Cathedral of Christ the Saviour – Xрам Христа Спасителя
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour – Xрам Христа Спасителя
As this is my first real post on the blog, I decided to talk about the first cultural site that really thrilled me: the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Actually, the very first thing which had arouse in me enthusiasm was the Red Square but everybody knows or has, at least, heard something about it. While, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is quite less famous in the world.
It is situated on the northern bank of the Moskva river and the nearest metro station is Kropotkinskaya. But thanks to its very central position you can also reach it on foot, because it’s just few minutes walk from the Kremlin. Furthermore, you cannot get lost because it is the tallest Orthodox Christian church in the world (103 metres) and you will be guided by its gold onions: cupolas typical for Russian architecture.
But the cathedral is not so old as you can imagine. Indeed, it is the result of a brand new project, realized in the Nineties. I’ll briefly tell you its troubled history. The original project is due to the Tzar Aleksandr I, who decided to commission it after the defeat of Napoleon in the 19th century, in honour of Christ the Saviour: “to signify Our gratitude to Divine Providence for saving Russia from the doom that overshadowed Her”. But the brother of Aleksandr I, Nikolaj I, when succeeded to him, changed completely the project with a new design, taking as inspiration the Hagia Sophia Church in Istanbul.
The cathedral was consecrated in 1883 but it didn’t survive for long time. Indeed, in 1931, Stalin decided to demolish it in order to build the Palace of the Soviets (never created). Under the government of Nikita Khrushchev it was transformed into a huge public swimming pool. Only in February 1990, the Russian Orthodox Church received the permission from the Soviet Government to rebuild the Cathedral and the reconstruction finished in 2000.
If from the outside it seems magnificent and sumptuous, the inside is really breathtaking. The predominant colours are gold and red and all the walls and domes are painted with frescas and religious images. There are always many people praying inside and this is a great way also to understand the Russian culture.
I really suggest everybody who is in Moscow or wants to visit this city, to go to have a look to this magnificent.
You will not regret!
До скорого!
Elena
This blog was brought to you by Elena, an intern and a student at Liden and Denz
