The Orthodox Church commemorates this blessed saint on January 3rd along with another great defender of the Orthodox faith, St. Basil, who defended the Orthodox faith against the heresies of Arianism. With the onset of a new year, we are looking forward with the promise of vaccines for the pandemic that has wreaked havoc in our lives for more than a year.Īs we begin this new year, let us look forwards with an example of a life lived by one of the greatest saints of the Orthodox Church, who played a key role in preserving the faith and fighting for the faith when the Church was faced with problems of its own in the 4th century. We have completed one full journey with the end of the year 2020, a year which was full of troubles and worries all the world over, a year with so much difficulties and a year where many people were asked to be in isolation for their own safety. Amen.ĭear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus Look for the icon depicting St Vasily himself, with Red Square and the Kremlin in the background.In the name of God the Father, Christ Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit, One True God. This 10th chapel – the only one at ground level – was added in 1588, after the saint's death. He was believed to be a seer and miracle maker, and even Ivan the Terrible revered and feared him. Vasily (Basil) the Blessed was known as a 'holy fool', sometimes going naked and purposefully humiliating himself for the greater glory of God. The Church of St Vasily the Blessed, the northeastern chapel on the 1st floor, contains the canopy-covered crypt of its namesake saint, one of the most revered in Moscow. This is a myth, however, as records show that they were employed a quarter of a century later (and four years after Ivan’s death) to add an additional chapel to the structure. Legend has it that Ivan had the architects blinded so that they could never build anything comparable. Each chapel was consecrated in honour of an event or battle in the struggle against Kazan. Finally, there are four smaller chapels in between. The four biggest domes top four octagonal-towered chapels: the Church of Sts Cyprian & Justina, Church of the Holy Trinity, Church of the Icon of St Nicholas the Miracle Worker, and the Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. The tall, tent-roofed tower in the centre houses the namesake Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God. The cathedral’s apparent anarchy of shapes hides a comprehensible plan of nine main chapels. Created from 1555 to 1561, this masterpiece would become the ultimate symbol of Russia. He commissioned this landmark church, officially the Intercession Cathedral, to commemorate the victory. In 1552 Ivan the Terrible captured the Tatar stronghold of Kazan on the Feast of Intercession. This crazy confusion of colours, patterns and shapes is the culmination of a style that is unique to Russian architecture. At the southern end of Red Square stands the icon of Russia: St Basil’s Cathedral.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |