This structure was built by Barma and Postnik Yakovlev in 1555-1560. It is located today in Red Square, Moscow, Russia, and is also called the “Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin on the Moat.” It was built by Ivan the Terrible (ruled 1530-1584), the Grand Prince of Moscow and the Tsar of all Russians. He ruled a centralized state and after the death of his beloved wife, Anastasia Romanovna, he became oppressive. His new policemen, soldiers, and bureaucrats were called the “Oprichniki”—men who wore black, rode black horses, and did Ivan’s dirty work. Ivan also had 8 wives—oh my! The Cathedral was dedicated to Saint Basil the Blessed or Fool-for-Christ, who was born in 1468 to peasant parents. He was eccentric, had premonitions, and wandered aimlessly throughout the streets of Moscow without shoes on. However, Ivan IV was impressed because he correctly foresaw a fire that would rage through Moscow in 1547. The Cathedral was also constructed to praise Ivan’s victory over the Tatars (Mongols) at Kazan in 1552. Kazan was a Mongol Khanate and was influenced by the Golden Horde Khanate too. The architecture of the structure is late Byzantine (the Byzantine Empire fell in 1453 to the encroaching Ottoman Turks!)

St. Basil http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Russian_(Moscow),_Saint_Basil_the_Great_and_Saint_Basil_'the _Fool'_Adorning_the_Holy_Trinity.jpg

St. Basil's Cathedral at night http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Basil's_Cathedral        Instead of a central dome (as in the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul), there is a form called the Shater (a tent-like spire on the roof). It is steeply sloped so snow cannot accumulate and cause the roof to cave in. There are 8 adjacent chapels with onion-like caps; the caps have geometric reliefs, stylized lines, and bright colors. However, the whole Cathedral was originally all white (the trademark colors were added later). The main layout is a cross in a square; there are also triangular spikes and golden posts with crosses on the ends protruding from the smaller domes. Russian (Moscow) saw itself as the third Rome, so they needed glorious architecture to legitimize their claim. Of course, there are many legends associated with this amazing building. Ivan IV purportedly blinded the architects because he didn’t want them to create anything as beautiful as this Cathedral! http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trinity_Cathedral_Moscow_-_first_floor_plan.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Basil's_Cathedral Links:  http://laurashefler.net/arthistory2010/?p=326 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Basil's_Cathedral http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/russia-photos/ http://www.moscow.info/red-square/st-basils-cathedral.aspx http://www.vacationhomes.net/blog/2011/12/19/top-10-extraordinary-churches-around-the-world/\ http://www.worldalldetails.com/Gallery/Russia/175-Saint_Basil_Cathedral_-_The_geometric_center_of_Moscow.html http://www.google.com/doodles/450th-anniversary-of-st-basils-cathedral

Charlemagne's Palace at Aachen, Germany http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Aachen

Gallarus Oratory, Dingle, Ireland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallarus_Oratory

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial, Taipei, Taiwan  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chiang_Kai-shek_Memorial_Hall.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekong

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Floating_Market_Thailand.jpg

Tuxedo Park Apartments, Miami Beach, Florida My own picture!

My Tree!!

          The woody smell of a 6 foot Douglass Fir, the twinkle of icicle lights blinking happily on my front porch, the hanging ruby stockings on which my name is inscribed, and the blaring Christmas carols that my Pre-Calc teacher plays on his aged stereo is my version of Christmas here in the United States. Every year, the Christmas season rolls around and I wonder, “Wasn’t I just here? Wasn’t I just celebrating this?” In general, Americans LOVE Christmas. Well, we like getting gifts at massive discounts while huge department stores roll around in profits made through people buying things left and right. To me, it seems like Christmas is just about gifts and “stuff,” not the actual celebration of Jesus’ birth. However, there are many neat traditions related to Christmas here in the U.S. First, most families buy large, real or fake trees to adorn their houses and to make them in the mood for the holidays. For some history, the first Christmas tree lot in the U.S. was in 1851 in New York. Xmas trees are grown in all 50 states (Hawaii included) and the tree industry provides 100,000 jobs annually! Families decorate their trees with bulbous glittering ornaments and homemade ones from when their children were young. See below for a couple of my “highly sophisticated” ornaments I made when I was 8. :P


         After the tree, many Americans like to go to Church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. The choir performs a few Christmas ballads, little children gleefully act out the Nativity Scene, and the pastor tells the story of the three magi (if you are Christian). Other holidays celebrated during the winter solstice include the Dongzhi Festival (China), Hogmanay (Scotland), Junkanoo (Jamaica and Bahamas), and Sewy Yelda (Kurdish). After a candle lit church service, I usually go to my grandparents’ house with my extended family and we eat German food, exchange gifts, and talk about how quickly the year has gone by. Next, many people in America drool over the 25 days of Christmas that is hosted on the ABC Family channel. It is a tradition for many to see Charlie Brown’s Christmas (1965), Frosty the Snowman (1953), and Rudolph the Reindeer (1964)!

Charlie Brown design! http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charlie_Brown!_(7539446408).jpg         And of course, you can’t forget the oodles of snow that come during this time of the year (although it is hot where I live!). Finally, it is a tradition in the U.S. to leave milk and cookies out for Santa, the jolly, rotund, and smoking old man that manages to deliver toys to every good boy and girl around the world. Many children are brought up to believe in the magical reality of Santa, but the illusion is usually shattered around 5th or 6th grade (sadness!). To conclude, the holiday season in America is hectic, more about money and tradition than Jesus, and fast-paced. But it is merry and the spirit of giving (and wasting energy through lights) is usually fervent and genuine.

Malbork Castle, Poland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malbork_Castle