Short description of St. Basil's Cathedral: composition

Each great country has symbols expressing its essence, the national spirit, the idea that unites people into one people. Russia is too multifaceted to have only one such symbol. But on Red Square there is a temple that represents a lot of what is called a truly Russian: a long history, where there is light and darkness, and an amazing harmony consisting of a bright variety. To put all this into a brief description of the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed, the composition of magnificent epithets will not be needed, it is enough to recall the legends and legends with which his story is full.

The Tsar's Vow

Ivan the Terrible is not for nothing called the "collector" of the Russian Land - with him around Moscow began to form an extensive power led by an autocratic ruler. The Kazan Khanate - the remnant of the Golden Horde - for a long time resisted the expansion of Moscow Russia to the east, and the Orthodox Sovereign vowed to build a temple in the center of the capital in case of the conquest of Kazan. It became the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed, the history of which began in 1555.

During the campaign, the Russian army defeated the important Tatars, but of local importance over the Tatars. In memory of them near the Kremlin, the king ordered the installation of churches dedicated to saints, commemorated in the days of these victories. So there were several wooden pillar-shaped buildings on the covered area of the moat that surrounded the Kremlin. Eight separate churches united around the main church dedicated to the Protection of the Mother of God (in the days of this church holiday the final fall of Kazan happened) - such is the architectural description of St. Basil's Cathedral. The composition of such a composition is appropriated to the Metropolitan of Moscow Makarii, who had a great influence on the tsar.

The Legend of the Architect

About who exactly built the Russian "eighth wonder-light", there is no exact information, only versions and legends remained. It is believed that Pskov masters Barma and Postnik Yakovlev were invited to move the wooden buildings into stone. These names are included in the canonical description of St. Basil's Cathedral. The composition of the version that it was one person - Poster Yakovlev, nicknamed Barma, - is also based on annals and looks plausible. There Barma is mentioned as the builder of the Kazan Kremlin, the construction of which began later, after the construction of the church on Red Square in 1561 was completed.

This mention casts doubt on another beautiful legend. Tsar Ivan admired the result of the work of architects and asked if they could repeat such beauty anywhere else? "We can!" - proudly answered the master, forgetting that the Tsar bears the name of Grozny. The autocrat ordered to blind the builders, so that the Moscow Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed remained unique to their creation. Fortunately, this is only a legend, and the legendary was the ability of Russian masters.

Building Miracle

The surprising harmony and expressiveness of the architectural appearance of the cathedral is not its only merit. The skill with which St. Basil's Cathedral was built is striking. A brief description of the applied materials and technologies speaks volumes. Its walls are made of unusual for that time material - brick, because they usually used hewn blocks of white stone - limestone, especially since the cathedral walls were painted white for a long time, and the domes were golden, which made it look like Vladimir and Suzdal churches.

High engineering level and filigree workmanship, with which the complex surfaces of arches and intricate details of the outer decoration are lined, are invariably included in the description of St. Basil's Cathedral. The composition of the version that the cathedral was built by a West European architect, perhaps an Italian, is the reason for doubt that masters of this level could be found in Russia in the 16th century. It is important to remember that the final appearance of this masterpiece was formed in the course of a long and constant history, when numerous cataclysms in the form of fires required the alteration and reconstruction of the temple.

Heavenly Jerusalem

In terms of a building that has such a complex and whimsical look, an understandable and harmonious figure is an eight-pointed star formed by two squares arranged at an angle of 45 degrees. This is the star of the Virgin, and the very idea of uniting several churches under a single roof goes back to the Temple of the Holy Sepulcher, it was not accidental that the cathedral was for a long time called Muscovites Jerusalem.

Stresses the unearthly nature of the splendor of the cathedral with the high decorative appearance: a magnificent painting in plant motifs and a particularly unusual shape and a bright coloration of bulbous domes that appeared in the 1780s.

The peculiarity of the cathedral is attached to some irregularity in the form of the central tent of the Church of the Intercession and a free lay-out, including the chapel of St. Basil the northeast. He was for a long time the only heated room in the church where the service took place in the winter time, and gradually the church of St. Basil the Blessed began to be called the whole cathedral.

For Christ's sake, the holy fool

In Russia devotees who renounced the comfort and comfort of a full life for the sake of serving God were always worshiped. The holy fools, whom the people considered to be the defenders of the common people before the power of the earthly and heavenly, were always revered in Moscow. Especially famous was the blessed Vasili (1468-1557), who was considered the patron of the city.

Vasily was revered not only by ordinary people, he was respected by Metropolitan Macarius, Tsar Ivan himself listened to him. Blessed Vasili was the first to collect money for the construction of the temple. It was said that he kept the collected trifle openly, but miraculously, not a penny was lost, because the thief was struck with paralysis, from which only Vasily could cure.

This money was the first to be spent on construction, when the Blessed One had already died, and at his funeral, Grozny himself carried the coffin.

Legends of different times

Neither a person who has been vexed, nor an atheist, nor a mere mortal, nor a tyrant clothed with colossal power, can not leave St. Basil's Cathedral indifferent. A brief description of the legends associated with it, confirms this.

When enlightened Napoleon entered the capital of wild Russia, he called the cathedral a mosque and built a stable there. But not to appreciate his magnificence could not and ordered to dismantle the temple, then to erect in the center of Paris. When the impossibility of this procedure became clear, he gave an even more savage order - to blow up the cathedral. According to legend, this was not allowed by the Lord - a heavy rain flooded the fuses, not allowing barbarity to happen.

With another omnipotent ruler, the story that happened in the Soviet era is connected. At the head of Moscow was then Lazar Kaganovich, who embodied Stalin's plans to create an ideal communist capital. When approving the plan for the reconstruction of the center of Moscow, he removed the model of the cathedral, wishing to show how it is possible to make the passage of the masses more convenient during demonstrations on Red Square. The legend preserved the leader's words: "Lazarus!" Put it in place! .. "The former seminarian could not deprive Moscow of a temple named after the blessed defender, although hundreds of churches were destroyed by his order.

The Symbol Forever

Born of the talent and faith of the people, he stood in the fire of wars and revolutions. There is a certainty: while at the address: Red Square, house 2, there is not a multi-storey business center or an impregnable mansion, but St. Basil's Cathedral, Russia will not lose hope.