1. The height of the Temple (from the surface of the stylobate to the dome) - 103.4 m.
2. The height of the internal space (from the floor to the dome) - 69.5 m.
3. The total area of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior - 8000 sq. m.
4. The total area of the complex is 70,000 sq. m.
5. The total area of the stylobate is 62,000 square meters. m.
6. Construction volume of the Temple - 544.2 thousand cubic meters. m.
7. The total volume of the Temple is 194.9 thousand cubic meters. m.
8. The total volume of the stylobate is 349.3 thousand cubic meters. m.
9. Domes (stainless steel) - 6400 sq. m.
10. Coating of domes (titanium nitride with gold sputtering and carbon film of gold) - 53 kg.
11. Frames of domes - 350,000 kg.
12. Diameter of the main dome - 29.8 m.
13. Temple painting area - 22,000 sq. m.
14. Gilding area - approx. 9,000 sq. m.
15. Brick - 8 million pieces, 23 thousand cubic meters m.
16. Marble of external walls - 18.5 thousand square meters. m.
17. Rolled metal and fittings - 21 thousand tons.
18. Concrete - 140.1 thousand cubic meters m.
19. Solution - 9.8 thousand cubic meters. m.
20. The distance from the surface of the stylobate to the sill of the basement window is 5.03 m.
21. Basement window height - 5.0 m.
22. The height of the choir window is 8.0 m.
23. Height from the surface of the stylobate to the observation deck - 40.2 m.
24. Height from the observation deck to the window sills of the windows of the drum - 15.94 m.
25. The height of the drum windows is 8.2 m, 24.2 m.
26. Height from the observation deck to the eaves of the drum - 9.55 m.
27. The height from the cornice of the drum to the ball under the cross is 30.8 m.
28. Height from the ball to the top of the cross - 9.85 m.
29. Height from the surface of the stylobate to the lower border of the sculptures - 8.9 m.
30. Height from the surface of the stylobate to the tondo - 30.8 m.
Main iconostasis
1. Height - 27.0 m.
2. Tent (bronze casting with gilding), bronze - 5.121 tons, gold - 2882
3. Gilding area (with backing) - 187 sq. m.
4. The height of the tent (without the head and the cross) is 5.5 m. The diameter at the base of the tent is 5.6 m.
5. Zakomar roof - stainless steel vacuum-coated with titanium oxynitride (without gold).
6. Fencing of viewing platforms - stainless steel. Detail with vacuum coating of titanium nitride without gold. Iconostasis marble, choirs - Pentelikos of Kazan (Greece), Barduglio Imperiale (Italy), France Rouge (France), Porto (Italy), Giallo di Siena (Italy), Belge Noir (Belgium), Porto Santa (Switzerland), Porto Venero ( Italy), Quasuito - sandstone.
In Rus', military victories were traditionally celebrated with the laying of churches. In December 1812, the manifesto of Alexander I was published on the creation of a church in the capital city of Moscow in the name of Christ the Savior. In an architectural competition, the project of the artist Witberg won, but he did not turn out to be a business executive. The construction of the temple on Sparrow Hills had to be curtailed, and Vitberg himself, accused of embezzlement and negligence, was sent to Vyatka in 1827.
The history of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior began on December 25, 1812, when Emperor Alexander I signed a manifesto on the creation of a church in honor of the victory over Napoleon's army in the name of the Savior Christ. On October 12, 1817, the ceremonial laying of the temple on Sparrow Hills took place. However, soon the construction on this site had to be abandoned - the soil here was fragile due to underground streams. On April 10, 1832, Emperor Nicholas I approved a new project for the temple, drawn up by Konstantin Ton. Nicholas I personally chose a place for the temple.
The Alekseevsky Convent was transferred to Krasnoye Selo near Sokolniki. All the buildings of the monastery were destroyed. According to legend, the abbess of the monastery cursed the destroyers and predicted that not a single building would stand on this site for a long time.
The ceremonial laying of the new church took place on September 10, 1837. It took almost 40 years to build as a memorial church dedicated to the Patriotic War of 1812. The consecration took place on May 26, 1883, on the day of the coronation of Emperor Alexander III. Work on the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was carried out on the orders of four Russian emperors - Alexander I, Nicholas I, Alexander II, Alexander III. It could accommodate 10,000 people at the same time. Built in the so-called Russian-Byzantine style, grandiose in scale (height 103.3 m), the building was distinguished by the luxury of its external and internal decoration.
Temple construction. 1852:
Temple consecration. 1883:
Cathedral of Christ the Savior. 1918-1931:
Troubled times began after the revolution. Seizure of church valuables from the temple. 1922-1931:
1931 Dismantling the domes before the explosion of the temple:
The decision to demolish the temple was made according to the plan for the reconstruction of Moscow on June 2, 1931 at a meeting in Molotov's office. The Cathedral of Christ the Savior was destroyed by several explosions on Saturday, December 5, 1931 in 45 minutes. The original high reliefs were saved and taken to the Donskoy Cemetery, where they can still be seen today.
Instead of a temple, they were going to build the greatest building in the history of mankind. But the construction of the Palace of Soviets, begun in 1937, was not destined to be completed - the Great Patriotic War began, and anti-tank hedgehogs for the defense of Moscow were made from metal structures prepared for installation, and soon the building, which had barely risen from the level of the foundation, had to be completely dismantled.
1935-1937:
1938-1940:
According to one of the legends, the foundation pit for the foundation of the Palace of Soviets was flooded with water and therefore a pool had to be made instead of the Palace of Soviets. Swimming pool "Moscow" (architect Dmitry Chechulin) was opened to visitors in July 1960.
According to the pool employee, for all 33 years of the existence of the Moskva pool, the sanitary and epidemiological station has never made a complaint about the quality of the water. Water was not only passed through sand filters, but also chlorinated. The pool was constantly operated by its own laboratory, water sampling was carried out every three hours (and samples were taken weekly by the sanitary and epidemiological station). In the first ten years, bactericidal installations were included in the water treatment cycle, irradiating water with ultraviolet light (PRK-7 mercury-quartz lamps for 1.0 kW). Studies have shown that the water treatment cycle can be carried out without them, while water quality does not suffer.
The pool was part of the city's civil defense system: in the event of a nuclear attack, a washing (disinfecting) point would have functioned here.
From urban legends, one can recall the stories of rescuers who pumped out people - visitors to the pool, who were deliberately drowned by a bearded man, the villain could not be caught.
It is said that the pool was originally planned as a temporary building. The builders saw a mark on the drawings describing the facility as a "temporary structure with a service life of 15 years." The Moskva pool was closed in 1994.
The pool was demolished for economic reasons: after 1991, energy costs skyrocketed. The cost of maintaining the temperature regime in winter was very high. The price of tickets would be unrealistic for the vast majority of Moscow residents. In addition, the deadline for a major overhaul with the replacement of the entire pipeline economy has come up.
According to another version, the water vapor of the pool negatively affected the foundations near the buildings, and this was an additional reason for the demolition of the pool.
Swimming pool "Moscow". 1969:
Demolition of the pool. 1994:
The project of the new temple was made by architects M.M. Posokhin, A.M. Denisov and others. The construction of the new temple was supported by many community groups, but despite this, it was surrounded by controversy, protests and allegations of corruption by the city authorities. The author of the reconstruction project, Denisov, retired from work, giving way to Zurab Tsereteli, who completed the construction, departing from Denisov's original project, approved by the Moscow authorities. Under his leadership, not marble compositions appeared on the white stone walls (the originals were preserved in the Donskoy Monastery), but bronze compositions (high reliefs), which caused criticism, because they were a clear departure from the original. The painting of the interiors of the temple was carried out by artists recommended by Tsereteli; the cultural value of these murals is also debatable. Instead of the original white stone cladding, the building received marble, and the gilded roof was replaced with a coating based on titanium nitride. It is worth noting that these changes made to the historical project led to a change in the color scheme of the facade from warm to colder. Large sculptural medallions on the facade of the temple were made of polymer material. A two-level underground parking for 305 cars was placed under the temple.
On August 19, 2000, the great consecration of the temple by the cathedral of bishops took place. The structure of the modern complex of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior includes: "Upper Church" - the actual Cathedral of Christ the Savior. It has three thrones - the main one in honor of the Nativity of Christ and two side ones in the choir stalls - in the name of Nicholas the Wonderworker (southern) and the holy prince Alexander Nevsky (northern). "Lower Church" - the Church of the Transfiguration, built in memory of the women's Alekseevsky monastery located on this site. It has three altars: the main one - in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord and two small chapels - in honor of Alexy the Man of God and the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God. The stylobate part houses the Museum of the Temple, the hall of the Church Councils, the hall of the Supreme Church Council, refectory chambers, as well as technical and office premises.
The land and buildings of the complex of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior belong to the city of Moscow. On March 14, 2004, at a meeting of the Public Supervisory Council for the Restoration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, it was announced that the temple had been transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church for unlimited free use; The Board of Trustees of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was created. In church-administrative terms, the Temple has the status of a courtyard of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.
On this day 130 years ago, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was consecrated by Emperor Alexander III, who had just ascended the throne. In honor of this anniversary, we decided to take a closer look at the history of the Temple.
And it all started December 25, 1812, when the last soldier of Napoleon's army was expelled from Russia, Emperor Alexander I, in honor of the victory of the Russian army and in gratitude to God, signed the Supreme Manifesto on the construction of a church in Moscow in the name of the Savior Christ and issued " The Highest Decree to the Holy Synod on the establishment of the feast of December 25, in remembrance of the deliverance of the Church and the Russian Power from the invasion of the Gauls and with them the twelve languages».
The idea of building a memorial church resurrected the ancient tradition of votive churches, built as a token of gratitude to God for the granted victory and in eternal remembrance of the dead.
Already in 1813, an official competition was announced for the project of a memorial temple, in which prominent architects of that time took part. By December 1815, about 20 projects had been submitted for the competition.
Most of the projects had a high degree of homogeneity. The thought and imagination of the architects of that time worked within the framework of strictly defined concepts, conditioned by the ideas of Empire architecture. Participants in the competition for the design of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior were mainly inspired by St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and the Pantheon.
The project, designed by Giacomo Quarenghi, is similar to the Pantheon, especially its main facade with an eight-columned Corinthian portico and a solemn staircase in front of it.
Voronikhin's project gravitates toward St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome.
Voronikhin also used forms associated with Gothic - lancet openings and decorative elements characteristic of the Western European Middle Ages.
But the Sovereign approved the project presented by the architect A.L. Witberg, who managed to put into classical forms the meaning that expressed the national idea, and also to interpret the event of national history, based on the system of universal values of Christianity.
Witberg's ideas about the temple come down to three main points: 1st, so that its colossality corresponds to the greatness of Russia; 2nd, so that, free from slavish imitation, he had something original in his character, a style of strict original architecture; 3rd, so that all parts of the temple are not only arbitrary forms of architectural need, not a dead mass of stones, but express the spiritual idea of a living temple - a person in body, soul and spirit».
Vitberg proposed to build a temple between the Smolensk and Kaluga roads, on the Sparrow Hills, which Alexander I poetically called the "crown of Moscow."
The reasons for choosing a place were the desire of the Emperor to build a temple outside the city, since in Moscow " there is not enough space required for an elegant building". This was consistent with a good geographical location (spread at the foot of the Sparrow Hills, the Maiden's Field would allow you to see the whole temple from afar), and the fact that the Sparrow Hills are located between the paths of the enemy, who entered Moscow along the Smolensk road and retreated along the Kaluga.
According to Witberg, the temple was to become triple, i.e. " the temple of the body, the temple of the soul and the temple of the spirit - but since a person, being threefold, is one, so the temple, with all threeness, must be one". Thus, the idea of a triple temple becomes central to Witberg's project.
He works, striving, that all the outer forms of the temple be the imprint of the inner idea". The idea of a tripartite temple and the fact that Witberg was able to put into classical forms the meaning that expressed the national idea, as well as interpret the event of national history, based on the system of universal values of Christianity, helps him win the competition.
Witberg designs the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in three parts and vertically. One above the other are located:
- an underground temple in the name of the Nativity of Christ, which has a parallelepiped in plan, resembling a coffin (panikhidas were supposed to be continuously performed here);
- cruciform ground - in the name of the Transfiguration of the Lord, symbolizing the mixture of light and darkness in the human soul, as well as the combination of good and evil in human life. The middle temple was supposed to be decorated with many statues;
- round top - in the name of the Resurrection of Christ.
The high bank of the Sparrow Hills is interpreted by the architect as the natural foot of a grandiose structure. The underground temple was supposed to be built in the thickness of the coastal slope, having decorated the passages in the form of solemn staircases framed by colonnades.
When summing up the results of the competition, the Sovereign said to Witberg with favor: “ I am extremely pleased with your project. You guessed my desire, satisfied my thoughts about this Temple. I wanted it not to be one heap of stones, like an ordinary building, but to be animated by some religious idea; but I did not expect to receive any satisfaction, did not expect anyone to be animated by her, and therefore concealed my desire. And so I considered up to 20 projects, among which there are very good ones, but all the things are the most ordinary. You made the stones speak».
The laying ceremony - exceptionally beautiful and solemn - took place October 12, 1817, five years after the performance of the French from Moscow, and was accompanied by an unprecedented spiritual upsurge.
A. Afanasiev - Historical image of the celebration that took place during the laying of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior
« Mr. Academician Alexander Lavretevich Vitberg, the author of the plan and facade of this temple, presented the Sovereign Emperor with a gilded copper cruciform board, with a decent inscription, which His Imperial Majesty deigned to put in the deepening of the stone; for this, Mr. Architect filed on two silver, gilded dishes prepared for this - a marble stone, a silver gilded hammer, the same spatula and dissolved lime. After the position of the first stone, stones were served on silver dishes, a decent silver tool and lime of the entire Royal family and the Prussian Prince Wilhelm who was present at this celebration».
After the laying of the temple in 1817, work on the project was not completed, and the final version of 1825 is a square, single-domed temple with majestic twelve-column porticoes under triangular pediments.
During construction, Vitberg had problems with the delivery of stone and soil, which led to delays in construction.
With the death of Alexander I, Vitberg lost his main patron. The new autocrat of Russia - Nicholas I - ordered to suspend all work. To clarify the issue of the possibility of implementing the Witberg project, Nicholas I May 4, 1826 creates a special "Artificial Committee".
As a result of the research and the drawings of the plan and sections of the Sparrow Hills made on their basis, Moscow experts came to a conclusion that everyone recognized: “ The construction of a great temple on the sloping Sparrow Hills belongs to the number of impossibilities, as is proved by the tests of the soil; but on top of them is a spacious platform on which you can build a huge building».
This sealed the fate of Witberg and his project. The construction, conceived on a grand scale, ended tragically for the architect. Vitberg was accused of embezzlement of state funds, a process began that ended in 1835 with a guilty verdict and exile of the architect to Vyatka.
In February 1830, a new competition was held, and it was proposed to mark the temple on the top of the Sparrow Hills or in another place.
Project A.S. Kutepova presents a five-domed cathedral-type church, created in the likeness of ancient Russian temples. The architect also designed the surroundings of the future temple, placing it in the center of a vast rectangular square, built up around the perimeter with St. Petersburg-style houses.
A.S. Kutepov - Project of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior
lava façade and adjacent square
at the top of Sparrow Hills, 1831
In the project of the architectural assistant E.G. Malyutin, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was proposed to be built in the very center of Moscow, in close proximity to the Kremlin, but on the opposite side of the Moscow River - on a huge square stretching from Vozdvizhenka to Znamenka and from Alexander Garden to the Arbat Gates.
The project attracted the attention of the original, rare in the architecture of classicism, four-leaf plan. One of the two versions of the project provided for a direct connection of the area of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior with the help of a bridge thrown over the Alexander Garden with the Kremlin.
Project A.I. Melnikov was typical of classicism - a five-domed majestic temple, round in plan, surrounded by a colonnade, with four 8-columned porticos.
A.I. Melnikov - Project of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on the upper platform of the Sparrow Hills, western facade, 1831
I.T. Tamansky proposed to place the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in close proximity to the Kremlin - on the opposite side of the Moskva River in Tsaritsyn Meadow.
The main axis of the ensemble, oriented to the Cathedral Square of the Kremlin, is emphasized by the pier located on the river bank. In front of the temple, Tamansky suggested erecting an equestrian monument to Emperor Alexander I, in the center of the roundness of each side of the oval - a triumphal gate, symbolizing "two extreme points of a great cause - the capture of Paris and Moscow, renewed in the glory and greatness of its Fatherland." Obelisks or pyramids, standing inside a colossal oval square, Tamansky proposed to decorate with bas-reliefs with inscriptions.
I.T. Tamansky - General plan and design of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on the Tsaritsyn meadow, 1829
I.I. Charlemagne - Project of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on Sparrow Hills, 1831
April 10, 1832 Emperor Nicholas I approved the new design of the Temple, drawn up by the architect K.A. tone. Working on the project of the temple, Ton presented Nicholas I with a choice of three options for placing the Cathedral of Christ the Savior: behind the Educational House, where the Church of Nikita the Martyr on the Cross over the Moscow River (an option related to the proposed Beauvais), on Tverskaya Street on the site of the Strastnoy Monastery (today Pushkinskaya square; a variation of the option proposed by Shestakov) and at the Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge not far from the Kremlin, between the Moscow River and Volkhonka, on the site of the Alekseevsky Convent. The emperor personally chose the latter.
The fate of the Alekseevsky Monastery was not easy until these times. It was founded in 1358 and was the oldest maiden monastery. In the 16th century, after a terrible fire in 1547, Fyodor Ivanovich and Irina founded the Zachatievsky Monastery on the site of the burned-out monastery.
The restoration of the Alekseevsky monastery in the 17th century, already in a new place - in the White City, in Chertolye - was taken up by Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who was named in honor of Alexy, the Man of God, did a lot for the monastery.
In the 19th century, after the Patriotic War, the Alekseevsky Monastery was restored, but, as mentioned above, its fate was decided by the project to build the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in its place. The monastery was transferred in 1837 to the place where the parish church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Krasnoye Selo stood.
N. Benois - General view of excavation for the foundations of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the facade of the temple and the former Alekseevsky Monastery
The new cathedral, like the temple of Witberg, faced the Moscow River and stood on a bend in the high bank.
Taking into account that the symbolism of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior as a whole was focused on identifying the connection with the cathedrals of the Moscow Kremlin, the magnificent view of the Kremlin from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior with the cathedrals, towers and the bell tower of Ivan the Great became a great advantage of the finally chosen place.
The Cathedral of Christ the Savior took almost 44 years to build.
General plan of the construction site of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior according to the project of K.A. tone. April 10, 1832
Plan of the area near the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, 1870s.
According to the general agreement, all the people chipped in for the construction. Everyone's contribution was initially limited to certain social limits, so that the poorest could contribute what they could, and the wealthy would not be tempted to show off their generosity.
Miscellaneous items related to the laying of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, September 10, 1839
In 1860, the outer scaffolding was dismantled, and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior for the first time appeared before Muscovites in its grandeur.
In 1862, a bronze balustrade was installed on the roof, which was not in the original project. From the observation deck of the cathedral, an unforgettable view of low-rise Moscow opened up.
From 1878 to 1881, work was underway to decorate the terrace area around the Temple.
In the spring of 1880, a stretcher with an eighty-year old man was brought to the foot of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, sparkling with gold domes and crosses. He wanted to get up to climb the steps to the temple, but he did not muster up the strength. And so he lay with his eyes full of tears.
One can only guess about the feelings that the outstanding architect experienced at the sight of his main creation.
He died, not having lived quite a bit before the consecration of his offspring, until the day when, under the powerful vaults of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Eternal Memory was proclaimed to those who had accomplished a feat of arms in the name of the Fatherland, until the day when he, K.A. Tona, the name was uttered with gratitude by ordinary people who knelt in prayer before the altar...
By 1881, work was completed on the construction of the embankment and the square in front of the Temple, and thatoutside lights are also installed. By this time, work on the interior painting of the Temple had come to an end.
Opposite the main entrance, in the eastern branch of the cross, an iconostasis, unique in composition, is being designed in the form of a white marble octagonal chapel topped with a bronze tent. The peculiarity of the iconostasis, which had no analogues and predecessors in ancient Russian and post-Petrine architecture and remained the only one of its kind, was that it had the appearance of a tented temple, the type of which was common in Rus' in the 16th - first half of the 17th centuries.
Over the creation of the Temple according to the project of K.A. Ton worked the best architects, builders and artists of that time. The unique painting was created by the artists of the Russian Academy of Arts V. Surikov, Baron T. Neff, N. Koshelev, G. Semiradsky, I. Kramskoy, V.P. Vereshchagin, P. Pleshanov, V. Markov. The authors of the facade sculptures were Baron P. Klodt, N. Ramazanov, A. Loganovsky. The Gates of the Temple were made according to the models of Count F. Tolstoy.
The sculptural and pictorial decoration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was a rare unity - on all the walls of the Temple were placed the figures of the holy intercessors and prayer books for the Russian land, those domestic figures who worked to establish and spread the Orthodox faith, as well as Russian princes who laid down their lives for freedom and integrity of Russia.
The temple was a living chronicle of the struggle of the Russian people with the conqueror Napoleon, and the names of the valiant heroes, through whom God revealed salvation to the Russian people, were inscribed on marble plaques located in the lower gallery of the Temple.
May 26, 1883, on the Day of the Ascension of the Lord, the Solemn consecration of the Temple took place, which coincided with the Day of the Holy Coronation of Emperor Alexander III to the All-Russian Throne. On June 12 of the same year, the chapel was consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, and on July 8 the second chapel of the Temple was consecrated - in the name of St. Alexander Nevsky. Since that time, regular Divine Services began in the Temple.
Since 1901, the Temple had its own choir, which was considered one of the best in Moscow. It consisted of 52 people, and famous composers A.A. Arkhangelsky and P.G. Chesnokov. The works of their contemporary, also a major church composer A.D. Kastalsky. The voices of F.I. Chaliapin and K.V. Rosova. In the spring of 1912, a monument to Emperor Alexander III was erected in the square near the Temple - the work of the professor of architecture A.N. Pomerantsev and sculptor A.M. Opekushina (the monument lasted only six years and was destroyed in 1918).
August 15, 1917, in a troubled time for Russia, the opening of the Local Council took place in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, at which Russia, after a 200-year break, again found its Patriarch - His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, now canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church, was elected to the rank of Saints.
In 1918, after the revolution, the monument to Emperor Alexander III was dismantled in the square near the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
1931 - fatal for the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. In accordance with Stalin's General Plan for the Reconstruction of Moscow, the Palace of Soviets was to become the architectural dominant of this area. August 18, 1931, exactly one month after the publication in Izvestia of the decision on the competition for the Palace of Soviets, work began on its dismantling on the site of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The territory adjacent to the Temple was surrounded by a fence.
The work was carried out in a great hurry: sheets of roof and dome sheathing were thrown down, breaking the lining and sculptures. Towing ropes were thrown over the sculptures and dragged out by the neck. Angels - so that their heads flew off and their wings broke - were thrown from a height to the ground, into the mud. Marble high reliefs were split, porphyry columns were crushed with jackhammers.
December 5, 1931 Temple-monument of military glory, the Main Temple of Russia was barbarously destroyed. And this was not an easy task: it turned out that neither crowbar nor chisels could take the walls of the Temple, because they were made of large sandstone slabs, which, when laid, were filled with molten lead instead of cement.
Then we decided - we need to blow it up. After the first explosion, the Temple survived, and a new explosive charge had to be placed.
In a few hours it was all over. Here is what the literary critic L.V. wrote about this barbarism. Hartung: " B.L. and I (approx. B.L. Pasternak) watched from the window how the explosion of the Temple was being prepared, and after the building collapsed, sad, they moved away from the window, depressed and silent ...»
All more or less valuable things were adapted to the "needs of the national economy." Gold from the domes (and it was more than four hundred kilograms on the main one alone) was chemically washed off at the plant. V. Menzhinsky, the bells were melted down.
Only one bell from the clock tower survived intact because seven years later it was attached to the upper platform of the Northern River Station. To resolve issues with the interiors, a special Commission for the Withdrawal of Artistic Values was created. This commission ordered to save one work by artists V. Surikov and G. Semiradsky ("The Last Supper").
Several high reliefs, made by sculptors A. Loganovsky and N. Ramadanov, were built into the fortress wall of the Donskoy Monastery. "Urban legends" say that many parts of the Temple, thoroughly altered, can be found in the subway, in parks, and in the lobbies of administrative buildings...
The opening of the Palace of Soviets was supposed to take place in 1933, but by 1941 only a reinforced concrete foundation more than 20 meters deep had been laid and a metal frame had been erected to about the height of the sixth floor.
Palace of Soviets project
In 1941, the Great Patriotic War broke out, and beams made of steel "DS" of special strength had to be used for the manufacture of anti-tank hedgehogs, and then part of the frame was dismantled to restore damaged railway bridges. After the war, only an abandoned pit remained from the grandiose construction site, the recesses in which began to fill with water. In the early 1950s, crucian carp appeared in the pit lakes ...
In 1958, during Khrushchev's godless "thaw", the "Moscow" pool appeared according to the project of the architect D. Chechulin, as a monument to the desecration and oblivion of national glory and history, which did not fit into the templates of the "builders of communism" tasks.
Pool "Moscow"
The Moscow speech habit, usually quickly responding to all sorts of innovations in urban life, assessed this event as follows: "First there was a Temple, then rubbish, and now shame." The water heated in the pool was appropriately chlorinated, as a result of which every winter strong evaporation from the surface caused corrosion of the surrounding buildings, and even posed a threat to the world's masterpieces stored in the Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin.
In the late 1980s, a social movement arose to recreate the Temple of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The project of the new Temple was completed by the architects M.M. Posokhin, A.M. Denisov and others. The pool was dismantled, and a huge stylobate was erected in its place, which now houses the Cathedral Hall of the Russian Orthodox Church, a museum in memory of the fallen in the Patriotic War of 1812, as well as many administrative and utility rooms. On the resulting platform, a monolithic reinforced concrete frame was erected with an external brick lining and subsequent marble lining. Domes were built on it using the same technology. An alloy was installed on one of the surviving original bells, and after studying the materials in the vibroacoustic laboratory at AMO-ZIL, the current set of bells was cast. Z. Tsereteli was involved in the new design of the cathedral. August 19, 1996, on the day of the Transfiguration, Patriarch Alexy II performed the rite of consecration of the lower Spaso-Transfiguration Church and the first liturgy in it. August 19, 2000 the great consecration of the Temple by the cathedral of bishops took place. Literature used:
1. xxc.ru
2. Moscow - historical guide
3. N.P. Yamskoy - Moscow boulevards
Christ the Savior was recreated in the 90s. The first construction of the cathedral dates back to the 19th century; it was built in memory of the soldiers of the Russian tsarist army who died in foreign campaigns and the Patriotic War of 1812. Next, we will take a closer look at the time of work of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, ”but for now we will plunge a little into its history in order to understand what historical events took place around this monastery.
Construction
The original temple was designed by the architect K. A. Tona. The first stone was laid at the end of September 1839. The temple was under construction for 44 years. It was consecrated at the end of May 1883. At the very beginning of the 1930s, when the Stalinist reconstruction of the city began, the temple was blown up. It was rebuilt in 3 years (from 1994 to 1997).
Now it stands in all its splendor and is the Patriarchal Metochion. This temple is the largest in Russia, it can accommodate up to 10,000 people. The cathedral has the shape of an equilateral cross 80 m wide. The height with the dome is 103 meters. It was determined to be built in It has three limits. The temple was consecrated on August 6, 1996.
idea
Any parishioner can freely visit the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The opening hours of this cathedral will be convenient for everyone. It should be noted that the idea was to recreate the ancient tradition of votive churches, which were created as a token of thanksgiving and eternal commemoration of the dead.
Emperor Alexander I, when the Napoleonic soldiers were expelled, signed a decree of December 25, 1812, that a church should be built in the destroyed Moscow in the first place. In 1814, the project set deadlines to build a temple in the name of Christ the Savior within 10-12 years. The project was made by 28-year-old Carl Witberg - not an architect, but an artist, Freemason and Lutheran. He turned out to be very handsome. In order to be able to engage in this project, Witberg became Orthodox. The place was prepared on the Sparrow Hills, where the country royal residence, the Sparrow Palace, used to be. It was decided to spend 16 million rubles for the construction. In mid-October 1817, in honor of the victory over the French (by the fifth anniversary), the first church was founded on Sparrow Hills.
Result
20,000 serfs participated in the construction. At first, the pace of construction was high, but then, due to the gullibility of Vitberg, who had no managerial experience, construction began to be delayed, money began to go to no one knows where, and waste resulted in an amount of approximately one million rubles.
When Tsar Nicholas I came to the throne in 1825, construction was suspended, allegedly due to the instability of the soil, and the leaders went on trial for embezzlement and were fined 1 million rubles. Witberg was expelled, confiscating all his property. Some historians, however, consider Witberg an honest man, he was only to blame for his indiscretion. He did not stay in exile for long, later his designs were used in the construction of Orthodox cathedrals in Tiflis and Perm.
New project
Meanwhile, Nicholas I in 1831 appoints K. Ton as an architect. Volkhonka (Chertolye) was chosen as a new place. At that time, the Alekseevsky convent stood at that time, which was transferred to There was a rumor later that the dissatisfied abbess of the monastery predicted: "This place will be empty."
In May 1883, the church was consecrated by Metropolitan Ioanniky of Moscow in the presence of Tsar Alexander III. Years passed, and in 1922 the new government gave the temple to the renovationists. In 1931, there was a meeting of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, where it was decided to build the Palace of Soviets in its place. A few more decades passed, and the attitude of the state towards the church softened. By the 1000th anniversary of Rus', it was decided to rebuild a new cathedral. And it was built in the shortest possible time. II on the feast of the Transfiguration on August 6, 1996, he consecrated the temple and held the first liturgy in it. Now we can admire this ingenious masterpiece.
working hours
Today, many tourists, believers and non-believers, go to the cathedral, because its scale and history are really impressive. Many are interested in the opening hours of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. It works seven days a week, and divine services are held here taking into account the holidays and the appointed celebrations.
- The opening hours of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior for worship are from 9-00 to 19-00.
- Liturgy on ordinary days begins at 8:00 am, and the evening liturgy begins at 5:00 pm.
- Saturday morning service - at 9-00; all-night vigil - at 17-00.
- Sunday morning - at 10-00; all-night vigil - 17-00.
To accurately familiarize yourself with the opening hours of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, you need to go to its official website. There are many shrines in the church, among which there are particles of the robe of Jesus Christ and the Virgin, a particle of the relics of St. Andrew the First-Called, the head of John Chrysostom.
The main church of Moscow and the whole country is the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The Cathedral of Christ the Savior is the Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church located in the Russian capital, the city of Moscow, within walking distance from Red Square and Alexander Garden, on the Moscow River, at the address: Volkhonka Street, 15-17.
Rector of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior - Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill.
The Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow was built as an object of gratitude to God for help and intercession during the difficult period in the history of Russia during the Napoleonic invasion during the Patriotic War of 1812. The temple also acts as a symbol and monument to the Russian people for their courage and heroism shown during the hostilities.
The temple was erected according to the project of the architect K.A. Tona, May 26, 1883. The construction of the church lasted almost 44 years, the first stone was laid on September 23, 1839. After, at the height of the Stalinist reconstruction of the city on December 5, 1931, the temple building was destroyed. It was rebuilt only in 1994-1997. It is this Temple, newly erected in the 90s in the pseudo-Russian style, that we see at the present time.
In the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, all major anniversaries and celebrations have been and are being held. This Temple is one of the main attractions of the city, it is an integral part of not only the religious life of Moscow, it also serves as a part of the culture and socio-political life of the whole country. Official website of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow: xxc.ru.
You can get to the Cathedral, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior by metro. The nearest metro station is Kropotkinskaya. You can also get to the Teatralnaya, Okhotny Ryad, Aleksandrovsky Sad or Arbatskaya metro stations, and then take a walk to the Cathedral, at the same time see other main sights of the country, such as the Mausoleum, the Moscow Kremlin and the Alexander Garden.
The most beautiful view of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior opens from the Patriarchal Bridge. It is from this point that you can see the Temple in all its glory, without any slopes or angles.
By the way, the Patriarchal Bridge in Moscow is also one of the ten main attractions of the city. This is a pedestrian bridge crossing the Moscow River and connecting Prechistenskaya and Bersenevskaya embankments, then the bridge runs through Bolotny Island, crosses the Vodootvodny Canal and ends at Yakimanskaya Embankment. The Patriarchal Bridge was built according to the project of architect M. Posokhin, artist Z. Tsereteli, engineers A. Kolchin and O. Chemerinsky, opened in 2004.
The architecture of the bridge, like the Cathedral of Christ the Savior itself, resembles traditional Moscow architecture of the nineteenth century. At night, the bridge is illuminated by lamps of the original form, built into the canvases of the bridge.
The Patriarchal Bridge is a favorite walking place for guests and residents of the city. On it, lovers make dates, and the spouses are photographed and hang "locks of love." There are a lot of these locks of love on the railing of the bridge, here are small locks and large barn locks, as well as original personalized custom-made locks. Since the bridge is so visited, the businessmen of the city did not ignore it either. Throughout the bridge here and there they offer to release pigeons, for a fee, of course. There are so many of these "pigeon tycoons" on the bridge and they are so intrusive that it's rather annoying.
From 2008 to 2011, New Year's addresses of the President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev were recorded on the bridge.
From the Patriarchal Bridge you can see the building of the Red October chocolate factory and the monument to Peter I. The monument to Peter the Great in Moscow is one of the tallest monuments in Russia, its total height reaches 98 meters. The official name of the monument is the Monument to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Russian fleet. Erected in 1997 by order of the Government of Moscow on an artificial island, poured at the division of the Moscow River and the Vodootvodny Canal.
On the other side of the Patriarchal Bridge, you can see the Kremlin embankment, the Kremlin wall and the buildings of the Kremlin complex - the State Kremlin Palace, the Annunciation and Archangel Cathedrals.
View of the city from the Patriarchal Bridge
Let's not go far from the main topic of this article and return to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
The Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow is the largest cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church, its capacity is up to 10,000 people. The outer part of the cathedral is decorated with a number of marble high reliefs, and the main decoration is golden domes with crosses crowning them.
The temple has 4 bells: Big Solemn, its mass is 29.8 tons, you can hear its ringing only 4 times a year on the greatest Orthodox holidays, Festive, its voice can be heard on the days of the twelfth holidays, Polyeleos weighing 9.2 tons and 5 ton Everyday.
This monumental structure, especially its golden domes, is clearly visible from many places in the city of Moscow. This happens due to the fact that the Cathedral is located on a hill - a hill.
From different angles, such dissimilar views of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and its auxiliary buildings open up.
The Cathedral of Christ the Savior has several entrances and exits, the main one from Volkhonka Street. It is from this street that you can get to the temple.
Entrance to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior is free, free. Passage through security and metal detectors. Filming and photography in the Temple is prohibited, so there are no photos of the interior decoration. But tell, tell.
Inside, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior has high walls with vaulted ceilings, fully painted with color paintings and faces of saints. Rich colorful decoration, the predominance of red and gold colors. The Temple has several floors and many halls. Trade and souvenir shops are located. Museum of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, admission is free, excursions are paid. The basis of the museum is made up of materials that tell about the history of the construction, destruction and reconstruction of the Cathedral. The museum is a kind of monument in honor of the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812. And the gallery of military glory, here on marble plaques all the main events of the battles are listed in chronological order and fragments of the surviving memorial plates with the names of the heroes are presented.
Our personal opinion about the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Big? Yes, big, massive and conspicuous! Beautiful? We don't think. Feelings from the interior decoration - too much, ripples in the eyes, as if you were in a tastelessly furnished museum. What was really beautiful about the Temple was the high vaulted painted ceilings. We admired them from the bottom of our hearts.
Complex of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow
The complex of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior naturally includes the Cathedral of Christ the Savior itself, the Transfiguration Church of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the Chapel of the Sovereign Icon of the Mother of God, the Foundation of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the excursion office of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
Transfiguration Church of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow
The Transfiguration Church of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was built in memory of the women's Alekseevsky Monastery located on this site. The interior decoration of the church corresponds to the time of the founding of the monastery, that is, the sixteenth century. The church has three altars: the main one, in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord, and two small chapels, in honor of Alexy the Man of God and the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God.
The main shrines of the Church of the Transfiguration are the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands by the artist Sorokin, miraculously preserved after the destruction of the Temple, the ancient icon of the Mother of God of Smolensk and the icon of St. Nicholas, which was previously in the church of the city of Bari.
This wooden small chapel is not located in the temple itself, but a little further away, but near the Temple, below its level.
The place of the main saints of the Chapel of the Mother of God is occupied by the icon of the Mother of God "Reigning", acquired in the twentieth century. It is this icon that has become one of the main shrines in modern Russia.
Next to the Chapel of the Reigning Icon of the Mother of God, you can see a beautiful building, this Pertsov's house. Profitable house in Moscow, located on the corner of Soymonovsky passage and Prechistenskaya embankment, built in 1905-1907 by architects N.K. Zhukov and B.N. Schnaubert based on the sketches of the artist S.V. Malyutin, the author of the Russian matryoshka. So the house itself is somewhat reminiscent of the famous Russian nesting dolls and towers from Russian folk tales.
Pertsov's house is designed in Art Nouveau style. In the design of the tower-balconies, motifs of ancient Russian decor are used, which are organically combined with elements of Western European medieval architecture. On the decor of the facade of the building, the forms of bizarre mythological creatures, fabulous animals and plants are visible. As well as carved decorations on the windows and walls of the house. A kind of house-teremok from a fairy tale, which has found its place and so harmoniously fits into the architecture of modern buildings in the very center of the Russian capital.
The Foundation of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the Tourist Office of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow
The Cathedral of Christ the Savior is managed by the Foundation of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. It is this foundation that attracts benefactors, collects and manages donations, rents out the Temple halls, holds exhibitions and organizes tours. The Fund operates on the basis of the Agreement for the Trust Management of Objects of General Cultural and Engineering Purposes of the Complex of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior No. 01 dated May 24, 2004, concluded with the Department of Property of the City of Moscow.
The Temple Foundation has developed and conducted the following excursions:
Cathedral of Christ the Savior, visiting the Hall of Church Cathedrals, climbing to the observation decks. Yes, in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior there are observation platforms from which a beautiful panorama of the Moscow suburbs opens. But you can climb these sites only in combination with a tour.
High reliefs of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior with access to the viewing platforms.
Murals of the gallery of the Lower Temple (parables), ascent to the observation platforms.
Cathedral of Christ the Savior with access to observation decks, Chora.
The cost of group tours from 400 rubles per person. Groups from 10 people.
Official website of the Foundation of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior: fxxc.ru.
Shrines and relics of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow
Cancer with the relics of St. Philaret of Moscow (Drozdov), a particle of the Robe of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 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 the Great Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, Relics of St. Mary of Egypt and Blessed Prince Michael of Tver, Relics of St. Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow, Relics of St. Basil the Great, Relics of John the Baptist, Relics of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, Nail of the Cross of the Lord, Relics of St. Michael Malein, Relics of the Holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratilates, Relics of the Great Martyr Euphemia the All-Praised, Head of St. Gregory the Theologian, Relics of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow.
Status of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow
The land and buildings of the complex of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior belong to the city of Moscow. Operational management of the complex is carried out by a non-governmental, non-profit organization - the Foundation of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
In church-administrative terms, the temple has the status of the metochion of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. The daily duties of the rector are performed by the sacrist Archpriest Mikhail Ryazantsev.
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