Saint Blessed Basil. St Basil's Church. History of the Intercession Cathedral (St. Basil's Cathedral). Help Pokrovsky Cathedral was built

They freeze in admiration when they see St. Basil's Cathedral, unrivaled in its beauty, next to the Kremlin. This monument of 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. At the end of the 16th century, instead of the burnt church coverings, figured domes, familiar to our eyes, 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. The craftsmen used herbal motifs to paint the surface of the gallery, and during restoration work in the first half of the 19th century, 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 Church symbolizes the unity of faith and God’s protection extended 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 circumference, it is painted with grass and plant patterns 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 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 portrait and landscape painting of the 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.

The Intercession Cathedral was erected on Red Square in 1555-1561 in memory of the annexation of the Kazan kingdom - one of the most important events in the era of strengthening the Russian centralized state. The victory over Kazan in 1552 was the first major foreign policy success of the young Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible (the first two campaigns in 1547 and 1550 ended in failure); with the annexation of the Kazan and Astrakhan (in 1554) kingdoms, he also began to be called the Tsar of Kazan and Astrakhan.

A symbolic place was chosen for the construction of the votive temple - on the border of the Kremlin and Posad, next to the moat that surrounded the Kremlin walls (hence the names of the temple - “Protection on the Moat at the Trinity Gate” and “Trinity on the Moat”). Chronicle sources indicate that in its final form the idea of ​​the temple-monument took shape and began to be implemented in 1555. The depth of the plan and the originality of its implementation indicate the undoubted involvement in the “development of the project” of St. Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus', and Tsar Ivan the Terrible, who were co-authors of the most important cultural endeavors of their era.

Nine separate churches were erected on a single foundation, with one central one, crowned with a large tent, surrounded by eight church pillars arranged crosswise in plan. The dedications of the thrones reflected the main stages of the Kazan victory and the idea of ​​heavenly protection of the Russian army. The central church was consecrated in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos - on this day, October 1, 1552, the attackers launched a powerful attack, the success of which was crowned with the capture of the city the next day. Dedications of thrones in the name of Saints Cyprian and Justinia (October 2 - capture of Kazan), Patriarchs of Constantinople Alexander, John and Paul the New and Venerable Alexander of Svir (August 30 - Russian victory on the Arsk field), Gregory Bishop of Greater Armenia (September 30 - the beginning of the assault on the city), Varlaam Khutynsky (November 6 - the Tsar’s return to Moscow). The names of the thrones in the name of the Holy Trinity and the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem have a symbolic meaning - and also connected with the Kazan campaign.

Only the ninth throne was dedicated to an event not related to the “Capture of Kazan”. On June 29, 1555, the image of Nikola Velikoretsky was brought to Moscow from Vyatka. Numerous miracles and healings from this image occurred both on the way to the capital and in Moscow, in the Assumption Cathedral. To commemorate this manifestation of God's grace, the ninth altar of the church under construction was consecrated in memory of Nikola Velikoretsky; later it contained a copy of the miraculous icon made by Metropolitan Macarius himself.

The construction of the stone Intercession Cathedral, which began no later than the spring of 1555, lasted five and a half years. On October 1, 1559, according to the Nikon Chronicle, all the churches were consecrated, except for the central Church of the Intercession, the construction of which had not yet been completed. The date of completion of construction and consecration - June 29, 1561 (July 12, new style) - was determined only during the restoration work of 1957-1961, when restorers discovered the text of the temple “chronicle” preserved under late plaster, made at the base of the main tent .

The Intercession Cathedral is a national symbol of Russia: as a monument to the glory of Russian weapons and as a unique temple in architecture, a recognized masterpiece of ancient Russian architecture. For a long time, based on memoir sources of Western origin, it was believed that the creators of the temple were foreign architects. The honor of discovering the names of Russian architects who embodied the idea of ​​a tsar and metropolitan in stone belongs to the archpriest of the Intercession Cathedral Ioann Kuznetsov, who at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century discovered the names of the builders in the chronicle sources of the 17th century - Barma and Postnik “with their comrades”.

A new page in the history of the temple is associated with the glorification in 1588 of the Moscow holy fool St. Basil the Blessed, who died on August 2, 1557 and was buried under an arch near the walls of the cathedral that was then under construction. In it, over the relics of the saint, between the northern chapel of the Holy Trinity and the northeastern chapel of the three Patriarchs, a stone tent was built. In 1588, the arch was dismantled and, by order of the son of Ivan the Terrible, Fyodor Ioannovich, the church (mortirium) of St. Basil was erected. In 1672, the Church of St. John the Blessed was built at the site of his burial.

The cathedral became a place of crowded and inexhaustible pilgrimage to the “holy healing tomb” of St. Basil. Unlike the churches of the Intercession Cathedral, where services were held on the days of the twelfths and patronal feasts, in the church of St. St. Basil's service was daily. This was the reason for the appearance of the popular name of the Intercession Cathedral - “Church of St. St. Basil's.

Near the temple “on the Moat”, according to his will, another holy fool, John, nicknamed the Big Cap (July 3, 1589 - death, June 12, 1672 - discovery of relics) was also buried.

In the second half of the XVI-XVII centuries. The Intercession Cathedral was the semantic center of the celebration of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem: a solemn church procession led by the Tsar and the Patriarch, called the “procession on a donkey,” headed to it from the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin.

For four and a half centuries, the Intercession Cathedral witnessed all the significant events of Russian history: coronation processions and solemn religious processions took place next to it, state decrees were announced and petitions were drawn up, city life was in full swing around it. In 1913-1918. The position of Archpriest of the Intercession Cathedral was held by Hieromartyr John Vostorgov.

As a monument of national and world significance, the Intercession Cathedral was one of the first to be taken under state protection according to the decree of October 5, 1918. At the end of 1919, services in the Intercession Cathedral were stopped, but in St. Basil's Church they continued until 1928.

In 1923, the historical and architectural museum “Pokrovsky Cathedral” opened (since 1928, a branch of the State Historical Museum).

Church life returned to the Intercession Cathedral in 1990, on the patronal feast day, when on October 13, after a 70-year break, an all-night vigil was served, and on October 14, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus'.

By decree of the President of the RSFSR dated November 18, 1991, the Russian Orthodox Church was allowed to hold regular services in the Kremlin cathedrals and St. Basil's Cathedral. In accordance with this decree, an Agreement “On the use of the temples of the Moscow Kremlin and the Church of the Intercession on the Moat (St. Basil’s Cathedral) on Red Square in Moscow” was concluded between the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Moscow Patriarchate in November 1992, the obligations under which are strictly fulfilled by all parties and the parties to the agreement - the Ministry of Culture of Russia, the Moscow Patriarchate, the Moscow Kremlin Museums and the State Historical Museum.

On August 15, 1997, after restoration, St. Basil's Church was opened, in which regular services began to be held.

The Intercession Cathedral is one of the most outstanding monuments of Russian history and culture; it is classified as a particularly valuable cultural heritage site of the peoples of the Russian Federation and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

In the 20s of the 20th century, extensive scientific restoration research was launched on the cathedral, thanks to which it became possible to restore its original appearance and recreate the interiors of the 16th-17th centuries in individual churches. From this moment to the present, four global restorations have been carried out, including architectural and pictorial works.

In the 60s of the 20th century, unique restoration work was carried out: the temple chronicle was opened, in which the builders indicated the exact date of completion of the cathedral; The iron coverings of the domes of the cathedral churches were replaced with copper ones.

In the interiors of four churches, iconostases for the 16th century were reconstructed, consisting entirely of icons of the 16th-17th centuries, among which there are rarities (“Trinity” of the 16th century, “Alexander Nevsky in the Life” of the 17th century). In the remaining churches, iconostases from the 18th-19th centuries have been preserved. Among them are two unique ones from the Moscow Kremlin from the first half of the 18th century.

In the 17th century, above the northern part of the church of St. St. Basil's Church was built in Feodosia, and at the end of the 18th century it was turned into a sacristy - a repository of church valuables. Currently, it houses an exposition of the exhibition “Shrines of the Intercession Cathedral”, which presents unique examples of ancient Russian painting, book and applied art that belonged to this temple during the 16th-20th centuries, as well as rarities related to the history of the construction of the cathedral.

Since 1990, the Intercession Cathedral has been used both as a museum (a branch of the State Historical Museum) and as a temple in which the Russian Orthodox Church holds services: on the days of the main altars (the Intercession and St. Basil's Day), Patriarchal or bishops' services are held. At the shrine of St. St. Basil's akathist is read every Sunday.

Compiled by E.M. Yukhimenko

In 1561, one of the most famous churches in Russia was consecrated - the Intercession Cathedral, or, as it is otherwise called, St. Basil's Cathedral. The portal "Culture.RF" recalled interesting facts from the history of its creation.

Temple-monument

The Intercession Cathedral is not just a church, but a temple-monument erected in honor of the annexation of the Kazan Khanate to the Russian state. The main battle, in which Russian troops were victorious, took place on the day of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. And the temple was consecrated in honor of this Christian holiday. The cathedral consists of separate churches, each of which is also consecrated in honor of the holidays on which the decisive battles for Kazan took place - Trinity, the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem and others.

A huge construction project in record time

Initially, a wooden Trinity Church stood on the site of the cathedral. Temples were erected around it during the campaigns against Kazan - they celebrated the loud victories of the Russian army. When Kazan finally fell, Metropolitan Macarius suggested that Ivan the Terrible rebuild the architectural ensemble in stone. He wanted to surround the central temple with seven churches, but for the sake of symmetry the number was increased to eight. Thus, 9 independent churches and a belfry were built on one foundation; they were connected by vaulted passages. Outside, the churches were surrounded by an open gallery, which was called a walkway - it was a kind of church porch. Each temple was crowned with its own dome with a unique design and original drum decoration. The 65-meter-high structure, grandiose at the time, was built in just six years - from 1555 to 1561. Until 1600 it was the tallest building in Moscow.

Temple in honor of the soothsayer

Although the official name of the cathedral is the Cathedral of the Intercession on the Moat, everyone knows it as St. Basil's Cathedral. According to legend, the famous Moscow miracle worker collected money for the construction of the temple, and then was buried near its walls. The holy fool St. Basil the Blessed walked the streets of Moscow barefoot, almost without clothes, almost all year, preaching mercy and help to others. There were also legends about his prophetic gift: they say he predicted the Moscow fire of 1547. The son of Ivan the Terrible, Fyodor Ioannovich, ordered the construction of a church dedicated to St. Basil the Blessed. It became part of the Intercession Cathedral. The church was the only temple that was always open - all year round, day and night. Later, by its name, parishioners began to call the cathedral St. Basil's Cathedral.

Louis Bichebois. Lithograph "St. Basil's Church"

Vitaly Grafov. Moscow wonderworker Blessed Basil. 2005

The royal treasury and lectern at Lobnoye Mesto

The cathedral has no basements. Instead, they built a common foundation - a vaulted basement without supporting pillars. It was ventilated through special narrow openings - vents. Initially, the premises were used as a warehouse - the royal treasury and the valuables of some wealthy Moscow families were kept there. Later, the narrow entrance to the basement was blocked - it was found only during the restoration of the 1930s.

Despite its colossal external dimensions, the Intercession Cathedral is quite small inside. Perhaps because it was originally built as a memorial monument. In winter, the cathedral was completely closed, as it was not heated. When services began to be held in the church, especially on major church holidays, very few people could fit inside. Then the lectern was moved to the Place of Execution, and the cathedral seemed to serve as a huge altar.

Russian architect or European master

It is still not known for certain who built St. Basil's Cathedral. Researchers have several options. One of them, the cathedral, was erected by the ancient Russian architects Postnik Yakovlev and Ivan Barma. According to another version, Yakovlev and Barma were actually one person. The third option says that the author of the cathedral was a foreign architect. After all, the composition of St. Basil's Cathedral has no analogues in ancient Russian architecture, but prototypes of the building can be found in Western European art.

Whoever the architect was, there are sad legends about his future fate. According to them, when Ivan the Terrible saw the temple, he was struck by its beauty and ordered the architect to be blinded so that he would never repeat his majestic construction anywhere. Another legend says that the foreign builder was executed altogether - for the same reason.

Iconostasis with a turn

The iconostasis for St. Basil's Cathedral was created in 1895 according to the design of the architect Andrei Pavlinov. This is the so-called iconostasis with a turn - it is so large for a small temple that it continues on the side walls. It is decorated with ancient icons - Our Lady of Smolensk from the 16th century and the image of St. Basil, painted in the 18th century.

The temple is also decorated with paintings - they were created on the walls of the building in different years. Here St. Basil and the Mother of God are depicted; the main dome is decorated with the face of the Savior Almighty.

Iconostasis in St. Basil's Cathedral. 2016. Photo: Vladimir d'Ar

“Lazarus, put him in his place!”

The cathedral was almost destroyed several times. During the Patriotic War of 1812, French stables were located here, and after that the temple was going to be blown up. Already in Soviet times, Stalin's associate Lazar Kaganovich proposed dismantling the cathedral so that there would be more space on Red Square for parades and demonstrations. He even created a model of the square, and the temple building was easily removed from it. But Stalin, seeing the architectural model, said: “Lazarus, put it in its place!”

For the whole world, the most famous “calling cards” of Russia are the Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow. The latter also has other names, the most popular of which is the Intercession Cathedral on the Moat.

General information

The cathedral celebrated its 450th anniversary on July 2, 2011. This unique structure was erected on Red Square. The temple, amazing in its beauty, is a whole complex of churches united by a common foundation. Even those who know nothing about Russian architecture will immediately recognize St. Basil's Church. The cathedral has a unique feature - all its colorful domes are different from each other.

In the main (Pokrovskaya) church there is an iconostasis, which was moved from the Kremlin Church of the Chernigov Wonderworkers, destroyed in 1770. In the basement of the Church of the Intercession of Our Lady there are the most valuable ones, the oldest of which is the icon of St. Basil (16th century), painted specifically for this temple. Icons from the 17th century are also on display here: Our Lady of the Sign and the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The first copies the image located on the eastern side of the church facade.

History of the temple

St. Basil's Cathedral, the history of whose construction is surrounded by a number of myths and legends, was built by order of the first Tsar of Rus', Ivan the Terrible. It was dedicated to a significant event, namely the victory over the Kazan Khanate. Much to the regret of historians, the names of the architects who created this incomparable masterpiece have not survived to this day. There are many versions as to who worked on the construction of the temple, but it has not been reliably established who created St. Basil's Cathedral. Moscow was the main city of Rus', so the tsar gathered the best craftsmen in the capital. According to one legend, the main architect was Postnik Yakovlev from Pskov, nicknamed Barma. Another version completely contradicts this. Many believe that Barma and Postnik are different masters. Even more confusion arises from the third version, which states that St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow was built according to the design of an Italian architect. But the most popular legend about this temple is the one that talks about the blinding of the architects who created this masterpiece, so that they could not repeat their creation.

origin of name

Amazingly, despite the fact that the main church of this temple was dedicated to the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it is known throughout the world as St. Basil's Cathedral. There have always been many holy fools (blessed “God’s people”) in Moscow, but the name of one of them is forever etched in the history of Rus'. Mad Vasily lived on the street and even in winter walked half naked. At the same time, his whole body was entwined with chains, which were iron chains with large crosses. This man was highly respected in Moscow. Even the king himself treated him with unusual reverence. St. Basil the Blessed was revered by the townspeople as a miracle worker. He died in 1552, and in 1588 a church was erected over his grave. It was this building that gave the generally accepted name to this temple.

Almost everyone who visits Moscow knows that the main symbol of Russia is Red Square. St. Basil's Cathedral occupies one of the most honorable places in the whole complex of buildings and monuments located on it. The temple is crowned with 10 magnificent domes. Around the main (main) church, called the Intercession of the Virgin Mary, 8 others are symmetrically located. They are built in the shape of an eight-pointed star. All these churches symbolize the religious holidays that fall on the days of the capture of the Kazan Khanate.

Domes of St. Basil's Cathedral and bell tower

Eight churches are crowned with 8 onion domes. The main (central) building is completed with a “tent”, above which a small “head” rises. The tenth dome was built over the church bell tower. The amazing thing is that they are all completely different from each other in their texture and color.

The modern bell tower of the temple was erected on the site of the old belfry, which completely fell into disrepair in the 17th century. It was erected in 1680. At the base of the bell tower there is a tall, massive quadrangle on which an octagon is erected. It has an open area fenced with 8 pillars. All of them are connected to each other by arched spans. The top of the site is crowned by a tall octagonal tent, the ribs of which are decorated with tiles of different colors (white, blue, yellow, brown). Its edges are covered with green figured tiles. At the top of the tent there is a bulbous dome topped with an octagonal cross. Inside the site, bells that were cast back in the 17th-19th centuries hang on wooden beams.

Architectural features

The nine churches of St. Basil's Cathedral are connected to each other by a common base and a bypass gallery. Its peculiarity is its intricate painting, the main motif of which is floral patterns. The unique style of the temple combines the traditions of both European and Russian architecture of the Renaissance. A distinctive feature of the cathedral is the height of the temple (according to the highest dome) is 65 m. The names of the churches of the Cathedral: St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Trinity, Martyrs Adrian and Natalia, Entrance to Jerusalem, Varlaam of Khutyn, Alexander of Svir, Gregory of Armenia, Intercession of the Mother of God.

Another feature of the temple is that it does not have a basement. It has extremely strong basement walls (they reach a thickness of 3 m). The height of each room is approximately 6.5 m. The entire structure of the northern part of the temple is unique, since the long box vault of the basement does not have any supporting pillars. The walls of the building are “cut through” by so-called “vents”, which are narrow openings. They provide a special microclimate in the church. For many years, the basement premises were not accessible to parishioners. Hiding niches were used as storage and were closed with doors, the presence of which is now evidenced only by hinges preserved on the walls. It is believed that until the end of the 16th century. The royal treasury was kept in them.

Gradual transformation of the Cathedral

Only at the end of the 16th century. Figured domes appeared above the temple, replacing the original ceiling, which burned down in another fire. This Orthodox cathedral was built until the 17th century. was called Trinity, since the very first wooden church that was located on this site was built in honor of the Holy Trinity. Initially, this structure had a more austere and restrained appearance, since it was built of stone and brick. Only in the 17th century. all domes were decorated with ceramic tiles. At the same time, asymmetrical buildings were added to the temple. Then tents appeared over the porches and intricate paintings on the walls and ceiling. During the same period, elegant paintings appeared on the walls and ceiling. In 1931, a monument to Minin and Pozharsky was erected in front of the temple. Today, St. Basil's Cathedral is jointly managed by the Russian Orthodox Church and the Historical Museum. The structure is a cultural heritage of Russia. The beauty and uniqueness of this temple was appreciated and throughout St. Basil's in Moscow is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The significance of the Intercession Cathedral in the USSR

Despite the persecution of the Soviet regime in relation to religion and the destruction of a huge number of churches, St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow was taken under state protection back in 1918 as a cultural monument of world significance. It was at this time that all efforts of the authorities were aimed at creating a museum in it. The first caretaker of the temple was Archpriest John Kuznetsov. It was he who practically independently took care of the renovation of the building, although its condition was simply terrible. In 1923, the historical and architectural museum “Pokrovsky Cathedral” was located in the Cathedral. Already in 1928 it became one of the branches of the State Historical Museum. In 1929, all the bells were removed from it, and worship services were prohibited. Despite the fact that the temple has been constantly being restored for almost a hundred years, its exhibition was closed only once - during the Great Patriotic War.

Intercession Cathedral in 1991-2014.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, St. Basil's Cathedral came into joint use with the Russian Orthodox Church and the State Historical Museum. From August 15, 1997, holiday and Sunday services were resumed in the church. Since 2011, previously inaccessible aisles have been open to the public and housed new exhibitions.

St. Basil's Cathedral in a 16th-century engraving.

St. Basil's Cathedral. Photo of the beginning. 20th century

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 involved in the construction.
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 such a 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.

In 1588, St. Basil's Church was added to the temple, for the construction of which arched openings were laid in the northeastern part of the cathedral. Architecturally, the church was an independent temple with a separate entrance.
At the end of the 16th century. figured heads of the cathedral appeared - instead of the original covering, which burned down during the next fire.
In the second half of the 17th century, significant changes took place in the external appearance of the cathedral - the open gallery surrounding the upper churches was covered with a vault, and porches decorated with tents were erected above the white stone stairs.
The external and internal galleries, platforms and parapets of the porches were painted with grass patterns. These renovations were completed by 1683, and information about them was included in the inscriptions on the ceramic tiles that decorated the façade of the cathedral.

Fires, which were frequent in wooden Moscow, greatly damaged the Intercession Cathedral, and therefore, from the end of the 16th century. renovation work was carried out on it. Over the more than four-century history of the monument, such works inevitably changed its appearance in accordance with the aesthetic ideals of each century. In the documents of the cathedral for 1737, the name of the architect Ivan Michurin is mentioned for the first time, under whose leadership work was carried out to restore the architecture and interiors of the cathedral after the so-called “Trinity” fire of 1737. The following comprehensive repair work was carried out in the cathedral by order of Catherine II in 1784 - 1786. They were led by the architect Ivan Yakovlev.

In 1918, the Intercession Cathedral became one of the first cultural monuments taken under state protection as a monument of national and world significance. From that moment on, its museumification began. The first caretaker was Archpriest John Kuznetsov. In the post-revolutionary years, the cathedral was in dire straits. In many places the roof was leaking, windows were broken, and in winter there was even snow inside the churches. Ioann Kuznetsov single-handedly maintained order in the cathedral.
In 1923, it was decided to create a historical and architectural museum in the cathedral. Its first head was a researcher at the Historical Museum E.I. Silin. On May 21, the museum was opened to visitors. Active collection of funds has begun.
In 1928, the Intercession Cathedral Museum became a branch of the State Historical Museum. Despite the constant restoration work that has been going on in the cathedral for almost a century, the museum is always open to visitors. It was closed only once - during the Great Patriotic War. In 1929 it was closed for worship and the bells were removed. Immediately after the war, systematic work began to restore the cathedral, and on September 7, 1947, on the day of the celebration of the 800th anniversary of Moscow, the museum reopened. The cathedral became widely known not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders.
Since 1991, the Intercession Cathedral has been jointly used by the museum and the Russian Orthodox Church. After a long break, services were resumed in the temple.

In St. Petersburg there is a memorial church in memory of Alexander II - the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, better known as the Savior on Spilled Blood (completed in 1907). The Intercession Cathedral served as one of the prototypes for the creation of the Savior on Spilled Blood, so both buildings have similar features.