St. Basil's Cathedral is located at one corner of Red Square and a popular tourist spot today. It was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible to celebrate the victory over the city of Kazan and was built between 1551-1561. It was officially named Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin by the Moat-- imagine trying to put that on a travel brochure... It was popularly known as St. Basil's Cathedral after St. Basil the Blessed who had impressed Ivan earlier when he had predicted the fire that ravaged through Moscow that year. Legend has it that Ivan ordered the architect to be blinded so he couldn't create anything so beautiful again. There are 9 individual chapels, each with a unique onion dome. The church's design is based on deep religious symbolism, but overall the cathedral was suppose to represent the New Jerusalem mentioned in Revelations.
On a personal note, this is one of the things I can't wait to see when we get to Moscow!
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