Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour stands in central Moscow on Volkhonka Street, next to the Kropotkinskaya metro station and about a mile and a half from Red Square. It is the main cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church and, according to the Guinness Book of Records, the largest Orthodox cathedral in the world. The present building is a 1990s recreation of the original cathedral, which the Soviet authorities demolished in 1931.

History

The idea of building a memorial church to mark the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812 belonged to General Mikhail Kikin, who wanted to revive the old tradition of votive churches. The first project was laid out on the Sparrow Hills, between the Smolensk and Kaluga roads; the state spent more than four million roubles in banknotes on it, but the construction was never finished.

A new site was later chosen next to the Kremlin, on the grounds once occupied by the Alekseevsky Convent. Construction took almost 44 years: the church was founded in 1839 and consecrated on 26 May 1883, on the coronation day of Emperor Alexander III. It was dedicated to the memory of soldiers of the Patriotic War of 1812 and the Russian army's foreign campaigns of 1813–1814, with the names of fallen officers inscribed on its walls.

Demolition and the Moskva pool

In 1931 the Soviet authorities demolished the cathedral, planning to build a vast Palace of the Soviets on the site. Excavation for the palace's foundation pit began in 1935, but the project was never completed, before or after the war. Marble from the demolished cathedral was used to decorate the Kropotkinskaya and Okhotny Ryad metro stations. In 1958–1960 an open-air swimming pool, the Moskva, opened on the cleared site and operated until 1994.

Recreation

The decision to rebuild the cathedral was made in the early 1990s. The building was reconstructed on its original foundation but with modern building materials; the work lasted from 1994 to 1999.

Interior and relics

The cathedral is known for its gilded interior decoration and murals. It holds one of the miracle-working copies of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, a fragment of the Robe of Christ kept near the right choir, a fragment of the Robe of the Mother of God, and a nail from the Cross, all transferred from the Moscow Kremlin Museums. The relics of Saint Philaret lie to the right of the main altar. The lower level of the building houses a separate Transfiguration church. Services are held only in the cathedral itself, while councils and events take place separately, in the Hall of Church Councils and the refectory chambers.

Getting there

The cathedral stands at 15 Volkhonka Street, next to the Kropotkinskaya metro station. Tour groups can use the building's elevators down to the lower floor, where the cathedral's museum is located. An observation deck, set at the height of the fourth tier, is also reached by elevator and has a paid entrance. Visitors go through an airport-style security check at the entrance.