Russia's famed St. Basil's Cathedral, erected in Moscow's Red Square, turns 450 years old on July 12. Google is honoring the cultural landmark with a colorful Google Doodle on the search engine's home page.
Completed in 1561, the cathedral is officially called "The Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin by the Moat" and stands over the tomb of Basil the Blessed.
"The eccentrically devout St. Basil wore no clothes even during the harsh Russian winters and was one of the very few Muscovites [holy fools] who dared to lambast tyrannical Czar Ivan the Terrible," the AP reports.
The monument, consisting of eight smaller churches arranged around a central church, has gone through several makeovers in its lifetime. According to Moscow.info the structure was originally built in white stone--to match the Kremlin--with gold domes topping each of the cathedrals. The final design changes came in the mid-1800s, when the complex and colorful patterns were added, all of which remain today.
After a decade-long restoration process, Russia is celebrating the cathedral, now a museum, with an exhibit to St. Basil.
"This cathedral is a shrine and a symbol of Russia," said Russia's Deputy Culture Minister Andrey Busygin, according to the Telegraph. "It's a miracle it survived at all."
Visit Google.com on July 12 to see the tributary logo, dedicated to St. Basil's Cathedral. Or, check out a screenshot (below).
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