St. Basil's Cathedral
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St. Basil’s Cathedral
As legend has it, the builders of St. Basil’s Cathedral were blinded by the command of Ivan the Terrible, so they could never create a building greater. There is still the question if St. Basil’s is actually the most beautiful cathedral made in its time. Comparing it to the beautiful Pisa Cathedral and Assumption Cathedral, which were made around the same time, one could find it hard to decide which is the most artistic. Looking at the materials, art, and icons of cathedrals are ways to gauge how beautiful the building is. St. Basil’s Cathedral was the most beautiful cathedral made in its time.
Some words that would be helpful to know as these churches are being described, which will be quoted from dictionary.com, are apse, basilica, nave, and loggia. An apse is “a semicircular or polygonal termination or recess in a building, usually vaulted and used especially at the end of a choir in a church.” A basilica is “an early Christian or medieval church type built especially in Italy, characterized by a plan including a nave, two or four side aisles, a semicircular apse, and often other features.” A nave is the principal longitudinal area of a church, extending from the main entrance to the pillars, usually flanked by aisles of less height and generally used only by the congregation. A loggia is a gallery on at least one side of a cathedral.
In 1063, A.D. an Italian architect laid a stone on green grass fields in Pisa, Italy. That first stone would be the building block of the famous Pisa Cathedral, also known as
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the Cathedral of St. Mary the Virgin, which is still standing today. Construction started in 1063 and was finished in 1350. “Begun by the renowned architect Buscheto in 1064 on the foundations of an earlier Longobord church, and consecrated by Pope Gelasius II in 1118, it did in fact become the largest romanesque church in Tuscany” (Ciaga 38). “A second master builder, Rainaldus, is named in another
St. Basil’s Cathedral
As legend has it, the builders of St. Basil’s Cathedral were blinded by the command of Ivan the Terrible, so they could never create a building greater. There is still the question if St. Basil’s is actually the most beautiful cathedral made in its time. Comparing it to the beautiful Pisa Cathedral and Assumption Cathedral, which were made around the same time, one could find it hard to decide which is the most artistic. Looking at the materials, art, and icons of cathedrals are ways to gauge how beautiful the building is. St. Basil’s Cathedral was the most beautiful cathedral made in its time.
Some words that would be helpful to know as these churches are being described, which will be quoted from dictionary.com, are apse, basilica, nave, and loggia. An apse is “a semicircular or polygonal termination or recess in a building, usually vaulted and used especially at the end of a choir in a church.” A basilica is “an early Christian or medieval church type built especially in Italy, characterized by a plan including a nave, two or four side aisles, a semicircular apse, and often other features.” A nave is the principal longitudinal area of a church, extending from the main entrance to the pillars, usually flanked by aisles of less height and generally used only by the congregation. A loggia is a gallery on at least one side of a cathedral.
In 1063, A.D. an Italian architect laid a stone on green grass fields in Pisa, Italy. That first stone would be the building block of the famous Pisa Cathedral, also known as
Knudsen 2
the Cathedral of St. Mary the Virgin, which is still standing today. Construction started in 1063 and was finished in 1350. “Begun by the renowned architect Buscheto in 1064 on the foundations of an earlier Longobord church, and consecrated by Pope Gelasius II in 1118, it did in fact become the largest romanesque church in Tuscany” (Ciaga 38). “A second master builder, Rainaldus, is named in another