Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces
Главный храм Вооружённых сил России
Glavnyy khram Vooruzhyonnykh sil Rossii
Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces Patriot.jpg
Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces is located in European Russia
Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces
Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces
55°34′45″N 36°49′19″E / 55.57917°N 36.82194°E / 55.57917; 36.82194Coordinates: 55°34′45″N 36°49′19″E / 55.57917°N 36.82194°E / 55.57917; 36.82194
LocationPatriot Park, Odintsovsky District, Moscow Oblast, Russia
DenominationRussian Orthodox Church
Websitehram.mil.ru
History
FoundedSeptember 2018 - May 2020
Consecrated14 June 2020
Architecture
StyleRussian Revival
Specifications
Length79 m (length-width)[1]
Height95 m (top cross)
Nave height75 m (interior)
Dome diameter (outer)19.5 m

The Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces (Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ; Russian: Главный храм Вооружённых сил России (Храм Воскресения Христова)) is a Patriarchal cathedral (Патриарший собор)[2] in honour of the Resurrection of Christ, "dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, as well as the military feats of the Russian people in all wars", built in the Patriot Park in the Odintsovsky District, Moscow Oblast.[3][4] The cathedral is built with donations and budget funds from the Moscow city government and the Moscow Oblast. It was consecrated as part of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.[5] An exhibition dedicated to the history of the formation of the Russian state and its armed forces will be located on-site.[6]

The construction of the cathedral was completed on 9 May 2020, on the annual Victory Day. It was consecrated on 14 June and opened on 22 June 2020, on the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow.

Design[]

According to the official website, "the church was designed in a monumental Russian style, organically incorporating modern architectural approaches and innovations unique to the Orthodox church creation". The façades of the building are finished with metal, the arches are glazed. The walls of the church, decorated with murals, include battle scenes from Russian military history and Bible scripture texts. The decoration of the lower (small) church is made of ceramics and is decorated with Gzhel painting, with pieces of glass smalt used in the manufacture of mosaic panels. The central apse dedicated to the Resurrection of Christ is made in the form of a metal relief. The decoration of the church, the icon and the iconostasis (icon wall) are made of copper with enamels, as was done on the marching military icons. The image of the Saviour-Not-Made-by-Hands in the central dome of the church is the largest image of the Christ's face executed in mosaic.

Glass mosaics[]

Stained glass mosaics in the cathedral's vault feature various Red Army orders, accompanied by their respected ribbons that denote their class. Many of these orders display the faces of prominent military leaders from Imperial Russian Army. The decision to include some of the most revered Orthodox Christian saints, who had served in the historical armies of Russia, coincides with the Soviet Union's brief wave of nationalism during the Great Patriotic War. On September 5, 1943, a historical meeting in the Moscow Kremlin took place between Metropolitan Alexius and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. After the meeting, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union allowed the Orthodox Church to legally function and operate after experiencing nearly two decades of severe oppression. Many churches began to reopen across the Soviet Union.

The following orders are depicted in the mosaics: The Order of Alexander Nevsky (First Class), Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky (First Class), Order of Ushakov (First Class), Order of Nakhimov (First Class), Order of Suvorov (First Class), Order of Kutuzov (First Class), Order of Victory, Order of the Red Banner, Order of the Red Star, and the Order of the Patriotic War (First Class).

Sizes[]

Some of the sizes are symbolic. The height of the church along with the cross is 95 metres. The diameter of the drum of the main dome is 19.45 metres, symbolising the year when the Great Patriotic War ended – 1945. The height of the belfry is 75 metres, a reference to the 75 years that passed in 2020 since the end of World War II. The height of the small dome is 14.18 metres – open conflict between Nazi Germany and the USSR lasted 1418 days and nights. The area of the church complex is 11,000 m2. The capacity of the interior of the church is up to 6,000 people.

Bells[]

The bells were made at the Voronezh Foundry. The decoration of the bells repeats ornaments decorating the cathedral. The bells reflect the theme of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, icons of patrons of the Russian Army. The main bell-evangelist was decorated with bas-reliefs depicting key events of the Great Patriotic War. Work on the manufacture of bells was carried out for six months. The ensemble weighs more than 20 tonnes, it includes 18 bells, the largest of which weighs 10 tonnes.[7] 17 of the 18 bells are dedicated to the types and arms of the troops. On the one hand a military emblem is applied to the bell, on the other, the image of the patron saint.[7] On 23 August 2019 the bells were set on the belfry of the cathedral.

Dome[]

On 15 November 2019, a 80-tonne central dome was erected on the cathedral, the height and diameter of which are 12 metres.[8] In total, the cathedral has six domes, four of which are identical, each of which weighs 34 tonnes, the central one is the largest and one is on the belfry. The design has a high alloy steel frame with a strength factor from 300 to 1500 years.

Ceremony in main temple

Floor[]

The floors of the cathedral are metal. The metal has come from the melting down of Nazi trophies, weapons and tanks that were seized from Wehrmacht forces. As visitors walk across the floors of the cathedral, it is intended to symbolise "delivering a blow to the fascist enemy”.[9]

Main icon[]

See also: Russian icons
Main icon of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Savior Not Made by Hands

The central icon of the Main Church of the Russian Armed Forces is the "Holy Saviour" in the main dome. The Icon of the Saviour Not Made by Hands is a canonical image of the Holy Face of Jesus Christ, miraculously imprinted on a piece of material and transmitted by the Saviour himself to King Abgar V of Osroene. The face on the icon surrounds the images of the Most Holy Mother of God of Kazan, of Vladimir, of Smolensk and of Tikhvin, placed on artistic reliefs that depict significant events in the history of the Russian state. In the ark, which invariably accompanies the icon, there are eight particles of holy patrons: the great martyr George the Victorious, St. Andrew the First-Called, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, St. Sergius of Radonezh, the great martyr Barbara, the apostle Peter, the great martyr Panteleimon the Healer, and also Fyodor Ushakov, the righteous commander of the Black Sea Fleet and one of the most revered saints in the fleet.

The image of the Savior is placed in a bronze fold and weighs about 100 kg. The icon itself without a fold has dimensions of about 98 × 84 × 10 cm.

Controversies[]

In April 2020 photos were leaked showing a partially completed mosaic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu and other high-ranking Russian officials, as well as Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. The Russian Orthodox Church initially explained the presence of mosaics featuring Putin and Stalin according to the tradition of depicting historical events – in this case, the 2014 annexation of Crimea to Russia and the Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War (World War II). However, later it was reported that the cathedral would not have any mosaics of either Putin or Stalin.[10] The Russian Orthodox Church explained that this decision was made taking into account the President's own opinion.[11]

Gallery[]

  • Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, Odintsovsky District 03.jpg
  • Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, Odintsovsky District 07.jpg
  • Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, Odintsovsky District 02.jpg
  • Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, Odintsovsky District 05.jpg
  • Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, Odintsovsky District 06.jpg
  • InstallationOfBells2019-01.jpg
  • InstallationOfBells2019-02.jpg
  • InstallationOfBells2019-03.jpg
  • InstallationOfBells2019-04.jpg
  • InstallationOfBells2019-05.jpg
  • InstallationOfBells2019-06.jpg
  • InstallationOfBells2019-07.jpg
  • InstallationOfBells2019-08.jpg
  • InstallationOfBells2019-09.jpg
  • InstallationOfBells2019-10.jpg
  • InstallationOfBells2019-11.jpg
  • InstallationOfBells2019-12.jpg
  • EanJMN4XgAMn6CM.jpg

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Храм Христа Спасителя".
  2. ^ Главный храм Вооруженных сил РФ получил статус Патриаршего собора РПЦ
  3. ^ "Главный храм Вооруженных Сил России". Минобороны России. Retrieved 2019-08-24.
  4. ^ "Макет Главного храма Вооружённых Сил РФ". Департамент информации и массовых коммуникаций МО. 20 November 2018. Retrieved 2019-08-24.
  5. ^ Помнить истинные уроки истории / Газета «Красная звезда», 5 февраля 2020
  6. ^ "Главный храм Вооруженных Сил России построят в парке "Патриот"". Звезда. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 2019-08-24.
  7. ^ a b "Колокола с изображением покровителей видов и родов войск установили". Департамент информации и массовых коммуникаций МО. 23 August 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-24.
  8. ^ "Главный храм Вооруженных сил РФ украсили центральным куполом весом в 80 тонн". Интерфакс. 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
  9. ^ Walker, Shaun (20 October 2020). "Angels and artillery: a cathedral to Russia's new national identity". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Russia inaugurates cathedral without mosaics of Putin, Stalin". Reuters. 14 June 2020.
  11. ^ В РПЦ объяснили ситуацию с мозаикой с Путиным в храме Вооруженных сил

External links[]

Media related to Main temple of the Russian Armed Forces at Wikimedia Commons

Retrieved from ""