Russia Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior

This cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church is located in the center of the capital, on Volkhonka Street. The current Cathedral of Christ the Savior was faithfully restored in the 1990s. This is the first highest and second largest Orthodox church in the world. It is famous for its magnificent paintings with gold leaf, miraculous icons and holy relics, which are stored under its arches.

The history of the creation of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow

The idea of ​​building the Moscow Church of Christ arose after the victory over Napoleon in 1812. Initially, it was planned to build a huge church with a colonnade, a pantheon of the dead and trophy cannons on the Sparrow Hills. But the construction was postponed, and the money allocated to the temple was wasted. The new site of the erection of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was determined near the Kremlin.

The height of the new temple was 103 meters, the diameter of the main dome is almost 30 meters. The construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow took almost 40 years; the cathedral was consecrated under Alexander III.

Destruction and restoration

In 1931, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was demolished by order of Stalin. In its place, they planned to build a giant Palace of Soviets, a symbol of the new government. But plans for its construction were interrupted by Hitler’s attack on the Soviet Union.

At the end of the 20th century, it was decided to restore the temple. For this, preserved photographs and measurements of the building were used, as well as individual genuine fragments.The modern Christ the Savior Cathedral is practically no different from the previous building. There is a museum of church art, conferences and concerts are held, an observation deck is located, which offers an interesting view of Moscow.