Английский язык. Александрова Г.А. - 58 стр.

        Commissioned by Ivan the Terrible and built in Red Square in 1561,
to commemorate the capture of Kazan, it became an encapsulation of
Muslim-Christian bonds.
        The cathedral was built by Barma and Postnik. The richly orna-
mented, fairy-tale cathedral became the first ideological experience, a pre-
cursor to forthcoming expansionist concepts.
        Equally credible is a theory that the cathedral’s design suggests el-
ements of Renaissance-era ideal cities. That is to say, a single structure
comprises the idea of a whole city/cathedral – a king of celestial Jerusa-
lem.
        Put simply, any theories and hypotheses about the origin its cathe-
dral, its architecture and symbolism will be plausible.
        St. Basil’s Cathedral has preserved its symbolic status for three and
a half centures. And very succeessfully so. Military parades, sports marches,
and other state-level forms of entertainment take place against its back-
drop. It is not only a tourist must but also part and parcel of Russian cap-
ital’s informal scene. Its cupolas are the first thing a foreign tourist sees
out the window of the Rossia hotel and the last thing that Kremlin dwell-
ers see from their limousines before disappearing behind the sinister-look-
ing gates.
        The cathedral got a second life as a city symbol during the tumultu-
ous perestroika era. Both democrats and anti-democrats have demonstrat-
ed on Vasilyevsky Spusk (or the St. Basil Slope). It has heard the mantras:
“Vote or lose!” and “Putin is our president!” Eventually, speakers gave
way to rock and pop groups who chose the slope or their out-of-doop
concerts, thus once again stressing the close relationship between politics
and the show business.
        It came to a point when Patriarch Alexy II had to appeal to Moscow
city authorities to put an end to that free-for-all because sound-induced
vibration caused the cathedral plaster work to crumble while tipsy young-
sters used cathedral premises as a hangout. Luzhkov responded by saying
there would be no more acts of outrage.
        Today the cathedral is under repair. The cathedral survived the
Moscow fire, it was surrounded by ditches under Stalin, and chances are
that it will probably survive a renovation program. Our compatriots, how-
ever, have caused more damage then Napoleon did in his time. Today the
cathedral is in need major reconstruction.
                                                            (Moscow News)
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