Saint Basil's Cathedral

Saint Basil's Cathedral is the most recognizable building in all of Russia — a phantasmagoria of color and shape that rises from the southern end of Red Square like something from a fever dream. Its nine onion domes, each unique in pattern and color, have become the universal symbol of Russia itself. Commissioned by Ivan the Terrible to celebrate the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan, the cathedral was originally named the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat. It acquired its popular name from the holy fool Vasily (Basil) the Blessed, whose remains were interred in the cathedral in 1588. The cathedral is actually nine separate churches built on a single foundation, each topped by its own distinctive dome. The central tower, rising 47.5 meters, is surrounded by eight smaller churches, one for each of the eight battles in the campaign against the Kazan Khanate. The architects — known as Postnik and Barma, though some historians believe they were one person — created something unprecedented in world architecture. Nothing like it had been built before, and nothing quite like it has been built since. The cathedral exists at the intersection of Russian, Tatar, and European architectural traditions, synthesizing them into something entirely new. Despite centuries of threats — from Napoleon (who wanted to relocate it to Paris), to Stalin (who wanted to demolish it for Red Square parades), to German bombers — Saint Basil's has survived everything that history has thrown at it. It stands today as it has for over 460 years: a monument to the Russian spirit in all its complexity, beauty, and defiance.