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ST BASIL ’ S , MOSCOW
St . Basil ’ s Cathedral on Red Square may be Moscow ’ s most magnificent tourist attraction , but it ’ s rooted in a bloody history . Ivan the Terrible ordered its construction to mark the 1552 capture of the city of Kazan from Mongol forces . Legend has it that he then ordered its creators , Barma and Postnik Yakovlev , to be blinded so that they could never create another architectural wonder to compete with the cathedral . Some historians argue that the blinding never happened , but no one knows for sure because there is very little historical evidence relating to the cathedral ’ s history and origins . Even architectural specialists are divided on the governing idea of the structure . One school believes the eight churches around the central ninth is representative of the medieval symbol of the pointed star , while another thinks the creators were paying homage to the churches of Jerusalem . Whatever the idea behind it , St Basil ’ s has withstood the centuries intact , including the threat of demolition during Stalin ’ s reign – apparently it hindered his plans for mass parades on Red Square . The cathedral was saved by architect Pyotr Baranovsky , who bravely refused the demolition order and earned himself a five-year prison sentence in return . So when you stroll from the Kremlin across Red Square to the historic merchant quarter of Kitai-gorod , give Baranovsky a nod of thanks that we are still able to marvel at this architectural wonder along the way .
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