Christ the Saviour Cathedral	Cathedral rebuilt (1995-2000)
	Cathedral of the Seven Councils

The construction of The Cathedral of Christ the Savior was originally decreed in 1812 as a memorial in thanksgiving to God for victory over Napoleon's Grande Armee which had invaded Russia. Actual building began in 1839 and continued until 1881. The cathedral was consecrated on the Great Feast of the Ascension, May 26, 1883, in the presence of the Emperor and Empress. The Church's height reached 325 feet from the ground to the top of the cross on the central cupola. The structure occupied 75,000 square feet and the enterior proper measured 42,834 square feet.

In 1931, the communist regime blew up the cathedral and planned to build a towering "Palace of the Soviets" crowned by a statue of Vladimir Lenin. Plans for the edifice were abandoned when it was discovered that the ground could not support such a massive structure and so a heated outdoor swimming pool was built in its place.

In the 1980s people began to demand the reconstruction of their great Cathedral and finally reconstruction began in 1996. A team of 3,000 workers labored around the clock to complete the cathedral in only four years.

Russian Patriarch Aleksy II of Moscow along with 147 hieararchs of the Moscow Patriarchate and delegations from Orthodox Churches from around the world joined in the five hour consecration and Divine Liturgy. The Cathedral's consecration began on Friday August 18th on the Day of the Transfiguration and the celebration continued through Sunday. Present were Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, her mother Leonida Georievna and her son, George.

(Adapted from various news articles in The Orthodox Church, [OCA], Volume 36 Oct.-Nov. 2000)

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