Saint Basils cathedral was commissioned in 1555 by Ivan the Terrible to commemorate the capture of Kazan form the Tartars in 1552. The cathedral’s official name is the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin, which also represents the date that Kazan was overtaken; October 1st, the Orthodox feast of the Intercession of the Virgin. The original Russian builders are thought to be two Russian architects Barma and Postnik, although this is disputed by some since there are no official records indicating exactly who build and designed the cathedral. Overtime, eight side chapels were built around the building to “illustrate the eight attempts to take Kazan” (Berton, 42). The architects insisted that for the sake of balance, a 9th chapel be bui...