St Basil’s Cathedral and Red Square

Officially named the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat, the church in Red Square in Moscow, Russia, was built between 1555 and 1561. The cathedral used to be white and its domes were gold. The red brick and multicoloured decorations are a more recent addition, with the current paint scheme created in 1860. The building consists of nine chapels built on a single foundation, and the interior is a maze of galleries, winding from chapel to chapel and level to level via narrow stairways and low arches. The walls are painted in floral and geometric patterns throughout.

# Learning objectives

1: Understand where the cathedral is {.info}

2: Understand how the cathedral was built {.info}

# Pride of Place{.objective .objective1}
Students are asked to identify the location of the cathedral and spot clues that demonstrate that this building is important.

#Heavenly Architecture {.objective .objective2}

Students are asked to look at the architecture of the cathedral and think about how the architecture made people think about God.

# Striking Shapes{.objective .objective3}

Students can identify the different shapes and colours used to create this building. They should consider what techniques might have been used to create this building.

# Teacher Resources

### Download Teacher Notes

[](https://data.avncloud.com/activities/792060/files/St%20Basils+Cathedral+and+Red+Square+Notes+1.pdf?date=1676044452&size=1346744&md5=d7b0d02c6463bb0ebe3cb7c94d8dfc86)

### Student Quiz Answers Document

[](https://data.avncloud.com/activities/792061/files/St%20Basils+Cathedral+and+Red+Square+Notes+2.pdf?date=1676044576&size=716756&md5=4006049fe8bf9380028edd3b68a18503)

### Download the Student Quiz Document

[](https://data.avncloud.com/activities/792062/files/St%20Basils+Cathedral+and+Red+Square+Notes+3.pdf?date=1676044789&size=94929&md5=f44f6220defaf00c4119f4e596a227a6)