St. Basil's Cathedral

St. Basil's Cathedral

Sagrada Família

Sagrada Família

Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica

Christ the Redeemer

Christ the Redeemer

Notre-Dame

Notre-Dame

Kaaba

Kaaba

Western Wall

Western Wall

Karnak

Karnak

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey

Sensō-ji

Sensō-ji

Pantheon

Pantheon

Borobudur

Borobudur

Cologne Cathedral

Cologne Cathedral

Lalibela

Lalibela

Lotus Temple

Lotus Temple

Milan Cathedral

Milan Cathedral

Blue Mosque

Blue Mosque

Sistine Chapel

Sistine Chapel

Religious Landmarks

Religious Landmarks

St. Basil's Cathedral - Landmarks

40 chapters
levelbeginner

Explore our quick readings on religious landmarks to find out what makes them special and easily improve your language skills!

Vocabulary
1.
famous
[adj]
/ˈfeɪməs/
2.
building
[n]
/ˈbɪldɪŋ/
3.
moscow
[n]
/ˈmɑˌskoʊ/, /ˈmɔˌskaʊ/
4.
Russia
[n]
/ˈɹəʃə/
5.
bright
[adj]
/braɪt/
6.
special
[adj]
/ˈspɛʃəl/
7.
design
[n]
/dɪˈzaɪn/
8.
cathedral
[n]
/kəˈθiːdrəl/
9.
important
[adj]
/ɪmˈpɔrtənt/
10.
finish
[v]
/ˈfɪnɪʃ/
11.
Russian
[adj]
/ˈrʌʃən/
12.
leader
[n]
/ˈlidər/
13.
ask
[v]
/æsk/
14.
celebrate
[v]
/ˈsɛləˌbreɪt/
15.
win
[v]
/wɪn/
16.
war
[n]
/wɑr/
17.
tower
[n]
/ˈtaʊɚ/
18.
dome
[n]
/doʊm/
19.
shape
[v]
/ʃeɪp/
20.
onion
[n]
/ˈʌnjən/
21.
church
[n]
/ʧɝʧ/
22.
Saint
[n]
/seɪnt/
23.
painting
[n]
/ˈpeɪntɪŋ/
24.
symbol
[n]
/ˈsɪmbəl/
25.
all over the (world|globe)
[phrase]
/ˈɔːl ˌoʊvɚ ðə wˈɜːld ɔːɹ ɡlˈoʊb/
26.
UNESCO
[n]
/juˈnɛsˌkoʊ/
27.
protect
[v]
/prəˈtɛkt/
28.
culture
[n]
/ˈkʌltʃɚ/
29.
regular
[adj]
/ˈrɛɡjʊlər/
30.
church service
[n]
/tʃˈɜːtʃ sˈɜːvɪs/
31.
museum
[n]
/mjuˈziːəm/
32.
visit
[v]
/ˈvɪzɪt/
33.
official
[adj]
/əˈfɪʃəl/
34.
holy
[adj]
/ˈhoʊli/
35.
name after
[v]
/nˈeɪm ˈæftɚ/
Practice
1.
famous
[adj]
/ˈfeɪməs/
2.
building
[n]
/ˈbɪldɪŋ/
3.
moscow
[n]
/ˈmɑˌskoʊ/, /ˈmɔˌskaʊ/
4.
Russia
[n]
/ˈɹəʃə/
5.
bright
[adj]
/braɪt/
6.
special
[adj]
/ˈspɛʃəl/
7.
design
[n]
/dɪˈzaɪn/
8.
cathedral
[n]
/kəˈθiːdrəl/
9.
important
[adj]
/ɪmˈpɔrtənt/
10.
finish
[v]
/ˈfɪnɪʃ/
11.
Russian
[adj]
/ˈrʌʃən/
12.
leader
[n]
/ˈlidər/
13.
ask
[v]
/æsk/
14.
celebrate
[v]
/ˈsɛləˌbreɪt/
15.
win
[v]
/wɪn/
16.
war
[n]
/wɑr/
17.
tower
[n]
/ˈtaʊɚ/
18.
dome
[n]
/doʊm/
19.
shape
[v]
/ʃeɪp/
20.
onion
[n]
/ˈʌnjən/
21.
church
[n]
/ʧɝʧ/
22.
Saint
[n]
/seɪnt/
23.
painting
[n]
/ˈpeɪntɪŋ/
24.
symbol
[n]
/ˈsɪmbəl/
25.
all over the (world|globe)
[phrase]
/ˈɔːl ˌoʊvɚ ðə wˈɜːld ɔːɹ ɡlˈoʊb/
26.
UNESCO
[n]
/juˈnɛsˌkoʊ/
27.
protect
[v]
/prəˈtɛkt/
28.
culture
[n]
/ˈkʌltʃɚ/
29.
regular
[adj]
/ˈrɛɡjʊlər/
30.
church service
[n]
/tʃˈɜːtʃ sˈɜːvɪs/
31.
museum
[n]
/mjuˈziːəm/
32.
visit
[v]
/ˈvɪzɪt/
33.
official
[adj]
/əˈfɪʃəl/
34.
holy
[adj]
/ˈhoʊli/
35.
name after
[v]
/nˈeɪm ˈæftɚ/
1.
famous
[adj]
/ˈfeɪməs/
berühmt
2.
building
[n]
/ˈbɪldɪŋ/
Gebäude
3.
moscow
[n]
/ˈmɑˌskoʊ/, /ˈmɔˌskaʊ/
Moskau
4.
Russia
[n]
/ˈɹəʃə/
Russland
5.
bright
[adj]
/braɪt/
hell
6.
special
[adj]
/ˈspɛʃəl/
besonder-
7.
design
[n]
/dɪˈzaɪn/
Design
8.
cathedral
[n]
/kəˈθiːdrəl/
Kathedrale
9.
important
[adj]
/ɪmˈpɔrtənt/
wichtig
10.
finish
[v]
/ˈfɪnɪʃ/
beenden
11.
Russian
[adj]
/ˈrʌʃən/
russisch
12.
leader
[n]
/ˈlidər/
Führer
13.
ask
[v]
/æsk/
fragen
14.
celebrate
[v]
/ˈsɛləˌbreɪt/
feiern
15.
win
[v]
/wɪn/
siegen
16.
war
[n]
/wɑr/
Krieg
17.
tower
[n]
/ˈtaʊɚ/
Turm
18.
dome
[n]
/doʊm/
Kuppel
19.
shape
[v]
/ʃeɪp/
formen
20.
onion
[n]
/ˈʌnjən/
Zwiebel
21.
church
[n]
/ʧɝʧ/
Kirche
22.
Saint
[n]
/seɪnt/
Heiliger
23.
painting
[n]
/ˈpeɪntɪŋ/
Gemälde
24.
symbol
[n]
/ˈsɪmbəl/
Symbol
25.
all over the (world|globe)
[phrase]
/ˈɔːl ˌoʊvɚ ðə wˈɜːld ɔːɹ ɡlˈoʊb/
in every part of the world
26.
UNESCO
[n]
/juˈnɛsˌkoʊ/
eine Agentur der Vereinten Nationen
27.
protect
[v]
/prəˈtɛkt/
schützen
28.
culture
[n]
/ˈkʌltʃɚ/
Kultur
29.
regular
[adj]
/ˈrɛɡjʊlər/
regulär
30.
church service
[n]
/tʃˈɜːtʃ sˈɜːvɪs/
Gottesdienst
31.
museum
[n]
/mjuˈziːəm/
Museum
32.
visit
[v]
/ˈvɪzɪt/
besuchen
33.
official
[adj]
/əˈfɪʃəl/
offiziell
34.
holy
[adj]
/ˈhoʊli/
heilig
35.
name after
[v]
/nˈeɪm ˈæftɚ/
benennen nach

1

Kapitel

star
St. Basil's Cathedral 
Read a short passage about a colorful church with onion-shaped domes in the center of Moscow. 
1.1
St. Basil's Cathedral is a very famous building in Moscow, Russia.  It is known for its bright colors and special design.  The cathedral is in Red Square, a very important place in Moscow. 

Die Basilius-Kathedrale ist ein sehr berühmtes Gebäude in Moskau, Russland. Sie ist für ihre leuchtenden Farben und besondere Design bekannt. Die Kathedrale befindet sich auf dem Roten Platz, einem sehr wichtigen Ort in Moskau.

1.2
St. Basil's Cathedral was built a long time ago.  It was finished in the year 1561.  A Russian leader named Ivan the Terrible asked for the cathedral to be built.  He wanted to celebrate winning a war. 

Die Basilius-Kathedrale wurde vor langer Zeit erbaut. Sie wurde im Jahr 1561 fertiggestellt. Ein russischer Führer namens Iwan der Schreckliche ließ die Kathedrale erbauen. Er wollte einen Kriegsgewinn feiern.

1.3
The cathedral has many tall towers.  These towers are called domes.  Each dome is shaped like an onion.  They are painted in many different colors, like red, green, blue, and yellow.  This makes the cathedral look very special and beautiful. 

Die Kathedrale hat viele hohe Türme. Diese Türme werden Kuppeln genannt. Jede Kuppel ist wie eine Zwiebel geformt. Sie sind in vielen verschiedenen Farben gestrichen, wie rot, grün, blau und gelb. Dies macht die Kathedrale sehr besonders und schön.

ThumbnailPhoto
1.4
Inside the cathedral, there are many small churches.  There are ten churches in total.  Each church is for a different saint or special event.  The walls inside have many colorful paintings and designs. 

In der Kathedrale gibt es viele kleine Kirchen. Insgesamt gibt es zehn Kirchen. Jede Kirche ist für einen anderen Heiligen oder ein besonderes Ereignis. Die Wände innen haben viele bunte Gemälde und Designs.

1.5
St. Basil's Cathedral is an important symbol of Russia.  Many people from all over the world come to see it.  It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  This means it is protected because it is very important to the history and culture of the world. 

Die Basilius-Kathedrale ist ein wichtiges Symbol Russlands. Viele Menschen aus aller Welt kommen, um sie zu sehen. Sie ist auch ein UNESCO-Weltkulturerbe. Das bedeutet, dass sie geschützt ist, weil sie für die Geschichte und Kultur der Welt sehr wichtig ist.

1.6
The cathedral is not used for regular church services anymore.  It is now a museum.  People can visit it to learn about its history and see its beautiful art and design. 

Die Kathedrale wird nicht mehr für regelmäßige Gottesdienste genutzt. Sie ist jetzt ein Museum. Menschen können sie besuchen, um etwas über ihre Geschichte zu erfahren und ihre schöne Kunst und Gestaltung zu sehen.

1.7
Fun fact: Its real name is not St. Basil's.  Its official name is "The Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat."  But, it is called St. Basil's because there was a holy man named Basil who lived in the area at the same time it was built.  People thought he was very special, so they named the cathedral after him. 

Fun Fact: Sein richtiger Name ist nicht St. Basil. Sein offizieller Name ist "Die Kathedrale der Fürbitte der Allerheiligsten Gottesmutter am Graben". Aber es wird St. Basil genannt, weil zur Zeit seines Baus ein heiliger Mann namens Basil in der Gegend lebte. Die Leute dachten, er sei etwas Besonderes, also benannten sie die Kathedrale nach ihm.

1. St. Basil's Cathedral

1. St. Basil's Cathedral

Religious Landmarks

‌
100%
QuizSkip the quiz
1.

Where is St. Basil’s Cathedral located?

A

Paris, France

B

Moscow, Russia

C

Rome, Italy

D

London, England

2.

Who ordered St. Basil’s Cathedral to be built?

A

Peter the Great

B

Napoleon

C

Ivan the Terrible

D

Catherine the Great

3.

Put these events in the correct order:

st. basil’s cathedral was finished.
the cathedral was turned into a museum.
the cathedral became a unesco world heritage site.
ivan the terrible ordered the cathedral to be built.
4.

Match each word with its meaning from the text:

Domes
Red Square
Museum
UNESCO
A place where people learn about history
An organization that protects important places
A famous place in Moscow
Towers shaped like onions
5.

Complete the sentences with the correct words (two words are extra):

St. Basil’s Cathedral was finished in

.

The domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral are shaped like

.

The cathedral is now a

where people can learn about its history.

1561
onions
museum
1200
stars
6.

Check if these statements are true or false.

StatementsTrue/False

St. Basil’s Cathedral is in Red Square.

The cathedral was built in the 1900s.

The cathedral has ten small churches inside.

St. Basil’s Cathedral is still used for church services.

True
False
patternpatternpatternpatternpatternpattern