The beginning for this great Cathedral started after Napoleon tried his hand at ruling Russia (Napoleon walked into Russia with 600,000 plus men and only about 30,000 survived,) but actual physical construction was not started until 1839. Originally dreamed up by architect Konstantin Ton, whose talents also developed the Grand Kremlin Palace and the Kremlin Armory. The huge cathedral was finished in 1883…
But alas it was destroyed by the Soviet government in 1931, leveled to the ground and even deeper, to build another dream that never happened, The Palace of Soviets…
That dream failed and as the Cathedral was gone, nothing happened until after World War Two. Then it became a spot for the largest swimming pool in the world. Which due to it being heated year around, was a fog bank of delight and everyone hated the pool, except as rumors state, “The mafia loved the pool!”
What you see now in its original place (and a lot safer than a thick fog covered swimming pool) is a rebuilt Cathedral started after the fall of the Soviet Union. Then Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov ramrodded and with the Orthodox Church’s desires. They resurrected the cathedral to a tune of $360 million…
What you see in the photo above is the finished Cathedral in 2000…
So this one is not that old, but it is very beautiful. inside and outside…
This number two in the series of Churches from Russia, that I am going to post…
Number one is here… (Church of the Transfiguration: Island of Kizhi, Karelia… (1))
Posted by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…