What colorful onion-domed cathedral in Moscow's Red Square was built by Ivan the Terrible?

The colorful onion-domed cathedral in Moscow’s Red Square built by Ivan the Terrible is St. Basil’s Cathedral. Its formal name is the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat.

Ivan the Terrible commissioned the cathedral after Russia’s conquest of the Khanate of Kazan in 1552. Construction began in 1555 and was completed in 1561. The building’s nine chapels are grouped around a central tower, creating its famous asymmetrical silhouette and vividly patterned domes.

The cathedral is often associated with architects Postnik Yakovlev and Ivan Barma, though historical details about their roles remain debated. A common myth says Ivan blinded the architects so they could never design anything more beautiful; historians generally treat that story as legendary. St. Basil’s name honors Basil the Blessed, a revered Russian holy man buried near the cathedral.