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The Culture of 16th-Century Russia: Buildings and Books

Sixteenth-century Russia developed its own building style: stone churches with tent roofs, such as the Church of the Ascension at Kolomenskoye (1532), and the nine-chapel cathedral on Red Square, now called St Basil's (1555 to 1561), built after the capture of Kazan. Masons built strong walls and fortresses, and metalworkers cast great cannon. In 1564 Ivan Fyodorov and Pyotr Mstislavets printed the first dated Russian book, the Apostol, in Moscow. Chronicles, the Great Menaion Reader and the Domostroy show the reading and ideas of the time.

🎬 Step-by-step story

  1. In 1532 builders raised a stone church with a tall tent roof, not a round dome. The roof makes your eyes go up.
  2. After Kazan fell in 1552 a cathedral rose in Moscow: one central tower and eight smaller ones. Count: 1 + 8 = 9 chapels. Today it is called St Basil's.
  3. For safety, masons built stone walls and big fortresses. Metalworkers cast huge cannon, such as the Tsar Cannon of 1586.
  4. In 1564 Ivan Fyodorov and Pyotr Mstislavets printed the Apostol. One press gives many copies. Writing by hand gave one.
  5. People also wrote chronicles, read the Great Menaion Reader, and used the Domostroy, a guide for running a home.
  6. Your turn. Spin the four things on the stage and tell which one you like best.

Tip: drag the 3D scene to turn it. Use two fingers to zoom.

🤔 Common doubts, cleared

What is special about a tent roof?

It rises in one tall line, so the building looks very high. Watch the roof rise in step 1.

Why does St Basil's have so many towers?

Each of the eight chapels around the central tower is a separate church, so it is nine churches joined as one. Count in step 2.

Why did Russia need strong walls?

Raiders from the south and wars in the west threatened towns. See the walls in step 3.

How is a printed book better than a copied one?

Many identical copies, faster and cheaper. Watch the copies stack up in step 4.

What did people read besides church books?

Chronicles and household guides like the Domostroy. See step 5.

Architecture: tent roofs, St Basil's and fortresses

Russian builders of the 1500s made a style of their own. In 1532, near Moscow at Kolomenskoye, the Church of the Ascension was built in stone with a high tent roof (a tall cone on a tall block). It was one of the first stone tent-roof churches. This shape spread across Russia, in wood and in stone.

After Ivan IV took Kazan in 1552, the Cathedral of the Intercession on Red Square was built (1555 to 1561). Traditionally the architects are named Barma and Postnik. It has one central tower and eight chapels around it, each with its own colourful dome. People today call it St Basil's Cathedral. It is one of the best known buildings of Russia.

Defence also made great buildings. Stone walls were built around Kitay-gorod and the White City of Moscow (the latter under the master Fyodor Kon, in the 1580s and 1590s), and a large fortress at Smolensk from 1595. The master Andrey Chokhov cast the Tsar Cannon in 1586.

Book printing

Before the 1550s every book in Russia was copied by hand, often by monks, and one book could take months. In the 1550s a few unsigned books were printed in Moscow. In 1564 the deacon Ivan Fyodorov and Pyotr Mstislavets printed the Apostol (a book of church readings) at the state's Printing Yard. It is the first Russian book with a printed date and the names of the printers. Later Fyodorov worked in the western lands and printed more books, including an Apostol in Lviv in 1574.

Printing made books cheaper and more alike, so churches and schools could get the same text. It also helped fix spelling and spread learning slowly.

Writing, ideas and daily life

Chronicles kept the story of the state year by year, and big works such as the Book of Degrees told the history of the rulers. Metropolitan Macarius gathered the Great Menaion Reader, a huge set of church readings for every day of the year. A church council in 1551, the Stoglav, set rules for church life, including for icon painters. The Domostroy was a popular guide for running a household, from keeping accounts to treating guests, with strict rules for family life.

Key formulas and definitions

Worked examples

1. How many chapels does St Basil's Cathedral have?

One central tower plus eight around it: 1 + 8 = 9 chapels.

2. Why did the Tsar build the cathedral on Red Square in 1555?

To mark the capture of Kazan in 1552, a great victory for the state.

3. How did printing change books compared with hand copying?

A press makes many equal copies quickly, so books became cheaper and more people could get the same text. Hand copying gave one slow copy at a time.

Common mistakes

Practice quiz

1. Which year saw the first dated Russian printed book, the Apostol?
2. Who printed the Apostol?
3. How many chapels does St Basil's have?
4. A tent roof is:
5. Why was St Basil's built?

Practice: answer these yourself

Type or choose your answer, then press Check. Use a hint if you are stuck; the full solution appears after you answer.

Frequently asked questions

Who built St Basil's?

Tradition names the masters Barma and Postnik. Ivan IV ordered it after the capture of Kazan.

What is the Domostroy?

It is a 16th-century guide for running a home, with rules for family, money and faith.

Was Fyodorov the first printer in Russia?

A few unsigned books were printed earlier in Moscow. The Apostol of 1564 is the first one that carries a date and the printers' names.

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