Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

130 NORTH EASTERN EUROPE

MININ AND POZHARSKIY

This statue by Ivan Martos depicts

two heroes from the Time of Troubles

(1598–1613), Kuzma Minin and Prince

Dmitriy Pozharskiy who raised a

force to defeat the invading

Poles in 1612. The stat-

ue was erected in 1818

and originally placed

in the centre of the

Red Square facing

the Kremlin. It

was moved

in front of St

Basil’s du r ing

the Soviet era.

Chapel of St Cyprian

This is one of eight

main chapels com-

memorating the

campai gns of Ivan the

Terrible against the

town of Kazan, east of

Moscow. It is dedicated

to St Cyprian.

. Domes
Destroyed by fire in
1583, these multi-
faceted onion domes
replaced the original
helmet-shaped cupolas.
The domes have been
colourfully painted
since 1670, but at one
time St Basil’s was white
with golden domes.

Commissioned by Ivan the Terrible to mark the
capture of the Mongol stronghold of Kazan in
1552 and completed in 1561, this cathedral is
reputed to have been designed by Postnik
Yakovlev. According to legend, Ivan had him
blinded so he could never design anything as
exquisite again. Officially, it was called the
Cathedral of the Intercession since the final
siege of Kazan began on the Feast of the
Intercession of the Virgin. However, it gets its
popular name from the “holy fool” Basil the Blessed whose
remains are interred here. Its design was inspired by Russian
timber architecture and is a riot of gables, roofs and domes.

Monument to Minin

and Prince Pozharskiy

The Chapel

of St Basil Entrance to

the cathedral

Chapel

of the Three

Patriarchs

Detail, Chapel of

the Entry of Christ

into Jerusalem

Chapel of

the Trinity

St Basil’s Cathedral 0
Собор Bасилия Блаженного
Sobor Vasiliya Blazhennovo Bell Tower

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp160–61 and pp162–3

STAR FEATURES

. Domes
. Main Iconostasis
. Gallery