St. Basil's Cathedral, in Red Square, Moscow.

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At the southern end of Red Square stands the icon of Russia: St Basil’s Cathedral. This crazy confusion of colours, patterns and shapes is the culmination of a style that is unique to Russian architecture. In 1552 Ivan the Terrible captured the Tatar stronghold of Kazan on the Feast of Intercession. He commissioned this landmark church, officially the Intercession Cathedral, to commemorate the victory. Created from 1555 to 1561, this masterpiece would become the ultimate symbol of Russia.

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Size: 3456px × 4608px
Location: Moscow, Russia
Photo credit: © Daniella Cesarei / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: architecture, attraction, basil, cathedral, church, commissioned, historic, ivan, masterpiece, moscow, place, red, religious, russia, russian, square, st., symbol, terrible, tourist, unique, worship