St. Basil's Cathedral, Moscow (Russia) - Travel Guide
Take a tour of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, Russian Federation -- part of the World's Greatest Attractions travel video series by GeoBeats.
It looks more like a cluster of brightly colored hot air balloons than a cathedral.
This is St. Basil's, or the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin By the Moat.
This flamboyantly shaped and colored building is one of Russia's most important churches.
The cathedral was started in 1555 as eight chapels built around a larger ninth.
There have been several theories about the design of St. Basil's, but no certain answers.
The cathedral has had several additions, and the whole church narrowly escaped destruction under Stalin.
St. Basil's is no longer a church, it now operates as a museum.
Moscow / Москва (2004)
A detailed video excursion through Moscow, from ancient times to the present day. You will be introduced to the historical parts of Moscow, and learn many interesting facts about monasteries and temples. The film also discusses the era of town planning, and the unique civil engineering design of the city's underground. See a chronicle of parades through Red Square, and travel through the capital at night. This film uses computer graphics that uniquely chronicle the beginning of the twentieth century and the Soviet time.
CONTENTS:
Part 1. Historical Moscow
The Kremlin: Senate and Sobornaya (Cathedral) Squares, Uspensky (Assumption) and Bla-oveshensky (Annunciation) Cathedrals, Granovitaya Chamber (The Faceted Chamber), Ivan theTerrible's Bell Tower, the Tsar's Bell, the Tsar's Cannon, Armoury Museum. I Square: The Cathedral of the Intercession of the Mother of God at the Moat (St.Vasil's Cathedral), Lobnoye Mesto, The Cathedral of the Mother of God of Kazan, Alexander Gardens.
Kitai-Gorod (Chinatown): Nifcolskaya Street, Ilyinka, Gostiny Dvor.
Old Moscow. Theatre Square, The Bolshoi and Maly Theatres, Mokhovaya street, Moscow University, Pashkov Palace, Arbat Street, Tverskay Street.Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Novodevichy (New Maiden) Convent, Donskoi MonasteryMoscow Metropolitan (subway), The era of city planning, Red Square ParadeThe capital at night
Part 2. Contemporary Moscow.
Moscow, The Moskva River, Luzhniki, The Kremlin, Okhotny RyadThe Old and New Arbat, The main Moscow squares, MonumentsVorobyovy Hills, Moscow UniversityPoklonnaya Hill.
Мы знаем, как получить от видео максимальный доход. Подключайтесь к партнерской программе RVISION на YouTube
Вступайте в нашу группу в ВКонтакте:
Подписывайтесь на нашу страницу в Facebook:
Подписывайтесь на канал
Оставляйте ваши отзывы о работе сети RVISION:
Moscow / Москва (2004)
Genre: Documentary film
Year: 2004
Production: Interact
Duration: 01:21:00
Inside Saint Basil's Cathedral, Moscow, Russia
Subscribe to join My journey.
Saint Basil's Cathedral, is a church in Red Square in Moscow, Russia. The building, now a museum, is officially known as the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat.
It was built from 1555–61 on orders from Ivan the Terrible and commemorates the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan. This famous landmark was city's tallest building until the completion of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in 1600. Source:Wiki.
Music: Virtutes Vocis by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, Russia
St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, Russia
The Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed, commonly known as Saint Basil's Cathedral, is a church in Red Square in Moscow, Russia and is one of the most popular symbols of the country. The building, now a museum, is officially known as the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat or Pokrovsky Cathedral. It was built from 1555–1561 on orders from Ivan the Terrible and commemorates the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan. It was the city's tallest building until the completion of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in 1600. The Saint Basil's Cathedral is not to be confused with the Moscow Kremlin.
The original building, known as Trinity Church and later Trinity Cathedral, contained eight churches arranged around a ninth, central church of Intercession; a tenth church was erected in 1588 over the grave of venerated local saint Vasily (Basil). In the 16th and 17th centuries, the church, perceived (as with all churches in Byzantine Christianity) as the earthly symbol of the Heavenly City, was popularly known as the Jerusalem and served as an allegory of the Jerusalem Temple in the annual Palm Sunday parade attended by the Patriarch of Moscow and the tsar.
The building is shaped like the flame of a bonfire rising into the sky, a design that has no parallel in Russian architecture. Dmitry Shvidkovsky, in his book Russian Architecture and the West, states that it is like no other Russian building. Nothing similar can be found in the entire millennium of Byzantine tradition from the fifth to the fifteenth century ... a strangeness that astonishes by its unexpectedness, complexity and dazzling interleaving of the manifold details of its design. The cathedral foreshadowed the climax of Russian national architecture in the 17th century.
As part of the program of state atheism, the church was confiscated from the Russian Orthodox community as part of the Soviet Union's anti-theist campaigns and has operated as a division of the State Historical Museum since 1928. It was completely secularized in 1929 and remains a federal property of the Russian Federation. The church has been part of the Moscow Kremlin and Red Square UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990. It is not actually within the Kremlin, but often served as a visual metonym for Russia in western media throughout the Cold War and to the modern day.
12 Facts About Saint Basil’s Cathedral
Originally constructed in the mid-16th century, Saint Basil’s Cathedral looms majestically near the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, and has stood watch over countless historical and political events in the country’s history.
1. IT WAS BUILT BY IVAN THE TERRIBLE.
The first Tsar of Russia, Ivan Vasilyevich—also known as Ivan Grozny (a nickname meaning “sparking terror or fear,” or stern), Ivan IV, and the Grand Prince of Moscow—ordered the construction of the cathedral in 1554. Ivan, grandson of Ivan the Great, saw the cathedral’s completion in 1561, but upon his death was interred at the nearby Archangel Cathedral.
2. THE CATHEDRAL WAS CONSTRUCTED IN HONOR OF A MILITARY CONQUEST.
Ivan’s goal of military dominance over a central Russian state led to numerous conflicts during his reign. In the 1550s, his armies defeated the independent Tatar khanates of Kazan and Astrakahn, and the church was built in honor of those victories.
3. IVAN ALLEGEDLY BLINDED THE CATHEDRAL'S ARCHITECT.
Stories and myths abound of Ivan’s raging temper, one of which involves him purposefully blinding the cathedral’s (unnamed) Italian architect so that its design could never be replicated. Other legends state that the architects were a pair of Russians named Barma and Posnik, or that they may have been one person.
4. MANY NAMES HAVE GRACED THE CATHEDRAL.
Dedicated to the protection of the Virgin Mary, the church is officially known as the Church of the Intercession, or the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin on the Moat. It has also been called Pokrovsky Cathedral, Pokrovsky Sobor, and Svyatoy Vasily Blazhenny.
5. IT WAS EVENTUALLY NAMED FOR A RUSSIAN 'FOOL.'
Born in 1468, Basil (also called the Blessed, the Beatific, and the Wonderworker of Moscow) was the son of commoners and was trained to be a cobbler. He became known for his prophetic powers and for being a “fool for Christ,” and following his death in 1557 was buried in the cathedral that would take its name after him.
Like us and Join us at Xtreme Collections for more fun and knowledge.
Red Square Bells
Finally remembered to use the video camera...caught the caroler at Kazan Cathedral. This also shows the Kremlin, Lenin's Tomb, the Church of the Intercession (St. Basil's), and GUM department store (incredibly posh mall).
St Basil's Cathedral / Tourist Destination Moscow, Russia - History and Origin
The spectacular St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century to commemorate a military victory. It is easily the most famous sight on Red Square.
St. Basil's was built to commemorate the capture of the Tatar stronghold of Kazan in 1552, which occured on the Feast of the Intercession of the Virgin. The cathedral was thus officially named Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin by the Moat (the moat being one that originally ran beside the Kremlin).
But the cathedral was popularly known as St. Basil's Cathedral, after St. Basil the Blessed, almost from the beginning. Basil impressed Ivan in 1547 when he foretold a fire that swept through Moscow that year. Upon his death, Basil was buried in the Trinity Cathedral that stood on this site at the time.
The Cathedral of the Intercession a.k.a. St. Basil's Cathedral was constructed from 1555 to 1560. Legend has it that after it was completed, Ivan had the architect blinded in order to prevent him from building a more magnificent building for anyone else. (In fact, he went on to build another cathedral in Vladimir.)
In 1588, Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich added a ninth chapel added on the eastern side to house the grave of St. Basil.
The Life And Death Of Andrey Bogolyubsky
Andrei I Yuryevich, commonly known under his sobriquet Andrei Bogolyubsky (Russian: Андрей Боголюбский, Andrei the God-Loving) (c. 1111 – June 28, 1174) was Grand prince of Vladimir-Suzdal from 1157 till his death. His reign saw a complete decline of Kiev's rule over northeastern Rus, and rise of Vladimir as the new capital city. Andrei was known in the West as Scythian Caesar, and is beatified as a saint in Russian Orthodox Church.
He was the son of Yuri Dolgoruki, who proclaimed Andrei a prince in Vyshhorod (near Kiev). His mother was a Polovtsian (Cuman) princess, khan Aepa's/Ayepa's daughter.
Andrei left Vyshhorod in 1155 and moved to Vladimir. Promoting development of feudal relations, he relied on a team and on Vladimir’s townspeople; he connected to trading-craft business of Rostov and Suzdal. After his father’s death (1157), he became Knyaz (prince) of Vladimir, Rostov and Suzdal.
Andrei Bogolyubsky tried to unite Rus' lands under his authority. From 1159 he persistently struggled for submission of Novgorod to his authority and conducted a complex military and diplomatic game in South Rus. In 1169 his troops sacked Kiev. After plundering the city, stealing much religious artwork, which included the Byzantine Mother of God icon. Andrei appointed his brother Gleb as prince of Kiev, in an attempt to unify his lands with Kiev. Following his brother's death in 1171, Andrei became embroiled in a two year war to maintain control over Kiev, which ended in his defeat.
Andrei achieved the right to receive a tribute from the population of the Northern Dvina land. Becoming ruler of all Suzdal land, Andrei Bogolyubsky transferred his capital to Vladimir, strengthened it and constructed the magnificent Assumption Cathedral, the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, and other churches and monasteries. Under his leadership Vladimir was much enlarged, and fortifications were built around the city.
At the same time the castle Bogolyubovo was built next to Vladimir, and was a favorite residence of his. In fact he received his nickname Bogolyubsky in honor of this place. It was he who brought the Theotokos of Vladimir to the city whose name it now bears. During Andrei Bogolyubsky’s reign Vladimir-Suzdal principality attained significant power and was the strongest among the Rus' principalities.
Amplification of princely authority and conflict with outstanding boyars was the cause of a plot against Andrei Bogolyubsky, as a result of which he was killed on the night of June 28 to June 29, 1174. Twenty of his disgruntled retainers burst into his chambers and slew Andrei in his bed. His silver-inlaid war axe can now be viewed at the State Historical Museum in Moscow.
His son, Yuri Bogolyubsky, was the first husband of Queen Tamar of Georgia. An ancient icon, Theotokos of Bogolyubovo is associated with him.
Saint Basil's Cathedral
The Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed is a church in Red Square in Moscow, Russia. The building, now a museum, is officially known as the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat or Pokrovsky Cathedral. It was built from 1555–1561 on orders from Ivan the Terrible and commemorates the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan. It was the city's tallest building until the completion of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in 1600.
The original building, known as Trinity Church and later Trinity Cathedral, contained 8 churches arranged around the ninth, central church of Intercession; the tenth church was erected in 1588 over the grave of venerated local saint Vasily (Basil). In the 16th and 17th centuries, the church, perceived as the earthly symbol of the Heavenly City, as happens to all churches in Byzantine Christianity, was popularly known as the Jerusalem and served as an allegory of the Jerusalem Temple in the annual Palm Sunday parade attended by the Patriarch of Moscow and the tsar.
The building is shaped as a flame of a bonfire rising into the sky, a design that has no parallel in Russian architecture. Dmitry Shvidkovsky, in his book Russian Architecture and the West, states that it is like no other Russian building. Nothing similar can be found in the entire millennium of Byzantine tradition from the fifth to the fifteenth century ... a strangeness that astonishes by its unexpectedness, complexity and dazzling interleaving of the manifold details of its design. The cathedral foreshadowed the climax of Russian national architecture in the 17th century.
My gear:
Sony Action Cam FDR-X3000 -
Sony SLT-A65V -
Sigma 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC MACRO HSM -
12th July 1561: The consecration of Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow
Ivan the Terrible had originally constructed a series of small wooden memorial chapels as a way to commemorate his numerous military successes against the Tatars. These were built next to the original Trinity Church in the centre of the marketplace near the Moscow Kremlin. Ivan ordered the construction of the new stone church in 1555 to commemorate his capture of Kazan and Astrakhan.
What later became Saint Basil’s Cathedral is therefore a more lavish replacement of an earlier building. Little is known of its construction, with even the identity of the architect a mystery. Tradition dictates that two architects, Barma and Postnik, built the church although later writers have suggested that these are simply different names for the same person.
The building itself consists of eight outer churches arranged around a ninth central one, and is constructed on top of a white stone foundation that matches the nearby Kremlin. A series of later developments led to the nine separate structures becoming joined into a single building, and the bright colours that decorate the walls of the cathedral were added from the late 17th until the middle of the 19th century. These are said to reflect the colours of Heaven described in the Book of Revelation. Before they were repainted, the domes were uniformly decorated with gilded tin.
The Cathedral was confiscated from the Russian Orthodox Church as a result of the Bolshevik Revolution and introduction of state atheism. It continues to function as a public museum.
(17) Inside St Basil's Cathedral (1)
Inside the Cathedral of Intercession (or St Basil's) at Red Square in Moscow.
Eastern Orthodox Lithurgy
Eastern Rite Lithurgical Service Views
(16) St Basil's Cathedral
The Cathedral of Intercession (or St Basil's) at Red Square in Moscow. The cathedral was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible to celebrate the capture of the Mongol stronghold of Kazan in 1552.
???????? 360° St Basil's Cathedral (Собор Василия Блаженного) | Moscow, Russia
A short 360° VR tour video of Saint Basil's Cathedral, which is situated in Moscow's iconic Red Square. It's only a few 360° photospheres in video form at the mo, but some Russian Orthodox Choir chanting has been added to make it a bit more interesting! (The chant is God With Us, or С нами Бог in Russian, as performed by the monks and choir of Kiev Perchersk Lavra).
✣ ✤ ✣ ✤ ✣ ✤ ✣ ✤ ✣ ✤ ✣ ✤ ✣ ✤ ✣ ✤ ✣
Saint Basil's Cathedral
The Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed, commonly known as Saint Basil's Cathedral, is a church in Red Square in Moscow, Russia. The building, now a museum, is officially known as the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat. It was built from 1555–61 on orders from Ivan the Terrible and commemorates the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan. A world-famous landmark, it was the city's tallest building until the completion of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in 1600.
The original building, known as Trinity Church and later Trinity Cathedral, contained eight side churches arranged around the ninth, central church of Intercession; the tenth church was erected in 1588 over the grave of venerated local Saint Vasily (Basil). In the 16th and 17th centuries, the church, perceived as the earthly symbol of the Heavenly City, as happens to all churches in Byzantine Christianity, was popularly known as the Jerusalem and served as an allegory of the Jerusalem Temple in the annual Palm Sunday parade attended by the Patriarch of Moscow and the tsar.
Храм Василия Блаженного
Собор Покрова Пресвятой Богородицы, что на Рву (разговорное название — Собор Василия Блаженного) — православный храм, расположенный на Красной площади в Москве. Широко известный памятник русской архитектуры. До XVII века обычно назывался Троицким, так как первоначальный деревянный храм был посвящён Святой Троице; был также известен как «иерусалимский», что связано как с посвящением одного из приделов, так и с совершавшимся в Вербное воскресенье крестным ходом к нему из Успенского собора с «шествием на осляти» Патриарха.
Saint Basil's Cathedral ¦ Собор Василия Блаженного : [EN] ¦ [RU]
✣ ✤ ✣ ✤ ✣ ✤ ✣ ✤ ✣ ✤ ✣ ✤ ✣ ✤ ✣ ✤ ✣
Camera: Sony Xperia Z3c (hence the poor quality ... sorry!)
Thanks for watching!
✣ ✤ ✣ ✤ ✣ ✤ ✣ ✤ ✣ ✤ ✣ ✤ ✣ ✤ ✣ ✤ ✣
How to view the 360° video:
Desktop using Google Chrome:
Use your mouse or trackpad to change your view while the video plays.
YouTube app on mobile:
Move your device around to look at all angles while the video plays
Google Cardboard:
Load the video in the YouTube app and tap on the cardboard icon when the video starts to play. Insert your phone in cardboard and enjoy.
More info here: ???????? | ????????
The consecration of Easter cakes...
At Easter, thousands of people come to church that would consecrate the Easter cakes.
People can not fit into the church. And all of this in the courtyard of the temple.
During the whole day flow of people does not stop. And the priests one after another all day walking past the long tables, consecrating Easter cakes.
beautiful photo of St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow Russia
The Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed (Russian: Собор Василия Блаженного), commonly known as Saint Basil's Cathedral, is a church in Red Square in Moscow, Russia. The building, now a museum, is officially known as the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat (Russian: Собор Покрова пресвятой Богородицы, что на Рву) or Pokrovsky Cathedral (Russian: Покровский собор). It was built from 1555–61 on orders from Ivan the Terrible and commemorates the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan. A world famous landmark,] it was the city's tallest building until the completion of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in 1600.
The original building, known as Trinity Church and later Trinity Cathedral, contained eight side churches arranged around the ninth, central church of Intercession; the tenth church was erected in 1588 over the grave of venerated local saint Vasily (Basil). In the 16th and 17th centuries, the church, perceived as the earthly symbol of the Heavenly City, as happens to all churches in Byzantine Christianity, was popularly known as the Jerusalem and served as an allegory of the Jerusalem Temple in the annual Palm Sunday parade attended by the Patriarch of Moscow and the tsar.
The building is shaped as a flame of a bonfire rising into the sky,a design that has no analogues in Russian architecture. Dmitry Shvidkovsky, in his book Russian Architecture and the West, states that it is like no other Russian building. Nothing similar can be found in the entire millennium of Byzantine tradition from the fifth to fifteenth century ... a strangeness that astonishes by its unexpectedness, complexity and dazzling interleaving of the manifold details of its design. The cathedral foreshadowed the climax of Russian national architecture in the 17th century.
As part of the program of state atheism, the church was confiscated from the Russian Orthodox community as part of the Soviet Union's anti-theist campaigns and has operated as a division of the State Historical Museum since 1928.It was completely and forcefully secularized in 1929and remains a federal property of the Russian Federation. The church has been part of the Moscow Kremlin and Red Square UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990.It is occasionally mislabeled as the Kremlin owing to its location on Red Square in immediate proximity of the Kremlin.
Мой звон в Казанском соборе - My peal at Kazan Cathedral
Kazan Cathedral (Kazansky sobor) or The Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan
The Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Holy Virgin was built to commemorate the victory of the Russian army over Polish invaders in 1612. The consecration of the cathedral in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Holy Virgin reflected the people's gratitude to the heavenly Intercessor for liberating the city from the invaders. In addition, it testified to the link between two national victories: the liberation of Moscow by a militia headed by Minin and Pozharsky and the seizure of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible. The idea of constructing a monumental structure to glorify the independence of the Russian state and the military feats of its warriors was vividly reflected in the architecture of the Cathedral of the Intercession on the Moat, and further implemented in the overall design of Red Square. It seems as if the two monumental cathedrals on opposite ends of the square have engaged in a dialogue.
Construction began in the 1620s and the cathedral was consecrated in 1637. The Kazan Icon of the Holy Virgin, with which Prince Pozharsky went off to battle in 1612, was kept there. For many centuries, every year on October 22 there was a religious procession to the Kazansky Cathedral with the tsar and the patriarch participating.
Of particular artistic importance was the crowning part of the cathedral, an elegant pyramid of keel-shaped kokoshniki (decorative elements reminiscent of a traditional Russian women's headdress of the same name), topped with an unexpectedly massive dome on an elegant drum.
The Kazansky Cathedral was restored in 1753 under the supervision of architect Dmitry Ukhtomsky. In 1865, a bell tower for the cathedral was built on the basis of a design by architect Kozlovsky. The massive pillar of the tall three-tiered bell tower was in perfect harmony with the eastern side of Red Square.
In the early 1930s, the Kazansky Cathedral was demolished and a public lavatory built in its place.
The cathedral was rebuilt in 1993.
Казанский собор, освященный в честь Казанской иконы Божией Матери, был построен на Красной площади во второй четверти XVII века в благодарность за избавление России от польско-литовских захватчиков в 1612 году и в память о погибших в этой войне русских воинах. Это - первый храм, восстановленный в Москве из разрушенных большевиками святынь.
Казанская икона Божией Матери - одна из самых чтимых в Москве. Она была обретена в Казани 8 июля 1579 года: по легенде, девятилетняя девочка Матрона трижды видела во сне Пресвятую Богородицу, которая указывала ей место под развалинами дома, где находился Ее чудотворный образ. Девочка рассказала об этом видении местному священнику Ермолаю, и икона действительно была найдена в указанном месте.
Прошло 30 лет, и казанский священник Ермолай стал знаменитым патриархом Гермогеном. В страшное для России Смутное время он возглавил борьбу за сохранение русской государственности и был идейным вдохновителем русского ополчения. Уморенный голодом поляками в кремлевском Чудове монастыре, он до последнего вздоха отказывался благословить интервентов.
Именно по его приказу на помощь защитникам России из Казани была доставлена недавно обретенная икона Божией Матери. В марте 1612 года ее встретило в Ярославле II русское ополчение под руководством Кузьмы Минина и князя Дмитрия Пожарского и отправилось с ней в освободительный поход на Москву, занятую польскими войсками. В октябре после длительной осады Китай-города было решено брать его штурмом, и перед Казанской иконой отслужили молебен. По легенде, в ту же ночь греческому архиепископу Арсению, заключенному в Кремле, явился во сне преподобный Сергий Радонежский и сообщил, что предстательством Богоматери Суд Божий об Отечестве преложен на милость, и Россия будет спасена. 22 октября 1612 года ополчение вошло в Китай-город, а через пять дней поляки, замученные голодом в Кремле, сдались.
В благодарность за помощь и заступничество князь Дмитрий Пожарский на свои средства построил в 20-х годах XVII века деревянный собор во имя Казанской иконы Божией Матери. Храм был освящен патриархом в присутствии царя и самого Пожарского, который принес икону на руках из своего дома на Лубянке, где она хранилась в Введенской церкви до возведения Казанского собора.
Сохранилось старинное предание, что Казанская икона находится не в самом храме, а над колокольней посреди креста и будто бы святую икону несколько раз вносили в собор, но всякий раз она снова являлась на кресте колокольни. Нельзя не увидеть аналогию с легендарной Иверской иконой, находящейся по соседству.
Red Square, Moscow.
Red Square in Moscow, 04 march 2015
Moscow; Moskva river, Kremlin, St Basil's
Showing the Moskva river, the walls of the Kremlin with some church domes visible and St Basil's.
Mosicas in Church of the Spilt Blood. St Petersburg, Russia
This place was filled with mosaics. Such a beautiful sight to behold
Inside ST. BASIL'S CATHEDRAL. Red Square. Moscow
This site has a good description.
Although the towers and domes appear chaotic, there is symmetry and symbolism in its design. There are eight domed chapels symbolizing the eight assaults on Kazan: four large and octagonal and four small and square. In the center is a tent-roofed spire topped with a small golden dome.
The ninth chapel on the east side added in 1588 for Basil's tomb interrupts the symmetery of design somewhat. It can be recognized on the outside by its green-and-gold dome studded with with golden pyramids.
The interior is a maze of galleries winding from chapel to chapel and level to level via narrow stairways and low arches. The walls are painted in floral and geometric patterns.
St. Basil the Blessed can be visited in his chapel on the lower floor, where he lies in a silver casket in gaudy splendor. Upstairs, the Chapel of the Intercession contains the equally splendid blue and gold iconostasis. Other chapels, such as that of St. Nicholas, are more restrained and even austere in their decor.
In a garden at the front of the cathedral stands a bronze statue commemorating Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin, who rallied Russia's volunteer army against the Polish invaders during the Time of Troubles in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.