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/
fameux
2.
building
[n]
/ˈbɪldɪŋ/
bâtiment
3.
moscow
[n]
/ˈmɑˌskoʊ/, /ˈmɔˌskaʊ/
Moscou
4.
Russia
[n]
/ˈɹəʃə/
Russie
5.
bright
[adj]
/braɪt/
vif
6.
special
[adj]
/ˈspɛʃəl/
spécial
7.
design
[n]
/dɪˈzaɪn/
forme
8.
cathedral
[n]
/kəˈθiːdrəl/
cathédrale
9.
important
[adj]
/ɪmˈpɔrtənt/
important
10.
finish
[v]
/ˈfɪnɪʃ/
finir
11.
Russian
[adj]
/ˈrʌʃən/
russe
12.
leader
[n]
/ˈlidər/
chef
13.
ask
[v]
/æsk/
demander
14.
celebrate
[v]
/ˈsɛləˌbreɪt/
fêter
15.
win
[v]
/wɪn/
gagner
16.
war
[n]
/wɑr/
guerre
17.
tower
[n]
/ˈtaʊɚ/
tour
18.
dome
[n]
/doʊm/
dôme
19.
shape
[v]
/ʃeɪp/
modeler
20.
onion
[n]
/ˈʌnjən/
oignon
21.
church
[n]
/ʧɝʧ/
église
22.
Saint
[n]
/seɪnt/
saint
23.
painting
[n]
/ˈpeɪntɪŋ/
tableau
24.
symbol
[n]
/ˈsɪmbəl/
symbole
25.
all over the (world|globe)
[phrase]
/ˈɔːl ˌoʊvɚ ðə wˈɜːld ɔːɹ ɡlˈoʊb/
in every part of the world
26.
UNESCO
[n]
/juˈnɛsˌkoʊ/
une agence des Nations Unies qui promeut l'éducation
27.
protect
[v]
/prəˈtɛkt/
protéger
28.
culture
[n]
/ˈkʌltʃɚ/
culture
29.
regular
[adj]
/ˈrɛɡjʊlər/
ordinaire
30.
church service
[n]
/tʃˈɜːtʃ sˈɜːvɪs/
service religieux
31.
museum
[n]
/mjuˈziːəm/
musée
32.
visit
[v]
/ˈvɪzɪt/
visiter
33.
official
[adj]
/əˈfɪʃəl/
officiel
34.
holy
[adj]
/ˈhoʊli/
saint
35.
name after
[v]
/nˈeɪm ˈæftɚ/
donner le nom de [qqn] à [qqn]

1

chapitre

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. 

La cathédrale Saint-Basile est un bâtiment très célèbre à Moscou, en Russie. Elle est connue pour ses couleurs vives et son design spécial. La cathédrale se trouve sur la Place Rouge, un lieu très important à Moscou.

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 cathédrale Saint-Basile a été construite il y a longtemps. Elle a été achevée en 1561. Un dirigeant russe nommé Ivan le Terrible a demandé la construction de la cathédrale. Il voulait célébrer une victoire de guerre.

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 cathédrale a de nombreuses tours hautes. Ces tours sont appelées dômes. Chaque dôme a la forme d'un oignon. Ils sont peints de nombreuses couleurs différentes, comme le rouge, le vert, le bleu et le jaune. Cela rend la cathédrale très spéciale et belle.

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. 

À l'intérieur de la cathédrale, il y a beaucoup de petites églises. Il y a dix églises au total. Chaque église est dédiée à un saint différent ou à un événement spécial. Les murs à l'intérieur sont ornés de nombreuses peintures et designs colorés.

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 cathédrale Saint-Basile est un symbole important de la Russie. Beaucoup de gens du monde entier viennent la voir. Elle est également un site du patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO. Cela signifie qu'elle est protégée parce qu'elle est très importante pour l'histoire et la culture du monde.

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 cathédrale n'est plus utilisée pour les services religieux réguliers. Elle est maintenant un musée. Les gens peuvent la visiter pour apprendre son histoire et voir son bel art et design.

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. 

Fait amusant : Son vrai nom n'est pas Saint-Basile. Son nom officiel est "La cathédrale de l'Intercession de la Très Sainte Mère de Dieu sur le Fossé". Mais, elle est appelée Saint-Basile parce qu'il y avait un homme saint nommé Basile qui vivait dans la région au moment de sa construction. Les gens pensaient qu'il était très spécial, alors ils ont nommé la cathédrale en son honneur.

1. St. Basil's Cathedral

1. St. Basil's Cathedral

Religious Landmarks

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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:

the cathedral was turned into a museum.
st. basil’s cathedral was finished.
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
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