On the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour 24 октября 2012

The Cathedral is located near the Kremlin just off the Moscow River. It is a major church in Moscow of the Russian Orthodox religion. Alexander I commissioned the construction of the Cathedral which was completed after many years in 1860. Alexander III consecrated the Cathedral in 1883.


The Cathedral was demolished by the Bolsheviks under Joef Stalin as part of an anti-religious campaign after the Russian Revolution. Demolition was completed in 1926. It was intended to serve as a site of a huge statue of Vladimir Lenin who Stalin succeeded him after his death in 1824. A lack of funds in the 1930s prevented the statue from being built. Nikita Khruschev who succeeded Stalin turned the site into an enormous swimming pool.

After the fall of the Soviet Union the Cathedral was reconstructed starting in 1994 and took several years to rebuild. The Cathedral was consecrated in 2000.

Both the exterior and interior are stunning works of architecture and art. Unfortunately picture taking is prohibited inside.

The Cathedral has recently been the site of a number of protests by opposition groups to Vladimir Putin’s administration. Under Putin’s regime church and state have been again closely allied. The church is lead by Archbishop Krill who has emerged as a controversial figure both in religious as well as political affairs. As such, the Orthodox church has regained a significant place in the culture of Moscow and Russia after the fall of the USSR.

I’ve put together a brief slideshow of images I took during a recent visit this fall. Most of the slides are of the cathedral itself as well as shots of the Kremlin taking from the patios surrounding the cathedral.
The easiest way to view the show is to click on the following link: http://player.vimeo.com/video/52064127

The show is also located on my Website: www.andrewmcdonoughphotography.com/russia


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