of the 4th century in painting. Adrian and Natalia is associated with the renaming of the church in 1786. Rich investor Natalya Mikhailovna Khrushcheva donated funds for repairs and asked to consecrate the church in honor of her heavenly patrons. At the same time, a gilded iconostasis was made in the style of classicism. It is a magnificent example of skillful wood carving. The bottom row of the iconostasis depicts scenes of the Creation of the World (days one and four).

In the 1920s, at the beginning of scientific museum activities in the cathedral, the church was returned to its original name. Recently it appeared to visitors updated: in 2007, the wall paintings and iconostasis were restored with charitable support Joint stock company"Russian Railways".

Church of St. Nicholas Velikoretsky

Iconostasis of the Church of St. Nicholas of Velikoretsky

The southern church was consecrated in the name of the Velikoretsk Icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The icon of the saint was found in the city of Khlynov on the Velikaya River and subsequently received the name “Nicholas of Velikoretsky”.

In 1555, by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, they brought miraculous icon procession along the rivers from Vyatka to Moscow. An event of great spiritual significance determined the dedication of one of the chapels of the Intercession Cathedral under construction.

One of the large churches of the cathedral is a two-tier octagonal pillar with a light drum and a vault. Its height is 28 m.

The ancient interior of the church was badly damaged during the fire of 1737. In the second half of the 18th - early 19th centuries. a single complex of decorative and visual arts: carved iconostasis with full ranks of icons and monumental plot painting of the walls and vault. The lower tier of the octagon presents the texts of the Nikon Chronicle about the bringing of the image to Moscow and illustrations to them.

In the upper tier the Mother of God is depicted on a throne surrounded by prophets, above are the apostles, in the vault is the image of the Savior Almighty.

The iconostasis is richly decorated with stucco floral decoration and gilding. The icons in narrow profiled frames are painted in oil. In the local row there is an image of “St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the Life” of the 18th century. The lower tier is decorated with gesso engraving imitating brocade fabric.

The interior of the church is complemented by two external double-sided icons depicting St. Nicholas. They were committed religious processions around the cathedral.

IN late XVIII V. The floor of the church was covered with white stone slabs. During restoration work, a fragment of the original covering made of oak checkers was discovered. This is the only place in the cathedral with a preserved wooden floor.

In 2005-2006 iconostasis and monumental painting The churches were restored with the assistance of the Moscow International Currency Exchange.

Holy Trinity Church

The eastern one is consecrated in the name of the Holy Trinity. It is believed that the Intercession Cathedral was built on the site of the ancient Trinity Church, after which the entire temple was often named.

One of the four large churches of the cathedral is a two-tiered octagonal pillar, ending with a light drum and a dome. Its height is 21 m. During the restoration of the 1920s. In this church, the ancient architectural and decorative decoration was most fully restored: half-columns and pilasters framing the entrance arches of the lower part of the octagon, the decorative belt of the arches. In the vault of the dome, a spiral is laid out with small bricks - a symbol of eternity. Stepped window sills in combination with the whitewashed surface of the walls and vault make the Trinity Church especially bright and elegant. Under the light drum, “voices” are built into the walls - clay vessels designed to amplify sound (resonators). The church is illuminated by the oldest chandelier in the cathedral, made in Russia at the end of the 16th century.

Based on restoration studies, the shape of the original, so-called “tyabla” iconostasis (“tyabla” - wooden beams with grooves, between which the icons were fastened close to each other) was established. Features of the iconostasis - unusual shape low royal doors and three-row icons, forming three canonical orders: prophetic, Deesis and festive.

“Old Testament Trinity” in the local row of the iconostasis is one of the most ancient and revered icons of the cathedral of the second half of the 16th century.

Church of the Three Patriarchs

The northeastern church of the cathedral was consecrated in the name of the three Patriarchs of Constantinople: Alexander, John and Paul the New.

In 1552, on the day of remembrance of the Patriarchs, an important event of the Kazan campaign took place - the defeat by the troops of Tsar Ivan the Terrible of the cavalry of the Tatar prince Yapanchi, who was coming from the Crimea to help the Kazan Khanate.

This is one of the four small churches of the cathedral with a height of 14.9 m. The walls of the quadrangle turn into a low octagon with a cylindrical light drum. The church is interesting for its original ceiling system with a wide dome, in which the composition “The Savior Not Made by Hands” is located.

The wall oil painting was made in the mid-19th century. and reflects in its plots the then change in the name of the church. In connection with the transfer of the throne of the cathedral church of Gregory of Armenia, it was reconsecrated in memory of the enlightener of Great Armenia.

The first tier of the painting is dedicated to the life of St. Gregory of Armenia, in the second tier - the history of the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, its bringing to King Abgar in the Asia Minor city of Edessa, as well as scenes from the lives of the Patriarchs of Constantinople.

The five-tier iconostasis combines baroque elements with classical ones. This is the only altar barrier in the cathedral mid-19th V. It was made specifically for this church.

In the 1920s, at the beginning of scientific museum activity, the church was returned to its original name. Continuing the traditions of Russian philanthropists, the management of the Moscow International Currency Exchange contributed to the restoration of the interior of the church in 2007. For the first time in many years, visitors were able to see one of the most interesting churches of the cathedral.

Central Church of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary

Iconostasis

Interior view of the central dome drum

Bell tower

The modern bell tower of the Intercession Cathedral was built on the site of an ancient belfry.

By the second half of the 17th century. the old belfry had become dilapidated and unusable. In the 1680s. it was replaced by a bell tower, which still stands today.

The base of the bell tower is a massive high quadrangle, on which an octagon with an open platform is placed. The site is fenced with eight pillars connected by arched spans and crowned with a high octagonal tent.

The ribs of the tent are decorated with multi-colored tiles with white, yellow, blue and brown glaze. The edges are covered with figured green tiles. The tent is completed by a small onion dome with an eight-pointed cross. There are small windows in the tent - the so-called “rumors”, designed to amplify the sound of the bells.

Inside open area and in the arched openings, bells cast by outstanding Russian craftsmen of the 17th-19th centuries are suspended on thick wooden beams. In 1990, after a long period of silence, they began to be used again.

Notes

Literature

Gilyarovskaya N. St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow: A monument of Russian architecture of the 16th-17th centuries. - M.-L.: Art, 1943. - 12, p. - (Mass Library).(region)
Volkov A. M. Architects: Novel / Afterword: Doctor of Historical Sciences A. A. Zimin; Drawings by I. Godin. - Reprint. - M.: Children's literature, 1986. - 384 p. - (Library series). - 100,000 copies. (1st edition - )