Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow

Cathedral of Christ the Savior is the cathedral temple of the Russian Orthodox Church, the main temple of Russia. It is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest Orthodox cathedral. The temple is designed for 10 thousand people. Its width is 85 meters, height is 105 meters. Painting inside the temple occupies about 22 thousand m², of which about 9 thousand m² are gilded. It took more than 400 kg of gold to gild the domes – an unbelievable amount. The existing structure is an external recreation of the Russian-Byzantine style temple of the same name, created in the 19th century, carried out in the 1990s.

Highlights

Alexander I decided to build this iconic structure in honor of the victory in the War of 1812. At first the temple was laid on the Sparrow Hills, but it began to settle. They chose a new construction site – on the site of the Alexeyevsky Nunnery.

According to legend, the abbess of that convent chained herself to a tree in protest. But by special order of Emperor Nicholas I, the tree was dug up with her and moved. Then the abbess cursed this construction and predicted that “no structure will stand on this place for more than 50 years” and that “there will be a huge muddy puddle here.”

The construction and interior decoration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior took almost 40 years. On May 26, 1883, the temple was solemnly consecrated in the presence of Alexander III and the imperial family.

The first Cathedral of Christ the Savior existed for 48 years, in connection with which many recalled the legend of the abbess. The majestic temple did not fit in with the new Soviet ideology and the widespread imposition of atheism. By order of Stalin, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was blown up on December 5, 1931. Moreover, it was possible to destroy it only after the third explosion. Two engineers were offered to blow it up, but they refused, although they knew that they would be shot. According to legend, the man who still pressed the button and launched the explosion of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, said at that moment: “Let’s pull up the hem of Mother Russia.”

In place of the temple was supposed to build the Palace of Soviets – a giant tower topped with a statue of Lenin. It was to be the tallest building on earth – the palm of the communist leader alone could become a platform for several helicopters at once. Curiously, at the time of writing this guide, Google maps, when hovering the cursor over the building Volkhonka, 15, reports that the Palace of Soviets is located here.

However, it never existed. Plans for the building were disrupted by World War II. Then the struggle against the cult of personality began, and the excavation pit dug for the foundations of the Palace was used for the construction of an outdoor swimming pool “Moscow”. Many remembered then about the “dirty puddle” about which the Abbess spoke.

The pool existed for 30 years. By 2000, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was completely recreated and consecrated. It is said that at the consecration of the temple over the dome suddenly began to move a large cross created from clouds.

A couple of recommendations. Excursion desk can be found at the entrance to the Transfiguration Church of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior from the side of Soymonovsky passage. It is convenient to use the free observation platform that girdles the foot of the temple, as well as the Patriarch’s Bridge for a tour of the surrounding area.

The real drama erupted on February 21, 2012, when the group Pussy Riot made an opposition protest and performed a punk prayer against Vladimir Putin in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior just before the election. The girls were jailed for a year and a half for offending the feelings of believers, but were released ahead of the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The controversy and press discussion made the band members worldwide celebrities.

Visitors

Address: 15 Volkhonka Street
Nearest metro station: Kropotkinskaya
Phone: +7(495) 637-12-76
Website: www.xxc.ru
Virtual tour: www.xxc.ru/vtxxc
Schedule of services: www.xxc.ru/ru/timetabl
Opening hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
Tickets: visit – free of charge. Excursions (around the temple, museum and climbing to the observation platforms): individual – 500 rubles, preferential – 160 rubles, group – 260 rubles

Cathedral of Christ the Savior