Happy Birthday, St Basil’s

Those of you opening Google today might be wondering why there’s a pretty drawing of Red Square’s famous St Basil’s cathedral, one of Russia’s most famous landmarks. It’s the search engine’s little way of saying “Happy Birthday.” St Basil’s turns 450 today.

St Basil’s is one of those places, that no matter how many times you walk by it your eyes remain glued to it. Sometimes, when the summer evening light is glowing, it looks otherworldly. Sometimes, it looks like a cheezy fake candy concoction. But it’s always somehow amazing.

You can read about the cathedral’s crazy history at AP or on Wikipedia.