In 1939, Winston Churchill famously said of Russia: "it is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." In 2011, upon setting foot in Moscow for the first time, I offer up the following unsolicited addendum: "Russia is a fever dream, swaddled in history, nursing a hangover..."
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Cathedral of Christ the Savior
This beautiful neoclassical Church along the river offers a stark contrast of styles to St. Basil's Cathedral. Commissioned by Alexander 1st in 1812 following Napoleon's retreat from Russia, the church was created as an offering to Christ the Savior for sparing Russia from the imminent threat of Bonapartism... No one in Europe wanted to be ruled over by the French Empire, and the Russians weren't really prepared for a full scale invasion by France's ground forces. The Russians scorched the earth to prevent Napoleon's army from finding sustenance on their march towards Moscow, and ultimately Russia prevailed largely through attrition. I remember reading about this in history class and marveling at a nation that would destroy its own harvests and communities rather than have them succumb to outside rule. Anyhow, once the French departed, Alexander 1st ordered this church be built, and it's a stunning building.
The video below is appalling, and a testament to the trials and tribulations this country endured in the last century. Joseph Stalin ordered this beautiful Church destroyed, as part of the state's campaign against religion. There are not a lot of places in the world where the destruction of sacred architecture is mandated by the state, and when it does happen, it is always a tragedy and travesty and an object lesson in intolerance. Watch the video below. This is what dogma does to beauty.
This beautiful neoclassical Church along the river offers a stark contrast of styles to St. Basil's Cathedral. Commissioned by Alexander 1st in 1812 following Napoleon's retreat from Russia, the church was created as an offering to Christ the Savior for sparing Russia from the imminent threat of Bonapartism... No one in Europe wanted to be ruled over by the French Empire, and the Russians weren't really prepared for a full scale invasion by France's ground forces. The Russians scorched the earth to prevent Napoleon's army from finding sustenance on their march towards Moscow, and ultimately Russia prevailed largely through attrition. I remember reading about this in history class and marveling at a nation that would destroy its own harvests and communities rather than have them succumb to outside rule. Anyhow, once the French departed, Alexander 1st ordered this church be built, and it's a stunning building.
The video below is appalling, and a testament to the trials and tribulations this country endured in the last century. Joseph Stalin ordered this beautiful Church destroyed, as part of the state's campaign against religion. There are not a lot of places in the world where the destruction of sacred architecture is mandated by the state, and when it does happen, it is always a tragedy and travesty and an object lesson in intolerance. Watch the video below. This is what dogma does to beauty.
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