Saint Basil’s or the Cathedral of Intercession of Theotokos on the Moat is probably the most known piece of architecture in Moscow. This magnificently coloured cathedral with its onion like domes is one of the world’s great religious buildings. The church celebrates Russian Orthodox and its beginnings date back to 1555 although the vivid colours and architecture were not a feature until the 1680’s and happened in stages over nearly 200 years. The building is meant to be inspired by a bonfire and its architecture is so unique there were no known similarities to it anywhere. It is rumoured that the architect Postnik Yakovlev was blinded by Ivan the Terrible so he would not design anything as magnificent ever again. The building today is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site which includes the two other major Moscow landmarks Red Square and the Kremlin. The cathedral has been pretty lucky to survive until today. Napoleon was so taken with the St Basil’s that he wanted to dismantle it and move it to Paris but legend tells he didn’t have the technology or manpower to do it. Unhappy with Russia having it and not Paris he then decided no one should have it and ordered it to be blown up. The story goes a sudden shower extinguished the gun powder fuses and the cathedral was saved. St Basil’s was nearly lost in the 1930’s too. Stalin’s Red Square development team planned to knock the structure down to make way for a new grand square luckily the plan didn’t come to fruition. Read the rest of this entry »
The beautiful Saint Basil’s Cathedral is located in the south east end of Moscow’s Red Square which is also home to the Kremlin. Under the onion domes lay 9 chapels and are beautifully painted in medieval style in bright swirling colours. Built between 1555 and 1561 and commissioned by Ivan IV better know as Ivan the Terrible to commemorate the capture of Khante of Kazan the cathedral is one of the most known and photographed buildings in Russia. St Basil is very lucky to be still standing with many wars and troubles harming much of the splendor of the Russian Capital, legend had it that Napoleon was so impressed with the structure he wanted to dismantle it and move it back to Paris, and then in the 1930’s some of Stalin’s team thought it would be good to knock it down to make more space for their military parades. Stalin came close a few years later but a culture buff called Baranovsky kicked up a bit of a stink by telling Starlin he would cut his own throat on the steps instead of tear it down. Stalin decided to keep in and chucked poor old Baranovsky in goal for five years. Read the rest of this entry »
After decades of being just too hard for visitors, Moscow is starting to become a popular destination for tourists. Things still are not as easy or as safe as the other big cities in Europe but things are changing and the city has so much to offer. Magnificent architecture, lovey parks and gardens and friendly people are only some of the what this amazing city has to offer. Today’s You Tube video gives you a few tips for visiting this former Soviet capital which for so long the West was nervous of.
Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow was originally known as Central Lenin Stadium and was the main arena of the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The Stadium is part of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex comprising of 4 arena’s and a swimming pool. Capacity of the arena during the Olympics as show in the video above was around 103000 people today capacity is just under 85000 people. Luzhniki Stadium has been chosen to host the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final and will be Moscow’s first time hosting the European Cup final. Read the rest of this entry »
The Subway system of Moscow is truly a must see. Mostly built during the Starlin era, the stations are more like museums than subway stations. Many of the Metro stations feature ornate artworks and statues that depict images of the bygone communist era, in a form of artwork often described as Socialist realism. The video above is a few short shots of many stations, hit the next page for a slide-show of various other magnificent stations.
