St. Basil's Onion Domes - Moscow, Russia
Posted by: 
Metro2
N 55° 45.138 E 037° 37.390
37U E 413584 N 6179370
St. Basil's steeples are unique and recognized throughout the world for their fantastic design. The church, located in Red Square and adjacent to the Kremlin, is now part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Waymark Code: WMFAZW
Location: Russia
Date Posted: 09/22/2012
Views: 35
ST. Basil's steeples have come to be known as onion domes..a style that Russian Orthodox churches have adopted. But no other church has the original onion domes...and none are as beautiful and whimsical as St. Basil's.
This website (
visit link) has better photos than those taken by the poster of this waymark...including a beautiful night scene. It explains:
"The church was built between 1555 and 1561 and has been considered the tallest building in Moscow for almost half a century. The architects that designed its plans were Barma and Postnik and legend says that the latter did something for the first to lose vision and never be able to replicate this work of art again. The original site of the cathedral was chosen int he heart of Moscow , in the Red Square. The building was built over eight other churches, all of them surrounding the ninth one in a great complex.
The name of the cathedral comes from Saint Basil (Vasyli), a local saint worshiped by Russians. The church is all the more unique as it cannot be considered as belonging to a certain architectural style, but it combines many styles, remaining original still. Its steeples look like a bonfire’s flame raising to the sky and the colourful roofs are unique in Europe and in the world. Experts claim that it combines the old Byzantine style with influences from the Orient and new ideas brought by the two architects. The intricate and detailed ornaments on the outside tend to support the Oriental influence and make it an original landmark of Moscow."
Read more about the church at (
visit link)