Catedral de São Basílio - 450º Aniversário
Autor: Igor Pineli Vieira | Publicado: 2011-07-12T09:54:00-07:00

A&nbsp;Catedral de São Basílio (em&nbsp;russo:&nbsp;Собор Василия  Блаженного), é uma&nbsp;catedral ortodoxa russa erguida na&nbsp;Praça Vermelha  em&nbsp;Moscou,&nbsp;Rússia, entre&nbsp;1555 e1561. Construída sobre a ordem de&nbsp;Ivã IV  da Rússia, para comemorar a captura de&nbsp;Kazan e&nbsp;Astrakhan, marca o centro  geométrico da cidade e o centro do seu crescimento, desde o&nbsp;século XIV. Foi o edifício mais alto de Moscou até a conclusão do&nbsp;Campanário de Ivã, o Grande, em&nbsp;1600.

O edifício original, conhecido como “Igreja da Trindade” e depois de  “Catedral da Trindade”, continha oito igrejas laterais dispostas ao  redor do edifício central; a décima igreja foi erguida em&nbsp;1588 sobre o  túmulo do santo venerado local Vasily (Basílio). Nos&nbsp;séculos XVI e&nbsp;XVII a  catedral, considerada o símbolo terreno da “Cidade Celestial”,  era popularmente conhecida como “Jerusalém” e serviu como uma&nbsp;alegoria  ao&nbsp;Templo de Jerusalém no desfile de&nbsp;Domingo de Ramos com a presença  do&nbsp;Patriarca de Moscou e do&nbsp;czar.

O projeto do edifício, em forma de chama de uma fogueira subindo ao céu,  não tem análogos no domínio da&nbsp;arquitetura russa: “É como nenhum outro  edifício russo. Nada semelhante pode ser encontrado no&nbsp;milênio inteiro  da&nbsp;tradição bizantina, do século V ao XV … um estranhamento que  surpreende pela sua imprevisibilidade, complexidade e beleza.” A catedral antecipou o clímax da arquitetura nacional da Rússia no&nbsp;século XVII.

A catedral tem operado como uma divisão do&nbsp;Museu Histórico do Estado desde&nbsp;1928. Foi completamente secularizada em&nbsp;1929  e, em 2010, continuou a ser uma propriedade federal da&nbsp;Federação Russa.  A catedral é parte do&nbsp;Kremlin e da&nbsp;Praça Vermelha,&nbsp;Patrimônio Mundial  da&nbsp;UNESCO desde&nbsp;1990.
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St. Basil's Cathedral 

Although it's known to everyone as St. Basil's, this  legendary building is officially called "The Cathedral of the  Intercession of the Virgin by the Moat". The popular alternative refers  to Basil the Blessed, a Muscovite 'holy fool' who was buried on the site  (in the Trinity Cathedral that once stood here) a few years before the  present building was erected.   

The Cathedral was ordered by Ivan the Terrible to mark  the 1552 capture of Kazan from Mongol forces. It was completed in 1560.  That's pretty much all the genuine history that's known about this  celebrated landmark. There, however, scores of legends. Nothing is known  about the builders, Barma and Postnik Yakovlev, except their names and  the dubious legend that Ivan had them blinded so that they could not  create anything to compare. Historians unanimously state that this is  nothing but urban folklore.Architectural specialists are to this day unable to  agree about the governing idea behind the structure. Either the creators  were paying homage to the churches of Jerusalem, or, by building eight  churches around a central ninth, they were representing the medieval  symbol of the eight-pointed star. The original concept of the Cathedral  of the Intercession has been hidden from us beneath layers of stylistic  additions and new churches added to the main building. In fact, when  built, the Cathedral was all white to match the white-stone Kremlin, and  the onion domes were gold rather than multi-colored and patterned as  they are today. 
In the 17th century a hip-roofed bell tower  was added, the gallery and staircases were covered with vaulted roofing,  and the helmeted domes were replaced with decorated ones. In 1860  during rebuilding, the Cathedral was painted with a more complex and  integrated design, and has remained unchanged since.For a time in the Soviet Union, there was talk of  demolishing St. Basil's - mainly because it hindered Stalin's plans for  massed parades on Red Square. It was only saved thanks to the courage of  the architect Pyotr Baranovsky. When ordered to prepare the building  for demolition, he refused categorically, and sent the Kremlin an  extremely blunt telegram. The Cathedral remained standing, and  Baranovsky's conservation efforts earned him five years in prison.

The Cathedral is now a museum. During restoration  work  in the seventies a wooden spiral staircase was discovered within  one of  the walls. Visitors now take this route into the central church,  with  its extraordinary, soaring tented roof and a fine 16th Century iconostasis. You can also walk along the narrow, winding gallery, covered in beautiful patterned paintwork. One service a year is held in the Cathedral, on the Day of Intercession in October.