St. Basils Cathedral

St Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow

The Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat – universally known as St Basil’s Cathedral – was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible to commemorate the capture of Kazan from the Khanate in 1552. It was completed in 1561. The architect is unknown; a later tradition attributed the building to a master named Postnik Yakovlev, but documentary evidence is thin. The claim that Ivan had the architect blinded to prevent him building anything comparable appears to be entirely invented.

The building consists of nine separate churches arranged around a central tower, each with its own distinct onion dome. The polychrome colouring (red, green, gold, blue, white) was added in the late 17th century; the original domes were probably gilded gold. The structure sits at the southern end of Red Square on a low plinth.

The cathedral is an active branch of the State Historical Museum and charges entry (around 700 RUB for foreign visitors as of 2024). The interiors are small, heavily decorated, and connected by narrow corridors; the interior is considerably more modest than the exterior suggests.

Red Square

St Basil’s is the anchor of Red Square, the 73,000 square metre cobbled plaza that runs north to south between the Kremlin walls and the GUM department store. The square is the obvious orientation point for the entire historic centre of Moscow.

Lenin’s Mausoleum on the western side of the square, directly in front of the Kremlin wall, contains Lenin’s embalmed body and is open Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday (closed Monday, Friday, and all of July and August for maintenance). Entry is free, strictly controlled, and requires respectful conduct; queues can be long.

The Kremlin is the walled complex of palaces, cathedrals, and government buildings occupying the triangular promontory at the north end of Red Square. The Kremlin grounds (excluding the Presidential buildings) are open to visitors. The collection within includes the Armoury Chamber, one of Russia’s oldest museums, with the treasury of the Tsars. Tickets are sold at the Kutafya Tower entrance; combined tickets for the Armoury and the grounds are the standard option.

GUM (State Department Store) on the east side of the square is a 19th-century retail arcade with an iron-and-glass barrel-vaulted roof. It is now occupied by high-end international brands and a few old-fashioned Soviet-era counters selling ice cream and pastries that have been commercially preserved as novelties.

Where to Eat

Cafe Pushkin on Tverskoy Boulevard (20 minutes walk from Red Square) is the most well-known Moscow restaurant serving classic Russian and French dishes in a setting designed to evoke a 19th-century library. Expensive for Moscow; reliable for the price.

Stolovaya 57 inside GUM is the Soviet-era cafeteria format preserved and cleaned up: trays, canteen service, reasonably priced Russian food. Its position inside GUM makes it convenient; the food is straightforward and adequate.

The Kitay-Gorod area east of Red Square has a cluster of restaurants in converted 19th-century buildings, including several Georgian restaurants, which occupy the top end of the Moscow dining recommendation lists. Georgian food (khachapuri, khinkali, churchkhela) is widely considered the best non-Russian option in Moscow.

Where to Stay

Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow on Neglinnaya Street is 5 minutes walk from Red Square and is among the better centrally located luxury hotels. Hotel Metropol on Teatralny Proyezd (opposite the Bolshoi Theatre) is a 1905 art nouveau building that has functioned as a hotel through the Soviet period and into the present; it is not the most efficiently run property but the building is exceptional.

Note: Accessibility for many nationalities to Moscow has been significantly restricted since 2022. Check visa requirements and airline options carefully before planning a Moscow visit.

Practical Notes

The Moscow Metro is one of the most efficient urban rail systems in the world and also, in certain older stations, one of the most architecturally distinctive. The line 1 (red, Sokolnicheskaya) and line 2 (dark green, Zamoskvoretskaya) both stop at Okhotny Ryad and Teatralnaya respectively, within 10 minutes walk of Red Square. Buying a Troika card at any metro station covers unlimited journeys and eliminates the need to buy individual tickets.