Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Moscow - Cathedrals on Waymarking.com

This is the largest church in Russia and it may be the largest Orthodox cathedral in the world. The original church on this site was built to commemorate the victory of Russia over Napoleon. Construction began in 1839 and was not completed until 1883. It was the tallest building in Moscow at the time and could accommodate 10,000 worshippers.

In 1931 Stalin ordered the church destroyed. It took several days and multiple detonations to bring the massive building down. Stalin had grandiose plans to construct a Palace of the Soviets on the site, which would be topped by a 300 foot statue of Lenin. Slow removal of the debris, repeated flooding by the nearby Moscow river and the onset of World War II thwarted this scheme. For many years a large public swimming pool occupied the site.

After the fall of communism and the resurgence of the Russian Orthodox Church ambitious plans were made to reconstruct the cathedral. There were controversies, similar to those which arose about the original, about the cost (over $300 million)and the design. Fund raising from private and individual sources progressed, construction began in 1995 and was completed in only two years.

The design of the new cathedral closely resembles the original. The size is very impressive. Inside there are elaborate and brightly colored paintings, frescoes and icons on every surface including the entire interior of the central dome which rises over 300 feet. The exterior is ornamented with many sculptures and relief decorations. Huge bronze doors grace the front. The five golden domes are visible from much of central Moscow.

This website presents the Orthodox Church viewpoint, details the history and includes pictures of the original church and a sketch of the proposed Palace of the Soviets. Link

Address: 55°44′40″N 37°35′20″E On the banks of the river near the Kremlin Religious affiliation: Russian Orthodox Date founded or constructed: 1997/07/01 Web site: [Web Link]

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