St Basil's Cathedral

Lonely Planet review

Entering Red Sq through the Voskressensky Gates, you'll emerge with a superb view of the magnificently flamboyant St Basil's Cathedral on the far side. Ivan the Terrible was so keen to immortalise his victory over the Tatars at Kazan that he took the measure of blinding the architects after they completed the cathedral's dazzlingly bright onion domes in 1561 to ensure that nothing of comparable beauty could ever be built.

Its design is the culmination of a wholly Russian style that had been developed through the building of wooden churches. The cathedral owes its name to the barefoot holy fool Vasily (Basil) the Blessed, who predicted Ivan's damnation (as yet unconfirmed) and added (correctly) that Ivan would murder his son. It's definitely worth going inside to see the stark medieval wall paintings. Look out for the Lobnoye Mesto just in front of the cathedral, a 13m-long circular stone platform from where Ivan the Terrible addressed the Muscovites in 1547 and where historically the tsar's orders, as well as notices of execution, were announced to the townsfolk. Now it's considered good luck to throw a coin into the raised centre of the platform.

A joint ticket for the cathedral and the State History Museum saves a few roubles at around Rbl230 .