A living history: the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

On December 5, 1931, the Soviet government, which embraced a policy of official atheism, made the decision to raze the church, and it was blown up.
The cathedral was to have been replaced by a Palace of Soviets, a grandiose building involving a soaring tower of 420 m. (1,350 ft.), but its construction was abandoned in connection with the beginning of World War II.
In 1958, a vast outdoor swimming pool was built on the site. In 1994, it was closed and filled in.
The reconstruction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior began in 1995. Within two years, the familiar 19th-century outlines had reappeared.
The designers tried to recreate the old stucco moldings, making them as close to the originals as possible. They studied old photographs of the church for this purpose.
More than 50 of Russia’s best artists, from many different cities and regions of the country, were chosen to recreate the cathedral’s 48 sculptural compositions.
The sanctification of the new cathedral took place in August 2000.
A view of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the Russian Foreign Ministry, and the business center Moscow City.

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