Sights To See In Moscow

May 09, 2004

* Red Square: Dates to the 15th century, when Ivan III ordered the area in front of the Kremlin cleared to make a square. Red Square has long been the stage for religious, political and military pageants and processions.

* Lenin Mausoleum: On the border between Red Square and the Kremlin. Under Communism, visiting the Soviet leader's embalmed body was considered by some to be almost a religious experience, and Russians would wait hours to snake through the tomb. Hours of operation vary, but rarely is there a line today.

* St. Basil's Cathedral: East end of Red Square. Commissioned by Ivan the Terrible in 1552. According to legend, Ivan was so taken by the beauty of the spires and domes that he had the architect blinded so he could never design anything more beautiful.

* Kremlin: Home to the Russian president and the country's government. Also home to a variety of churches and other Russian historical artifacts, including the Cathedral of the Assumption (once the most important church in Moscow), the State Armory (housing the wealth accumulated by the Russian princes and tsars) and the Persidium and Senate.

* Novodechy Convent: A beautiful gated park including a variety of churches and chapels. Numerous famous Russians are buried in the convent's cemetery, including former Russian Premier Nikita Khrushchev. *

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