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Saint Basil's Cathedral

1555–1561 · 16th century · Also known as Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed

Saint Basil's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat, stands on Red Square in Moscow. Ivan IV had it built in 1555–1561 to commemorate the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan, and its cluster of chapels crowned with colourful onion domes made it a symbol of Russia. It takes its popular name from the holy fool Basil, buried in a chapel added in 1588.

Saint Basil's Cathedral
Image: Tsy1980 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Saint Basil's Cathedral. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/saint-basils-cathedral
MLA
“Saint Basil's Cathedral.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/saint-basils-cathedral. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Saint Basil's Cathedral.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/saint-basils-cathedral.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Saint Basil's Cathedral’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/saint-basils-cathedral (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻