The richly-decorated church outside Moscow set to be the main cathedral for the Russian military has been completed and decorated. While its opening was delayed by Covid-19, it was still completed to coincide with Victory Day.
The Russian military released footage of the new cathedral on Saturday, showing the church’s grandeur from above, as well as highlights from its interior. The cathedral is located at the Patriot military themed park outside Moscow.
The cathedral is lushly decorated both outside and inside, combining classical forms with modern materials. Apart from the icons that are mandatory for an Orthodox Christian church, the cathedral features various mosaics that commemorate events from Russia’s ancient and modern history.
Apart from being a Christian Orthodox church, the new monument is a museum, themed to mark the 75th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. The very proportions of it have been designed to be a reminder of the war – its main dome measures 19.45 meters in diameter, and the smaller one is 14.18 meters tall, marking the number of days the war lasted.
The cathedral is surrounded by a memorial complex called the Road of Memory, which measures 1418 steps. The memorial, to which some details are still being added, will contain the names of over 33 million people who served during the war, as well as their photographs, when available.
The cathedral project raised significant funding through voluntary donations from organizations and private citizens alike, including Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. The church was scheduled to be opened on May 9, but the ceremony has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak that continues to rage in Russia.
