Most people are familiar with the beautiful multi-coloured domes of St Basil’s in Red Square whether they’ve been to Moscow or not. Fewer people seem to venture inside for a completely different experience of this iconic cathedral. It’s like wandering into something from Lord of the Rings.

Unlike most cathedrals there’s no grand space for worshipping – it’s best described as a series of small chapels connected by dark tunnels, it almost out-goths gothic. It seems appropriate that it was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible somehow, full of dark secrets as it is.

Yet it was named after the Russian saint, Basil the Fool, whose grave lies under one of the chapels. Like the building, a paradox indeed.

Red Square; nearest metro: Okhotny Ryad

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Newly re-built (completed in 1997) after Stalin blew up the original in the thirties to make way for an open-air swimming pool. It's been faithfully re-constructed inside and out, and is a fantastic place to witness an Orthodox service taking place - the accoustics and the decor are fantastic. There's airport style security at the entrance and you're not allowed to photograph. By way of compensation, though, you can ascend to an observation platform for great views of the city.

Ulitsa Volkhonka. Nearest Metro: Kropotkinskaya

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