St. Basil’s Cathedral: The Story About Ivan Blinding the Architect Is Almost Certainly False

The Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible to commemorate the capture of Kazan from the Khanate in 1552 and completed in 1561. The popular legend that Ivan had the architect blinded to prevent him building anything comparable appears to be entirely invented – there is no documentary evidence for it, and the story only begins to circulate centuries later. The architect remains unknown; a later tradition names a master called Postnik Yakovlev, but the attribution is uncertain.

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 interior is a series of small, heavily decorated chapels connected by narrow passages – considerably more modest than the extraordinary exterior suggests. Entry costs around 700 RUB for foreign visitors.

Important note: Travel restrictions from most Western countries to Russia have been severe since 2022. Check current visa requirements and airline options carefully before planning any Russian visit.

Red Square

St Basil’s anchors the southern end of Red Square, the 73,000 square metre cobbled plaza between the Kremlin walls and the GUM department store. Red Square is the obvious orientation point for central Moscow.

Lenin’s Mausoleum on the western side contains Lenin’s embalmed body, preserved since his death in 1924. Open Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday, closed Monday, Friday, and during July and August maintenance. Free entry. The conditions for the viewing are precisely controlled.

The Kremlin is the walled complex at the northern end of the square: palaces, cathedrals, and functioning government buildings on a promontory above the Moscow River. The Kremlin grounds are open to visitors (excluding Presidential buildings). The Armoury Chamber holds the Tsarist treasury. Tickets at the Kutafya Tower entrance.

GUM on the east side is a 19th-century retail arcade with an iron-and-glass barrel-vaulted roof. Now high-end international brands, but the architecture is worth the walk through.

Eating and Getting Around

Cafe Pushkin on Tverskoy Boulevard serves classic Russian and French dishes in a 19th-century library setting. Expensive for Moscow, but consistent. Stolovaya 57 inside GUM is the preserved Soviet canteen format: tray service, reasonable prices, convenient.

The Moscow Metro is one of the most architecturally distinctive in the world. Several stations on Lines 1 and 5 (the Circle line) were built as propaganda showcases in the Stalin era, with chandeliers, marble, and mosaic panels. The transportation system is efficient and the historical stations make the Metro an attraction in itself.