St. Basil's Cathedral

Sagrada Família

Hagia Sophia

Angkor Wat

St. Peter's Basilica

Christ the Redeemer

Notre-Dame

Kaaba

Western Wall

Karnak

Westminster Abbey

Sensō-ji

Pantheon

Borobudur

Cologne Cathedral

Lalibela

Lotus Temple

Milan Cathedral

Blue Mosque

Sistine Chapel

Religious Landmarks

St. Basil's Cathedral - Landmarks

40 chapters

beginner

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

Vocabulary

famous

[adj]

/ˈfeɪməs/

building

[n]

/ˈbɪldɪŋ/

moscow

[n]

/ˈmɑˌskoʊ/, /ˈmɔˌskaʊ/

Russia

[n]

/ˈɹəʃə/

bright

[adj]

/braɪt/

special

[adj]

/ˈspɛʃəl/

design

[n]

/dɪˈzaɪn/

cathedral

[n]

/kəˈθiːdrəl/

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

famous

[adj]

/ˈfeɪməs/

building

[n]

/ˈbɪldɪŋ/

moscow

[n]

/ˈmɑˌskoʊ/, /ˈmɔˌskaʊ/

Russia

[n]

/ˈɹəʃə/

bright

[adj]

/braɪt/

special

[adj]

/ˈspɛʃəl/

design

[n]

/dɪˈzaɪn/

cathedral

[n]

/kəˈθiːdrəl/

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/

famous

[adj]

/ˈfeɪməs/

famoso

building

[n]

/ˈbɪldɪŋ/

edificio

moscow

[n]

/ˈmɑˌskoʊ/, /ˈmɔˌskaʊ/

Moscú

Russia

[n]

/ˈɹəʃə/

Rusia

bright

[adj]

/braɪt/

vivo

special

[adj]

/ˈspɛʃəl/

especial

design

[n]

/dɪˈzaɪn/

diseño

cathedral

[n]

/kəˈθiːdrəl/

catedral

important

[adj]

/ɪmˈpɔrtənt/

importante

10.

finish

[v]

/ˈfɪnɪʃ/

terminar

11.

Russian

[adj]

/ˈrʌʃən/

ruso

12.

leader

[n]

/ˈlidər/

líder

13.

ask

[v]

/æsk/

pedir

14.

celebrate

[v]

/ˈsɛləˌbreɪt/

celebrar

15.

win

[v]

/wɪn/

ganar

16.

war

[n]

/wɑr/

guerra

17.

tower

[n]

/ˈtaʊɚ/

torre

18.

dome

[n]

/doʊm/

cúpula

19.

shape

[v]

/ʃeɪp/

moldear

20.

onion

[n]

/ˈʌnjən/

cebolla

21.

church

[n]

/ʧɝʧ/

iglesia

22.

Saint

[n]

/seɪnt/

santo

23.

painting

[n]

/ˈpeɪntɪŋ/

pintura

24.

symbol

[n]

/ˈsɪmbəl/

símbolo

25.

all over the (world|globe)

[phrase]

/ˈɔːl ˌoʊvɚ ðə wˈɜːld ɔːɹ ɡlˈoʊb/

in every part of the world

26.

UNESCO

[n]

/juˈnɛsˌkoʊ/

una agencia de las Naciones Unidas que promueve la educación

27.

protect

[v]

/prəˈtɛkt/

proteger

28.

culture

[n]

/ˈkʌltʃɚ/

cultura

29.

regular

[adj]

/ˈrɛɡjʊlər/

regular

30.

church service

[n]

/tʃˈɜːtʃ sˈɜːvɪs/

servicio religioso

31.

museum

[n]

/mjuˈziːəm/

museo

32.

visit

[v]

/ˈvɪzɪt/

visitar

33.

official

[adj]

/əˈfɪʃəl/

oficial

34.

holy

[adj]

/ˈhoʊli/

santo

35.

name after

[v]

/nˈeɪm ˈæftɚ/

llamar por

capítulo

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.

La Catedral de San Basilio es un edificio muy famoso en Moscú, Rusia. Es conocida por sus colores brillantes y su diseño especial. La catedral está en la Plaza Roja, un lugar muy importante en Moscú.

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.

La Catedral de San Basilio fue construida hace mucho tiempo. Fue terminada en el año 1561. Un líder ruso llamado Iván el Terrible pidió que se construyera la catedral. Quería celebrar la victoria en una guerra.

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.

La catedral tiene muchas torres altas. Estas torres se llaman cúpulas. Cada cúpula tiene forma de cebolla. Están pintadas en muchos colores diferentes, como rojo, verde, azul y amarillo. Esto hace que la catedral se vea muy especial y hermosa.

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.

Dentro de la catedral, hay muchas iglesias pequeñas. Hay diez iglesias en total. Cada iglesia es para un santo diferente o un evento especial. Las paredes interiores tienen muchas pinturas y diseños coloridos.

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.

La Catedral de San Basilio es un símbolo importante de Rusia. Muchas personas de todo el mundo vienen a verla. También es un sitio del Patrimonio Mundial de la UNESCO. Esto significa que está protegida porque es muy importante para la historia y la cultura del mundo.

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.

La catedral ya no se utiliza para los servicios religiosos regulares. Ahora es un museo. La gente puede visitarla para aprender sobre su historia y ver su hermoso arte y diseño.

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.

Dato curioso: Su nombre real no es San Basilio. Su nombre oficial es "La Catedral de la Intercesión de la Santísima Theotokos en el Foso". Pero, se llama San Basilio porque había un hombre santo llamado Basilio que vivía en la zona al mismo tiempo que fue construida. La gente pensaba que era muy especial, así que nombraron la catedral en su honor.

1. St. Basil's Cathedral

Religious Landmarks

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100%

QuizSkip the quiz

Where is St. Basil’s Cathedral located?

Paris, France

Moscow, Russia

Rome, Italy

London, England

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

Peter the Great

Napoleon

Ivan the Terrible

Catherine the Great

Put these events in the correct order:

the cathedral was turned into a museum.

st. basil’s cathedral was finished.

ivan the terrible ordered the cathedral to be built.

the cathedral became a unesco world heritage site.

Match each word with its meaning from the text:

Domes

Red Square

Museum

UNESCO

An organization that protects important places

A famous place in Moscow

A place where people learn about history

Towers shaped like onions

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

Check if these statements are true or false.

Statements	True/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