Figure 5.11: St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Red Square, Moscow. Now the most recognized building in Russia, St. Basil’s Cathedral was built between 1555 and 1561 to commemorate the defeat of the Mongols by Ivan the Terrible, the first Russian czar. A central chapel, capped by a pyramidal tower, stands amid eight smaller chapels, each with a colorful “onion dome.” Each chapel commemorates a saint on whose feast day Czar Ivan had won a battle.