Under Chandelier of the Tent Roof Intercession Chapel

View from under the church chandelier on the ceiling interior of the main chapel of St. Basil's Cathedral, the Chapel of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin, with a tent roof structure. This Chapel was one of the earliest architectural experiments that placed two octagons sharing a ribbed roof on top of a square. This started a whole new trend in architecture. However, a tall structure like this with a small base plate is very difficult to heat, and cannot be used by many people praying at the same time, which is one of the reasons why very few churches like this were ever built. Tented roofs are thought to have originated in the Russian North, as they prevented snow from piling up on wooden buildings during long winters. This roof style was widely used in 16th- and 17th-century Russian architecture for churches, although there are examples of this style also in other parts of Europe.

Photo #359 taken on July 16, 2016, during a tour of St. Basil's Cathedral with my dear clients from the USA, Andrew and Karen Green.