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Saint Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow
Legend has it that St. Basil’s Cathedral’s beauty cost its architect his eyes. The Moscow monument was built between 1555 and 1561 by Ivan the Terrible to commemorate a victory over the Mongols, and he’s said to have blinded the architect so that he couldn’t create a rival masterpiece. The Russian St. Basil the Blessed lies interred within the church.
Photograph by Izzet Keribar/IML Image Group

Russia Photos

See photos of Russia (including Red Square, St. Basil's Cathedral, Siberia, and more) in this travel photo gallery from National Geographic.

Published January 3, 2010