St. Basil's cathedral on Red Square of Moscow. The cathedral was built in 1555-1561 at the order of czar Ivan the Terrible
St. Basil's cathedral on Red Square of Moscow. The cathedral was built in 1555-1561 at the order of czar Ivan the Terrible at the south-east border of Red Square to commemorate his military victories over cities of Kazan and Astrakhan. The exact identity of the architect of the cathedral is unknown. Legend holds that czar Ivan the Terrible blinded the architect so that he could not build the replica of the building elsewhere, although the real alleged architect had remained active long since the construction of the cathedral. There is evidence that construction involved bricklayers from Russian city of Pskov and German lands. The cathedral acquired its vivid colors in several stages from the 1680 to 1848. St. Basil's cathedral marks the geometric center of Moscow. It has been the hub of the city's growth since the 14th century and was the city's tallest building until the completion of the Ivan the Great bell tower of Moscow Kremlin in 1600. The cathedral has no analogues, in preceding, contemporary or later architecture of Muscovy and Byzantine cultural tradition in general. Maybe it is a composition of European and Asian architectures and cultures. The cathedral is registered in the UNESCO list of the World heritage sites.
Size: 5307px × 3538px
Location: Red Square, Moscow, Russia, Europe
Photo credit: © Alex's Pictures - Moscow / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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