History and time of operation of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Cathedral of Christ the Savior: history of construction Where was the Cathedral of Christ the Savior built?

Exactly 80 years ago - on December 5, 1931 - an explosion occurred in Moscow, destroying one of the most iconic and beautiful buildings in the capital - the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. On this day, the capital lost for more than six decades one of its main attractions, which, along with the Kremlin, St. Basil's Cathedral and Alexander Garden, occupied a very special place in the history of Moscow.

Shalaev Alexey. Cathedral of Christ the Savior. 2005

The Cathedral of Christ the Savior is a building whose history is truly unique, filled with dramatic events and is an important and significant page in the chronicle of the capital itself.

In general, the history of the main Orthodox church in Russia can be divided into three stages: construction (mid-19th century), destruction (from 1931 to 1994) and restoration (since 1994).

Construction of the Temple

The idea of ​​​​building a large temple on the territory of Moscow arose from Emperor Alexander the First immediately after the last soldier of the French army of Napoleon Bonaparte left Russia in 1812.

It has always been customary in our country to celebrate the victory in the war by erecting churches and cathedrals. For example, Yaroslav the Wise built Sophia of Kiev immediately after the victory over the Pechenegs, many cathedrals were built after the victory over the hordes of Mamai on the Kulikovo field, the Cathedral of the Intercession on the Moat (now known as St. Basil's Cathedral) was built by Ivan the Terrible in honor of the victory over the Kazan Khanate, and the cathedral in the name of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God recalls the expulsion of the Polish-Lithuanian invaders from Moscow in the 17th century.

St. Basil's Cathedral

Therefore, signing the manifesto on December 25, 1812, which said: “In order to preserve the eternal memory of that unparalleled zeal, fidelity and love for the Faith and for the Fatherland, with which the Russian people exalted themselves in these difficult times, and in commemoration of Our gratitude to the Providence of God , who saved Russia from the destruction that threatened it, We set out to create a church in the name of the Savior Christ in Our Mother See of Moscow, a detailed decree about which will be announced in due time,” Alexander the First continued the ancient traditions of Russian autocrats.

However, before the emperor’s idea became a reality, many more years passed and the construction of the Temple had to be completed by Alexander the First’s brother, Nicholas the First, then by his son Alexander the Second, and the consecration of the cathedral took place only under the grandson of the victor of Napoleon, Alexander the Third.

The initial project for the construction of the Temple was approved in 1814, and the first stone of the cathedral was laid in 1817. It is interesting that such famous architects of that era as D. Quarenghi, A. Melnikov, A. Voronikhin, A. Vitberg, V. Stasov took part in the first competition for the design of the cathedral. And the sovereign, from more than 20 options, chose the project of an unknown, 28-year-old Karl Magnus Witberg, who was not even an architect, but worked as an artist, was a Freemason and, moreover, a Lutheran. For the sake of winning the competition, Vitberg converted to Orthodoxy, and his original project differed significantly from the final version of the construction.

The young artist designed a large-scale structure, the triplicity of which was supposed to symbolize the unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

It was assumed that the Temple would have an underground part in the form of a parallelepiped, a ground cruciform part and a round upper part. It was also planned to perpetuate the names of all the soldiers who died in the Patriotic War of 1812, to install two triumphal columns, the material for the creation of which was to be melted down cannons of the French army. The temple was supposed to be the tallest building in the world at that time - the height of the cathedral, according to Witberg's project, was supposed to be 237 meters, the ground part was planned to be surrounded by colonnades, the length of each of which was supposed to be 604 meters.

By the way, the Sparrow Hills were chosen as the construction site; according to Alexander the First, “the crown of Moscow,” the only place where, according to Vitberg’s idea, such a colossal structure could be placed.

The Emperor was extremely pleased with the artist’s project; more than 16 million rubles were allocated from the state treasury for construction; in addition, huge funds were collected in the form of donations.

The construction of the Temple on the Sparrow Hills began on October 12, 1817, on the fifth anniversary of the departure of the French army from Moscow. The ceremony of laying the first stone was held in the presence of the king, in a very solemn atmosphere and ended with a religious procession. For the first few years, construction proceeded at a rapid pace, with up to 20 thousand serfs working at the construction site at the same time.

However, Alexander the First nevertheless made a mistake by entrusting Karl Magnus Witberg to manage the construction - the artist was an honest person, but too inexperienced and trusting, and the funds allocated from the treasury began to simply be stolen by the contractors.

Within 7 years, it was not possible to complete even the first part of the construction; problems with soil subsidence began - Vorobyovy Gory turned out to be a beautiful place, but too unreliable. As a result, after the death of Alexander the First, his brother, the new Emperor Nicholas II, was forced to stop construction altogether, and Vitberg was put on trial for embezzling government funds.

A commission specially created by Nicholas the First, which included famous Moscow engineers and specialists in earthworks, recognized that the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior according to Vitberg’s design on the slopes of the Sparrow Hills was impossible to complete. Engineers warned that numerous springs and sandy soils could lead to foundation settlements and such a large building could eventually collapse.

View of the Sparrow Hills from Luzhnetskaya Embankment

The Emperor listened to the unanimous opinion of experts and a second competition was announced for a new Temple project, and the Alekseevsky Monastery was chosen as the site for its new construction. Architects K. Ton, A. Tatishchev, F. Shestakov, A. Kutepov, I. Tamansky took part in the second competition of projects for the construction of the cathedral. The winner was Konstantin Ton.

It is impossible not to mention that the project of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior for Karl Magnus Witberg became both the main triumph in life and the main tragedy - the court found him guilty of embezzlement and sent him to Vyatka, under police supervision. Returning to St. Petersburg in 1840, the architect learned that his project was finally rejected and construction of the cathedral began according to a new plan and in a different place. After such disappointment, Witberg still built Orthodox churches in Tiflis and Perm, but died in obscurity and poverty.

It is interesting that, according to Vitberg’s project, the names of all soldiers who died in the War of 1812 were to be immortalized in the Temple, while Thon’s project provided for mentioning only the names of officers who distinguished themselves in military operations.

By the way, the site for the new construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was personally chosen by Emperor Nicholas I - on the banks of the Moscow River, not far from the Kremlin. In 1837, the sovereign established a special Commission on the construction of a new Temple. The Alekseevsky Monastery and the Church of All Saints, located at the place chosen by the emperor, were destroyed, and the monastery itself was transferred to Sokolniki.

A rather gloomy legend is associated with the destruction of the Alekseevsky Monastery, a monument of the 17th century: one of the nuns predicted that the new Temple, built on the ruins of the monastery, would not stand for 50 years. Looking ahead, it can be noted that the prophecy came true - 48 years after its consecration, the Temple was blown up.

Reproduction of the painting “Alekseevsky Monastery at the Prechistensky Gate” by an unknown artist

The ceremonial laying of the first stone of the new building took place in August 1839, on the anniversary of the Battle of Borodino, the laying stone was transported from the Sparrow Hills, a gilded tablet was installed on it with the names of all members of the commission, Metropolitan Philaret and the emperor and the grand dukes were present at the ceremony. Active construction began on September 10, 1839, this time almost all funds were allocated only from the treasury, the amounts of donations were not at all as large as when the first construction began.

The Cathedral of Christ the Savior took 44 years to build and cost the state over 15 million rubles. The construction of the large dome was completed in 1849, and the scaffolding around the building was removed only in 1860. For more than 20 years, work continued on the interior decoration of the Temple: such famous artists as V. I. Surikov, V. P. Vereshchagin, I. N. Kramskoy and other artists from the Imperial Academy of Arts worked on the painting. The decoration of the external walls of the temple with high relief statues of saints was entrusted to such famous sculptors as A. A. Ivanov, A. V. Loganovsky and N. A. Romazanov.

In 1880, the temple received the official name - Cathedral of Christ the Savior, a staff of clergy and clergy was formed, and an estimate for the maintenance of the cathedral was approved, which amounted to 66,850 rubles annually. By 1881, work on the construction of the embankment and square around the Temple was completely completed, and the installation of external lanterns was completed.

Cathedral of Christ the Savior in 1881

On May 26, the Day of the Ascension of the Lord, in 1883, a solemn ceremony of consecration of the Temple took place, which was attended by Emperor Alexander III and his family. The consecration was conducted by Metropolitan Ioannikis of Moscow, the entire top of the Russian clergy was present, a solemn procession and festive fireworks took place. By the way, on the same day, in the Kremlin, the coronation of Emperor Alexander III to the All-Russian Throne took place.

Interior of the Temple, late 19th century

On June 12 of the same year, the ceremony of consecrating the chapel in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker took place, and on July 8, 1883, the second chapel of the cathedral was consecrated in the name of St. Alexander Nevsky. From that time on, regular services began in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

The temple immediately became an important center of religious and cultural life throughout the country: it was in this cathedral that Tchaikovsky’s “Overture of 1812”, which was written by the composer to commemorate the victory of Russia in the Patriotic War with Napoleon, was first performed; the choir of the Temple, organized in 1901, was considered the best in country, the voices of Konstantin Rozov and Fyodor Chaliapin sounded in it.

The cathedral housed a rich library, regularly held excursions and hosted such significant events for the country as the 500th anniversary of the death of Sergius of Radonezh, the 100th anniversary of the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812, the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov was celebrated in 1913, The opening of monuments to Alexander the Third and Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol took place.

And the main patronal holiday of the cathedral - the Nativity of Christ - was celebrated by Orthodox Moscow before the 1917 revolution as the most important holiday of Victory in the War of 1812.

Cathedral of Christ the Savior, 1909

It was in the Temple, in the troubled year of 1917, that a Local Assembly took place, at which for the first time in the last 200 years the Patriarch of Russia was elected - His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, who is now canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Cathedral interior, 1902

Since 1902, general education courses for workers have been running in the Temple; during the First World War, donations were collected in the cathedral for Russian soldiers, refugees and the wounded.

In 1918, state support for the Temple completely ceased, and subsequently it existed only at the expense of parishioners. By the decision of Patriarch Tikhon, the Brotherhood of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was created, which set as its goal the preservation of the Orthodox shrine.

Destruction

The Brotherhood failed to defend the Temple - in 1931, on July 13, at a meeting of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the USSR, chaired by M.I. Kalinin, it was decided to demolish the cathedral. The reason for this decision was the construction of a colossal monument to the new, Soviet Russia - the Palace of the Soviets: “The place for the construction of the Palace of the Soviets is to choose the square of the Cathedral of Christ in the city of Moscow with the demolition of the temple itself and with the necessary expansion of the area.”

The plan for the reconstruction of Moscow was adopted on June 2, 1931, so at the meeting only the official approval of the decision took place, which was a completely logical continuation of the anti-religious policy of the Soviet state. In fact, the massive destruction of churches that took place throughout the country in those years could not but affect the main Orthodox symbol of the capital - the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

The explosion that destroyed the cathedral occurred on December 5, 1931. The walls of the Temple, almost 3.2 meters thick, survived the first explosion, so the demolition men had to repeat their work.

December 5, 1931, Temple explosion

The explosions were heard several blocks from the cathedral and truly shocked Muscovites, not only Orthodox Christians, but also those who simply considered the Temple an important part of the white-stone history.

The poet Nikolai Arnold wrote a poem that became an expression of public opinion regarding the destruction of the Temple:

Farewell, keeper of Russian glory,
The magnificent temple of Christ,
Our golden-headed giant,
What shone over the capital...
...Nothing is sacred to us!
And isn't it a shame
What is “a cap of cast gold”
She lay down on the chopping block under the ax.

Just dismantling the ruins of the cathedral took almost a year and a half. After the site was cleared, work began on the construction of the Palace of Congresses, which was to become a real masterpiece of Soviet architecture.

Project of the Palace of Congresses

The giant tower of the Palace was, of course, to be crowned with a statue of Lenin. This decision - the construction of a communist "temple" on the site of an Orthodox one - was very symbolic; the project of the new palace was approved personally by Stalin. According to the project of B. M. Iofan, who won the competition announced by the Soviet government, the building, 420 meters high, was to become the tallest in the world, the main administrative building of the USSR, the center of the so-called “New Moscow”.

Comparison of the sizes of the bombed Temple and the planned Palace of the Soviets

The construction of the Palace of Congresses began in 1937, the workers managed to dig a huge foundation pit, and the construction of the foundation began, which was complicated by difficult soil and quicksand. By 1941, the construction of the foundation was completed; designer Nikolai Nikitin was responsible for the work, who made all the necessary calculations.

The Great Patriotic War prevented plans to build the Palace of Congresses, but many historians believe that the main reason for the freezing of the project was Stalin's decision to abandon the construction of new symbols of power and preserve more traditional landmarks. Proof of this is the history of the House of Soviets in Leningrad, built on Moskovsky Avenue. As a result, a military institute was opened in the building, and the central authorities remained in the Smolny Institute and the Mariinsky Palace.

During the defense of Moscow, the metal structures of the future Palace of the Soviets were melted down for anti-tank hedgehogs and any work on the construction of the building was stopped.

Officially, the authorities announced their refusal to build the Palace only in the late 1950s; in 1957-1959, a competition for designs for a new administrative building was held, the same Sparrow Hills being chosen as the site for the construction. And on the site of the pit dug back in 1937, the Moscow swimming pool appeared in 1960, the construction of which, designed by architect Dmitry Chechulin, began in 1958.

Pool "Moscow"

Orthodox residents of the capital have repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the construction of an open-air swimming pool on the site of the shrine; there was even a saying: “There was a temple, then it was trash, and now it’s a disgrace.”

Pool "Moscow" shortly before demolition

Recovery

The public movement for the restoration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior began to operate in the late 1980s, after the start of perestroika.

In February 1990, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church blessed the restoration of the shrine, and on the anniversary of the destruction of the Temple, on December 5, 1990, a granite “Mortgage” stone was installed at the site of the future construction site. The fund that collected funds for the construction of the cathedral was founded in 1992, according to the decree of President Boris Yeltsin “On the creation of a fund for the revival of Moscow”, the list of objects of which included the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Already in 1994, the restoration of the Temple began. It is interesting that during the construction the foundation of the Palace of the Soviets was used, the construction of which became the formal reason for the demolition of the cathedral. His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II was elected head of the Public Supervisory Council for the reconstruction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

The initial project for the restoration of the main temple of Moscow was drawn up by restorer Alexei Denisov, however, as often happens in our country and already happened once during the construction of the Temple in the 19th century, the construction was surrounded by rumors, accusations of authorities of corruption, waste of funds donated for construction and scandals.

As a result, Denisov left the project and the famous sculptor Zurab Tseretelli took over the leadership of the restoration of the Temple, who deviated from the project approved by the Moscow authorities. In particular, not marble, but bronze high-relief compositions were installed (the originals remaining from the destroyed Temple were preserved in the Donskoy Monastery), and instead of a gilded roof, a coating based on titanium nitride was installed.

One of the fragments of the destroyed Temple stored in the Donskoy Monastery

The Cathedral of Christ the Savior also added modern attributes such as an underground two-level parking lot for 305 cars and a car wash.

Modern view of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior

On January 7, 1996, the ceremonial laying of the last bricks into the wall of the main entrance of the cathedral took place, which was attended by Patriarch Alexy II, Boris Yeltsin and Yuri Luzhkov.

On August 19, 1996, on the great Orthodox holiday - the day of the Transfiguration, Patriarch Alexy II consecrated the lower Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior, its main altar, and the first liturgy took place. After this, regular services began in the Temple, the interior decoration of which was not yet completed; services were held every Sunday and on holidays.

On September 7, 1997, during the celebration of the 850th anniversary of Moscow, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior became the center of ceremonial events; a prayer service was held on the square in front of the cathedral, after which the patriarch consecrated the walls of the Temple.

In 1999, the construction of the upper part of the cathedral was completed, and already on August 19 of the same year, the canonization of the royal family, shot by the Bolsheviks in 1918, took place in the Temple. At one time, in the former cathedral, Nicholas II and his family solemnly celebrated the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov, and it was in the restored Temple that the last Russian emperor was canonized.

Artists under the direction of Zurab Tseretelli began painting the cathedral in April 1999, and already in December the interior decoration of the Temple was completely completed.

Temple interior, 2009

Since December 31, 1999, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior has been open to all believers and those wishing to see with their own eyes the largest Orthodox church of the Russian Church, capable of accommodating up to 10 thousand people at a time.

Only in 2010, the plastic medallions in the tympanums of the kokoshniks, temporarily installed before the consecration of the cathedral, were replaced with bronze ones. Protodeacon of the temple Alexander Ageikin noted that in modern conditions, with the current ecology of the capital, white stone medallions, created in the 19th century from special, rare marble, will not be able to last long, so the decision was made to install bronze ones, which will be the main difference between the restored Temple and its destroyed predecessor.

Such bronze medallions and bronze high reliefs instead of marble completely contradict the historical project of Konstantin Ton. Experts say that the restored Temple was not an exact, but a conditional external copy of the cathedral destroyed in 1931.

Bronze sculptures of the Temple

The restored Temple hosts the largest religious services in the country; it was here that funeral services were held for Patriarch Alexy II, President Boris Yeltsin, singer Lyudmila Zykina, cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich, choreographer Igor Moiseev, actor Vyacheslav Tikhonov, Soviet and Russian writer Sergei Mikhalkov. A new Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', Kirill, was elected in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Easter service, 2011

Currently, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior is the property of Moscow; the city government receives income from the operation of individual commercial components of the complex and disposes of the building. In 2004, it was announced that the cathedral would be transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church for indefinite and free use, and the Board of Trustees of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was also created.

In addition, the cathedral has the status of a metochion of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'; there is a Museum in it, which belongs to the Museum of the History of the City of Moscow.

Anna Sedykh, rmnt.ru

1. The history of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior is extraordinary - tragic and solemn. The first Cathedral of Christ the Savior was built on the banks of the Moscow River at the end of the 19th century in memory of the victory of the Russian army in the War of 1812, designed by the architect Ton. Construction lasted almost 44 years: the temple was founded on September 10, 1839, consecrated on May 26, 1883. However, after the consecration, the temple did not stand for long. On December 5, 1931, it was blown up by order of the Soviet government in order to erect the Tower of Babel - the Palace of the Soviets - in its place. The temple we can see today was restored in the 1990s.

2. According to Ton’s plan, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was to become a structure that combines both the architectural traditions of Byzantium and the features of Russian architecture.

3. The height of the temple with the dome and cross is 103 meters, which is 150 centimeters higher than St. Isaac's Cathedral. The temple was built in the traditions of the Russian-Byzantine style, which enjoyed broad government support at the time construction began.

From four observation platforms located between the bell towers of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, at an altitude of 40 meters, a wonderful panorama of Moscow opens up, a view of the old city center, the Kremlin, the Moscow River and the Golden Mile. By the way, getting here is relatively easy. You can go up to the lookout points with a tour group. Let me post a few pictures of the view before going on a tour of the temple.

4. While visiting the observation platforms, you can see up close the dome of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, crosses on the belfries and bells. The largest bell weighs 30 tons.

6. Patriarchal Bridge and Golden Island. The sun is shining here...

7. And then it’s snowing. Monument to Peter I.

11. The modern complex of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior includes two temples and a stylobate part:

The “Upper Temple” is the Cathedral of Christ the Savior itself. It has three altars - the main one in honor of the Nativity of Christ and two side altars in the choir - in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (southern) and St. Prince Alexander Nevsky (northern).

The “Lower Temple” is the Church of the Transfiguration, built in memory of the Alekseevsky women’s monastery located on this site.

The stylobate part houses technical and service premises, the hall of Church Councils, the hall of the Supreme Church Council, and the Refectory Chambers. In the bypass gallery of the Church of the Transfiguration there is the Patriarchal Museum of Church Art, among the exhibits of which are monuments of church art of the 5th-20th centuries, donated to the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill.

12. A special place in the museum’s exhibition is occupied by Vasnetsov’s triptych “The Virgin and Child,” “Pantocrator” and “Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olga” (1899)

13. In the refectory chambers, which are designed for one and a half thousand seats, meals are held for participants in Local and Bishops' Councils and various festive receptions for the clergy.

14. On ordinary days, various thematic exhibitions and all kinds of social events are held here.

18. The “Upper Temple” is much larger and more spacious. In plan, the temple looks like an equilateral cross about 80 m wide, and can accommodate up to 10,000 people.

20. More than 400 artists took part in recreating the paintings of the temple, and the total area of ​​the paintings was about 22,000 sq.m. This is approximately the area of ​​two football fields.

23. View from the choir. The filming took place during the Patriarchal service of the 1st week of Lent. The service was given special solemnity by the fact that it took place on the 40th anniversary of the Episcopal consecration of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'.

24. Hundreds of clergy from all over Russia arrived in Moscow to celebrate the anniversary of their ordination.

35. The entire Complex of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior is a unique engineering structure in its complexity. In terms of the quality of installed engineering equipment, the Complex corresponds to the best world standards.

40. In the center of the frame I am shooting a panorama.

41. The panorama itself.

Happy Easter, dear friends!

Address: Russia, Moscow, st. Volkhonka, 15
Start of construction: 1839
Completion of construction: 1881
Architect: A.K. Tone
Destroyed: 1931
Rebuilt: 1994 - 1997
Height: 103 meters
Shrines: a piece of the Robe of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the holy relics of Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, the ark with particles of holy relics, the robe of the Most Holy Theotokos, the head of St. John Chrysostom, the relics of the Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky, the relics of St. Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, the relics of Equal to the Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, the relics John the Baptist, nail of the Holy Cross
Coordinates: 55°44"40.9"N 37°36"19.1"E
Object of cultural heritage of the Russian Federation

Content:

Short story

The appearance of the temple was associated with the desire of the Russians to perpetuate the victory over the enemy in the War of 1812. And the initiative to create it was taken by army general Pyotr Andreevich Kikin. The proposal was considered by Emperor Alexander I, and he issued a manifesto on construction. The temple was intended to be built for the anniversary of the Russian victory over Napoleon's troops. The development of the first project of the shrine was carried out by the artist and architect Alexander Lavrentievich Vitberg, and already in the mid-autumn of 1817, the foundation was laid on an elevated site of the Sparrow Hills.

View of the temple from the Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge

In accordance with the architect's design, the church building was built in three parts. It was assumed that each part would have its own name: Incarnation, Transfiguration and Resurrection. In the lower church they planned to bury the remains of soldiers who died in the battles of the last war. However, the soil on the territory of the Sparrow Hills could not withstand the weight of the huge building and began to settle. Vitberg’s project was considered unsuccessful, and the construction of the church was entrusted to another architect, Konstantin Andreevich Ton.

Construction was moved to a new location - a site near the Moscow Kremlin, where the Alekseevskaya Convent was previously located. According to legend, one of the local nuns predicted that the new church on the site of the demolished monastery would not last even half a century. Be that as it may, the foundation of the church in this place still took place. And it happened in the early autumn of 1839. After 21 years, the construction of the temple came to an end. A little later, the interior painting of the church premises and the arrangement of the adjacent embankment were completed.

View of the temple from the Moscow River

In 1880, the temple became a cathedral, and three years later, on May 26, on the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, it was consecrated. On the same day, the coronation of Russian Emperor Alexander III took place. In the summer, the church chapels were consecrated. In the chapel of St. Nicholas the Saint, the ceremony took place on July 12, and in the chapel of Alexander Nevsky - on July 8. After this, services were held here every day.

Since 1918, the temple was deprived of financial support from the state, and at the beginning of the winter of 1931, on the orders of Stalin, it was publicly destroyed. The ruins remaining from the grandiose monument of Russian art became confirmation of the nun’s words, because the temple actually existed for no more than 50 years. The place of the destroyed shrine was supposed to be taken by the Palace of Congresses, but due to the Great Patriotic War, the project for its construction remained unrealized. During the war years, due to explosions, this area turned into a huge pit, and it was used to build a swimming pool.

View of the temple from the Patriarchal Bridge

At the end of the 80s of the last century, a social movement was created in the country, whose activists began to fight for the revival of the ancient temple. In the summer of 1992, the Fund for the Revival of Moscow Monuments appeared, and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was among the first on the list of architectural objects in need of restoration. Thus began its complete reconstruction. The first service in the newly rebuilt church took place on Christmas Day 2000, and the consecration of the church took place in August of the same year.

Architectural features and external design of the temple

The Cathedral of Christ the Savior is considered the largest church building in Russia, because it can accommodate about 10 thousand believers. The temple building looks like an equal-pointed cross. Its width exceeds 85 m. The structure has a height of 103 m, while the drum rises 28 m, and the dome together with the cross goes up 35 m. The walls of the building reach a thickness of 3.2 m.

The decor of the facades consists of two rows of high reliefs made of marble. The entrance bronze doors are decorated with the faces of saints. In general, the building was restored as close as possible to the ancient original. And this is not surprising, because its construction was carried out according to drawings and drawings created in the 19th and 20th centuries.

However, there are still some differences between the buildings. Thus, the new building received a 17-meter stylobate part (basement), where there was a place for refectories, premises for technical services, the Church of the Transfiguration, a museum and two halls in which Church Councils and meetings of the Holy Synod are held. During the finishing work, the builders used panels made of marble and red granite.

Entrance portals of the temple

Interiors of the largest temple in Russia

The total area of ​​painting on the walls of the temple exceeds 22 thousand square meters. m, with 9 thousand sq. m of them are gilded surfaces. A gallery has been created along the perimeter of the walls, on the walls of which hang memorial plaques describing the battles carried out by the Russian army. Here you can see the names of famous commanders, as well as soldiers who distinguished themselves in battle.

Inside the cathedral there are decorations made of decorative stones, paintings and sculptures. The high walls are painted with images of Christian saints and princes who did not spare their lives for the sake of their Motherland. In the lower gallery, the names of heroes of the Patriotic War are written on boards. The picturesque decoration of the temple was created by a whole group of masters, led by academician and honored artist of the country N.A. Mukhin.

Sculptural composition on the walls of the temple

Temple tours

Two excursion routes are organized for tourists in the temple. They can visit the observation deck, visit the museum and the Church Meeting Hall, famous for its New Year trees. Excursions are also available for children. All museum exhibitions tell about the stages of creation of the temple.

Those wishing to explore the four observation platforms should gather in groups, as such excursions are not conducted on an individual basis. Since all observation platforms are located on the 4th floor, elevators are provided for quick access to them. From the platforms, the capital's quarters and the Kremlin are clearly visible.

Sculptures on the entrance doors

Today's Cathedral of Christ the Savior resembles a solid museum. Thanks to its design, contemporaries can get acquainted with part of the country’s history and be convinced of the courage of its people.

Attraction rating

Cathedral of Christ the Savior - when was it founded and what is its history? Is it true that this is now the tallest Orthodox church in the world? What did the first Cathedral of Christ the Savior look like and when was it destroyed? Who is the architect of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior? Where is this cathedral located in Moscow?

We answer all the most popular questions and tell you the most important facts!

Cathedral of Christ the Savior: briefly the most important

The current Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow is, in fact, the third.

The first Cathedral of Christ the Savior - designed in 1817. It should have looked completely different from the current one (and frighteningly different), and it should have stood in a completely different place. Its construction stopped as soon as it began.

The second one was erected in 1883, looked almost exactly like the current one, and was destroyed by the Soviet authorities in 1931.

The current Cathedral of Christ the Savior was completed by 2000.

Cathedral of Christ the Savior - dimensions

This is one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world, and in terms of height it is the first of all.

Height of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior- 103 meters, that’s almost 40 floors in a residential building. (besides it, only St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg and, according to some sources, the Trinity Cathedral of Tsminda Sameba in Tbilisi are higher than one hundred meters)

By capacity(10,000 people) it is among the top five in the world.

By area- 60 by 60 meters - this majestic temple is also one of the largest in the world (larger: Tsminda Sameba in Tbilisi - 77 by 65 meters; and the Church of St. Sava in Belgrade - 91 by 81 meters).

At the same time, the first Cathedral of Christ the Savior was supposed to be an even larger-scale structure, and a completely different architectural style.

The first Cathedral of Christ the Savior

The height of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior is now 103 meters. Impressive. But the height of the cathedral, which was originally planned in the 19th century, was supposed to be even greater - 240 meters!

And it was supposed to be not so much a temple as a monument to the fallen soldiers in the War of 1812. A whole complex that included both the cathedral and the infrastructure around it - colonnades, pantheons (including those for monarchs).

Did it look like an Orthodox church? No, absolutely. It was not even designed by an Orthodox person, but by a Lutheran, Karl Witberg (although, in order for the construction to take place, he nevertheless converted to Orthodoxy).

How could all this even happen?

Perhaps because Alexander I, who announced the competition, was a fan of Western architecture? It was under him that the project of St. Isaac’s Cathedral was developed, which also has nothing in common with Russian tradition...

The construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was stopped at the foundation stage. Partly because there were major miscalculations in the organization, partly because of the unreliability of the soil, and partly because of the massive waste that emerged. Vitberg himself was arrested for this and sent into exile.

Cathedral of Christ the Savior before destruction

In 1837, construction began on the new Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The architect was Konstantin Ton (he is responsible for many large projects - including the Grand Kremlin Palace and the Armory Chamber - one of the largest architects in Russian history).

That cathedral looked almost exactly the same as the current one and was located in the same place as the current one - on Volkhonka, on the banks of the Moscow River.

There is no longer any “Latin” architecture in this project. The cathedral is huge, majestic, innovative in some things (how could it be otherwise with such dimensions?), but absolutely in the spirit of Russian traditions. At this time, Nicholas I was already ruling Russia. It is believed that he personally chose this project for the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

This temple, like the first project, was erected in memory of the soldiers who fell in the battles of 1812 and was equally both a temple and a monument to them, but this time it was a cathedral, and not a memorial complex.

The Cathedral of Christ the Savior was blown up in 1931: in order to build in its place an even larger-scale structure - the Palace of Soviets - an architectural structure striking in its size with a giant Lenin and a helipad on his arm. The height was planned to be 495 meters - in terms of residential buildings, this is more than 150 floors.

Swimming pool on the site of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior (photo)

However, the construction of the Palace of Soviets did not work out. There were many reasons, but all of them were of an exclusively practical nature, and not mystical (as some people believed) - high cost, the outbreak of war, etc....

As a result, an outdoor swimming pool appeared - it seems to be the largest in Europe. It was so large that the fumes caused corrosion on nearby buildings!

The pool on the site of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was called “Moscow”. And it existed from 1960 to 1994.

The current Cathedral of Christ the Savior

The cathedral that we see now was opened on December 31, 1999, and on Christmas Day 2000 the first Liturgy was served there.

The temple was built solely on donations.

Externally, it is an almost complete copy of the former Cathedral of Christ the Savior - with minor exceptions.

Cathedral of Christ the Savior shortly after restoration.

Cathedral of Christ the Savior - location

The Cathedral of Christ the Savior is located on Volkhonka Street, almost on the banks of the Moscow River.

Metro near the Cathedral of Christ the Savior - “Kropotkinskaya”, 2 minutes on foot.

You can also walk from the Borovitskaya or Park Kultury stations.

Read this and other posts in our group at

Restoration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior

On August 19, 2000, an event of historical proportions occurred in Moscow. On this day, in the restored Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Patriarch Alexy II performed the Great Consecration of the Cathedral.
The history of the largest cathedral in modern Russia began in the distant 19th century. At the end of 1812, Emperor Alexander I issued a decree on the creation of a temple-monument dedicated to the victory in the Patriotic War. But a full 25 years passed from the decree to the foundation, and the temple took almost 44 years to be built and was consecrated only in 1883. The architect of the cathedral was K. Ton, a large group of artists worked on the picturesque design of the temple for 23 years, among whom were famous painters G. Semiradsky, V. Surikov, K. Makovsky and others. At the ground floor level, the building was surrounded by a corridor - the first war museum 1812, where all the battles, distinguished units and their commanders, the names of the dead and awarded officers were immortalized on white marble boards. High reliefs by sculptors A. Loganovsky, N. Ramazanov, P. Klodt were placed on the facades.
By decision of the Soviet government, on December 5, 1931, the temple was blown up, and in its place they decided to build the tallest building on the planet - the Palace of the Soviets. But instead of the Palace, on the site of the Temple, they managed to build only the Moscow outdoor swimming pool, which functioned from 1960 to 1994.
In September 1994, the Moscow government decided to recreate the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in its previous architectural forms. In record time, in just 5.5 years, the Temple was completely restored. It has become the largest cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church and can accommodate up to 10 thousand people.
Academician M. Posokhin became the main architect and leader of the restoration project. 23 artels of artists under the leadership of the President of the Russian Academy of Arts Z. Tsereteli worked on recreating the artistic decoration. The sculptural decoration of the facades was recreated under the leadership of Academician Yu. Orekhov with the assistance of the Sculptor Foundation.
Now let’s see how accurately the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was restored to the original:
1. The height of the 19th century building was 48.5 fathoms (about 103.5 m), and the height of the restored temple with a dome and cross is 103 m.
2. The planes of the walls of the first temple were plastered, and decorative carvings and sculptures were made from white stone from a quarry in Kolomensky district. Instead of the original white stone cladding, the building received marble, and the gilded roofing of the roofs (except for the domes) was replaced with a coating based on titanium nitride. These changes led to a change in the color scheme of the facade from warm to cooler.
3. Decorative elements of the first temple were made of marble and marble chips, which led to several cases of collapse of parts at the beginning of the 20th century. Artificial stone was chosen for the decoration of the new temple.
4. In the first temple, the floor was made of marble, jasper and stones brought from countries that lost the war of 1812 - France, Italy. For the modern temple, marble was brought from the same quarries.
5. Of the paintings of the 19th century, only a small part of Semiradsky’s paintings has survived; the image of the Savior by Sorokin remains. And Klages’s painting “Interior View of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior” has been preserved, where you can see some of the paintings. All photos taken at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century are black and white. The temple was recreated based on these postcards.
6.K. The tone fulfilled the desire of Emperor Alexander I - the decoration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior became a chronicle of the Patriotic War, the Temple was read like a book. The modern church also traces the history of the Patriotic War of 1812: in the corridor on marble slabs all wartime manifestos are listed, all 71 battles are described in chronological order, and a manifesto on the expulsion of the enemy on December 25, 1812 is placed opposite the altar. On the southern and western sides there are descriptions of 87 battles that took place abroad and manifestos about the capture of Paris, the deposition of Napoleon and the establishment of peace in Europe.
7. On the walls of the restored temple, not marble ones appeared (the originals were preserved in the Donskoy Monastery), but bronze high reliefs.
8. The modern Cathedral of Christ the Savior is a complex of the “upper temple” - the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the “lower temple” - the Transfiguration Church and the Stylobate part, which houses the temple museum, the hall of Church Councils, the hall of the Supreme Church Council, refectory chambers, as well as technical and office premises.
The revival of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior is not only the restoration of a destroyed church building, first of all, it is the restoration of the greatest monument of Russian history and culture, the restoration of gratitude and memory to the courage of Russian soldiers who defended the Fatherland.