The Onion Dome

In 1555, Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of a cathedral on Red Square at the geometric centre of Moscow.  The plan called for a castle-like structure with two spires and nine onion-shaped domes, giving the effect of flames from a giant bonfire.  Completed in 1561, the church belonged to the Russian Orthodox religion for years, holding rituals like the Palm Sunday procession where the Patriarch sat on a donkey and walked around Red Square.  Sadly, as part of the Soviet Union's anti-theist campaign, the church became a museum in 1928 and was completely secularized by 1929.  It remains an architectural marvel. 



St. Basil’s Cathedral. Moscow, Russia. (Image source: Soleterranean)