ohwanderlin

I have to admit that visiting St. Basil’s cathedral of Moscow was never on my pocket list. Yeah, it’s pretty on the outside, but to go in…nah
Luckily() stranded in Moscow during the pandemic, after the quarantine months were over, one day this thought just popped up in my head:
why not pay St.Basil’s a visit! There must be very little people.
And guess what, I’m right and after my visit, I would highly recommend you to do so too.

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St. Basil’s Cathedral from the outside 

Lobnoye Mesto

This “forehead place” Lobnoye Mesto was often mistaken as a real execution platform. In fact, Lobnoye Mesto was never a place for executions, but a place where the Tzar used to announce something important or religious ceremonies will be held here.
Ps: Even my bf, originally from Moscow, thought that this platform used to execute people.

The Monument to Minin and Pozharsky 

As you are approaching the St. Basil’s cathedral you will find this statue of Minin and Pozharsky right before your entry.

And why is this statue so important that I have to see it before St. Basil’s?

The Monument to Minin and Pozharsky is the first statue that was fundraised by citizens in Russia’s history. The two men are the ones who gathered an all-Russian volunteer army and expelled the forces of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from Moscow.

The Bronze plaque on the base of the statue shows patriots sacrificing their own belongings for their country.
Originally, the statue of Minin and Pozharsky was located in the middle of the red square with Minin’s hand raising towards the Kremlin. When the communists ruled the country this statue was standing in the way of the parade so it was moved to where you see it today.

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St. Basil’s cathedral Entry ticket:

2020 

from May 15 to August 31— 1000 roubles/ 1500 roubles (w/ audio guide)
from September 1 to May 14 — 700 roubles/ 1200 roubles (w/ audio guide)

St. Basil’s Cathedral Working hours:

7 September — 8 November:
daily 11 a.m. – 18 p.m.

9 November — 31 December:
daily 11 a.m. – 17 p.m.

Last admission: 45 minutes before closing

St. Basil’s Cathedral Dress code:

Might sound funnyDress code?
In my former experiences, while entering Orthodox churches in Moscow women cover their heads with clothes. My boyfriend mentioned also that there were some rules about wearing a skirt so I was more cautious with this part.
Since in 1929 St. Basil’s cathedral transformed into a museum, so I guess that’s why I found some pictures with men wearing tank tops inside St. Basil’s cathedral during the summer.
So…No dress code guys! but please dress appropriately.

About St. Basil’s cathedral

Since I’m writing this blog post, I was digging stories out of St. Basil’s cathedral, and guess what I found!
Actually, what stood here in the exact same spot while Ivan the terrible was still alive was another church called Trinity church.

Before being deconstructed, the original Trinity Church had seven churches surrounding the central core.
Every time Ivan the Terrible (Ivan IV) won a Russo-Kazan War he ordered to add a wooden church to the original Trinity church’s wall, at last, there were 7 of them surrounding the main core.
Finally, Kazan was fallen in 1552, in 1555 Ivan IV ordered the construction of a new stone cathedral which took 6 years(but still, it is not exactly what you will see today, St. Basil’s was renovated several times). The architect turned the original 7 churches surrounding 1 into a more symmetrical 8 churches and the main core.

Did Ivan IV really blinded the architect who constructed St. Basil’s Cathedral?

Until today, there is still no certain answer about who really was/were the architect of St. Basil’s cathedral. An old chronicle mentions the name of Barma and Postnik Yakovlev.
Many historians believed that it was a myth that Ivan IV blinded the architect because Postnik Yakovlev was believed to construct the Kazan Kremlin and Cathedral of the annunciation inside the Kremlin, both built after the St. Basil’s cathedral.

Why is St. Basil’s cathedral so special

There is no rear part

Every side of the Cathedral is the front part. Can you tell that the above 2 pictures are different sides of St. Basil’s Cathedral?

9 onion heads

There are nine separate chapels inside St. Basil’s cathedral. Every onion head is a different chapel and every chapel has its own name and each dedicated to a different Saint.

The first chapel you’ll see after entering (click to enlarge)

St. Basil’s icon

All 9 chapels connected to each other

When you walk into St. Basil’s, you can wander easily between all 9 chapels, they are all connected to each other but every chapel is an individual room with benches for you to sit and clear your mind or to admire the icons.

The interior covered by Frescos and  floral ornaments

St. Basil’s cathedral is definitely more than what we see from the outside. The cathedral is covered with frescoes and oil paintings with plant ornament and images of saints. (click to enlarge)

About Russian Icons

Traditionally, Russian icons are painted on woods, and some would have golden frames or precious stones on it. (To make it more “holy” I guess)
As the above picture, the left part is the icon’s golden frame.
When you see some icons, you might have the same question as I did: Why do they add a “holy circle” around their saint(as below)?
It’s because there used to be a golden frame or precious stone on top of it.

While the communists ruled Russia, many churches were destroyed and icons as well. For those who were not religious, they took the valuable parts which were the stones and frames. So nowadays in some icons museum, you will find only the wooden icon itself, solely without decoration.

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You might be interested:
Russians are superstitious?

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Armories from 16 century

Kazan chronicle/ unknown author

St. Basil’s outline and its former parts

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Remember not to miss the upper level, a big surprise there!

Live vocal ensemble in St. Basil’s cathedral

If you are still considering whether you should enter St. Basil’s or not, please do so!
While I was downstairs, in some chapels I kept hearing some holy music, I thought it was from a tape in which people play them through speakers in the whole church.
In fact, it was those guys 👆🏻👆🏻giving live performances that lingered in the whole cathedral. You have to experience this live vocal ensemble in St. Basil’s!
With their heavenly voice echoing inside the 46 meters tall dome, it’s an experience that you must not miss.
I think they are here every day and they sing pretty frequently, it’s not like they have a timetable, during my visit I heard them sing for at least 4 times.

Remember the tallest onion head of St. Basil’s Cathedral? They perform right there in the center of the dome.

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St. Basil’s shop

I mean..even the view of the Souvenir place😍

Thank you for your accompany
You can find me also on Instagram and Facebook
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