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The Cathedral of St. Basil (officially the Cathedral of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat) was built on the vow of Ivan the Terrible, which he made before the campaign to Kazan in 1552, and with the blessing of Metropolitan Makarius. The conquest of the Khanate of Kazan was a significant event in Russian history, and this importance was underscored by the construction of the grand cathedral.

Another misunderstanding (aside from the name) is that the cathedral is just a temple. It is only called the Cathedral of St. Basil, and that’s it. In fact, between 1555 and 1561, nine churches were built on a common foundation (substructure), five of which were consecrated in honour of the Kazan campaign. According to historical documents, the main part of the cathedral was completed by autumn 1559. At that time, the consecration of all churches took place, except for the central one. It was only a year and a half later, on June 29 according to the old calendar, that the entire cathedral was consecrated. This day is considered the date of the completion of the temple's construction.

In the centre of the cathedral is the main temple – the actual Church of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, crowned with a small onion dome. On October 1, 1552, the storming of Kazan began – at that time, the feast of "The Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos" was celebrated in the church calendar. Therefore, the central temple was named in honour of this feast, and later the entire cathedral was named after it. By the way, at that time, the cathedral was the tallest building in Moscow. Until the reconstruction of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in the Kremlin at the end of the 16th – beginning of the 17th century, it was the highest landmark of Moscow.

In total, the cathedral has eleven domes. Ten of them are the domes of the churches corresponding to the number of altars, and one more dome is above the bell tower. The complex architectural composition and construction programme of the cathedral likely originated from Metropolitan Makarius, who wanted to embody the image of the heavenly city of Jerusalem on earth in the multi-altared temple and elevate the role of Moscow and Ivan the Terrible. Eight churches are symmetrically arranged around the main temple in the shape of an eight-pointed star. Four large churches face the cardinal directions.

But why was the cathedral referred to as the temple of St. Basil and not named after Ivan the Terrible and the Kazan campaign, but after the name of the fool? The reason is that in 1588, a chapel was built on the northeastern side of the cathedral, dedicated to St. Basil. It was erected on the order of Ivan the Terrible's son – Fyodor Ivanovich – over the grave of St. Basil, who died in 1557 and was buried at the walls of the cathedral under construction. The famous fool became known in Moscow at the end of the 15th century. His entire clothing consisted only of iron chains in winter and summer. The Muscovites loved Basil very much for his gentle nature, including the young tsar, although the fool sometimes did not hesitate to contradict and admonish him. Under Fyodor Ivanovich, the canonization of St. Basil took place in 1586.

With the addition of the Church of St. Basil, services in the cathedral became daily. From then on, the cathedral was known more as the Cathedral of St. Basil. Previously, services were only held in the warm season. The cathedral was not heated, while the Church of St. Basil was warm. Moreover, due to the small size of the churches in the cathedral, it was very difficult to hold services. Only the royal family could find space. Soon, the popular name of the cathedral also emerged – the Cathedral of St. Basil.

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