125th Anniversary of Christ the Saviour Cathedral

Photo Sources here, here and here

Last Sunday the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow celebrated the 125th anniversary of its consecration.

The Cathedral was originally commissioned by Tsar Alexander I in 1812 as a memorial to the victims of the Napoleonic invasion. In fact Tchaikovsky's famous 1812 Overture was premiered there in 1882. The final construction of the Cathedral was not complete until 1883 when it was consecrated.

In 1931 the Cathedral was destroyed on the orders of Stalin. After the fall of the Soviet Union it was decided to rebuild the Cathedral. Construction began in 1990 and the rebuilt Cathedral was consecrated in 2000.

The 125th anniversary was celebrated with large processions of clergy and faithful as well as a special moleben service led by Patriarch Alexei II.

More photos of the anniversary celebrations can be found here.

A video of some of the processions along with remarks by Patriarch Alexei II can be found here (in Russian).