St. Basils

The striking fairy-tale beauty of this building is so stunning, that legend has it the builders were blinded by Ivan the Terrible, just so they could not replicate the structure elsewhere. Suffice it to say, Ivan’s nickname wasn’t an ironic one. Officially named ‘The Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin by the Moat’, it has thankfully received the more informal moniker: St. Basil's. Excessive letters aside, the moat has long since disappeared as well.

Built as a Byzantine church at the behest of Ivan in 1555, St. Basil's was actually ten separate churches, but it is now viewed the world over as a single structure. With its familiar staggered onion-topped towers--each over the site of one ot the original (albeit very small) churches--it was intended to represent the rising flames of a fire reaching 156 feet toward the heavens.

This treasure was almost lost to the world in the 1920s when Joseph Stalin, another swell guy, had it scheduled for demolition as part of his plans for Moscow. Preservationists eventually won the day, but the government of the Soviet Union did secularize it during their thrust to eliminate religious aspects of society in 1929. Today it functions as a state-operated historical museum.

The striking colors of the building are perhaps the most impressive aspect of this architectural wonder. Seen best lighted at night, the red hues of the walls are primarily natural from red brick that was a novel architectural construction feature of the period.

Inside, much of the labyrinthine interior is lavishly decorated with 16th century iconic religious artwork, murals, and patterned paintwork. During one of the renovation periods a spiral staircase was rediscovered within one of the walls. It has been restored and visitors now climb it to gain access to the central church.