Tourists and travelers from all over the country dream of visiting the largest temple in Russia. In this article we will tell where they should go first of all, where to see the most large-scale Orthodox, Muslim and Buddhist religious buildings.
Cathedral of Christ the Savior
The largest temple in Russia is the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, located in Moscow. The author of the project was the famous Russian architect Konstantin Ton. Construction began in 1839.
At the same time, the laying of the temple began much earlier - in 1817, Emperor Alexander I decided to erect it in honor of the victory in World War II. Work began on the Sparrow Hills, but was interrupted in 1825. The architect Karl Witberg, whose project was under construction, together with other members of the commission responsible for the appearance of the temple, was accused of major financial waste.
Then it was decided that the author of the new project will be Konstantin Ton. In 1839, the cathedral was solemnly laid on Volkhonka, its consecration took place in 1883.
The temple was built according to the design of the Tone, which was chosen by Nicholas I. The architect worked in the Russian-Byzantine style close to the emperor.
After the Bolsheviks came to power, many places of worship in the capital were closed or destroyed. The same fate befell the largest church in Russia by area - the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. In 1931, during the reconstruction of Moscow, approved by Joseph Stalin, the building of the Orthodox Cathedral was destroyed, and the site in its place was given over to the House of Soviets. After the plans changed, and instead of the temple appeared pool "Moscow".
The second life of the temple
The sports facility was closed only in the 90 years after the collapse of the USSR. In the mid-90s, the restoration of the temple began, the first service in it took place in 2000. Today this is the largest Christian church in Russia.
The height of the newly rebuilt church from the dome to the stylobate is 103.4 meters, and the total area is about eight thousand square meters. The whole complex is located on approximately 70 thousand square meters.
The main iconostasis is 27 meters high and impresses everyone.
Saint Isaac's Cathedral
Among the largest temples in Russia, St. Isaac's Cathedral, which is located in St. Petersburg, should also be mentioned. Like most other significant Orthodox buildings, it was built according to the project of a world famous architect. In this case, we are talking about the Frenchman Auguste Monferrand.
He built the building in the style of late classicism with a height of 101 and a half meters. This is one of the largest Orthodox churches in Russia. It is located on St. Isaac's Square. Its construction was carried out exactly 40 years and was completed only in 1858. St. Isaac's Cathedral remained a cathedral for the St. Petersburg diocese from its foundation until 1929. Now it has the status of a museum.
The cathedral was erected on the site of the temple, which was built according to the project of another famous architect Antonio Rinaldi. The course of work was personally supervised by Emperor Nicholas I. The most advanced technologies for its time were used, which had a direct impact on the development of all architecture of the 19th and 20th centuries. It is believed that this is the latest significant building in the style of classicism in Russia.
One of the largest churches in Russia was consecrated in honor of St. Isaac of Dalmatia, this saint was revered even by Peter I. In recent years, the issue of transferring the cathedral to the Russian Orthodox Church has been discussed.
Kul Sharif Mosque
Among the large churches of Russia is the Kazan Kul Sharif mosque. This is the main shrine of Tatarstan, the construction of which was completed in 2005. It is located on the territory of the Kazan Kremlin, being today one of the main attractions of the city.
The construction of the mosque was started in 1996. Architects planned to recreate the legendary multi-minaret mosque, which in ancient times was located in the capital of the Kazan Khanate. It was a center for the development of sciences and religious education throughout the Middle Volga in the 16th century. The mosque was destroyed in 1552 as a result of the assault on the city by the troops of Ivan the Terrible. The restored religious building is named after Kul Sharif, the last imam who led the defense of Kazan.
The mosque itself is designed for one and a half thousand people, and another ten thousand believers can fit in the square in front of it. The mosque has become a hallmark of the city, it is perfectly visible from the Kazanka River and the Millennium Square.
The mosque has one dome and six minarets, whose height is 58 meters. They are made of marble and granite.
Cathedral Mosque
Islam is the second most popular religion in Russia, so there are enough large mosques in the country. For example, this is a cathedral mosque in Surgut, which can accommodate about two thousand people.
It is the largest in the entire Urals and Siberia. Not so long ago, a madrassah opened.
The prayer hall of the mosque is painted by craftsmen from Ufa and Naberezhnye Chelny. Parishioners themselves raised money for its construction.
Heart of Chechnya
Under such a romantic name, the largest mosque built in Grozny is known. The height of its minarets is 62 meters. Its construction was completed in 2008, today it is considered one of the largest in Russia.
The mosque is located on the banks of the Sunzha River, around it is an amazing park, which is part of the Islamic complex. The spiritual department of Muslims of the Chechen Republic and the Islamic University are also located here.
They built a temple in the Ottoman classic style. The central hall is crowned by a 32-meter dome with a diameter of 16 meters. All internal and external walls are decorated with marble, and the interior is interspersed with white marble. The area of the mosque is about ten thousand square meters, it can accommodate up to 10 thousand people.
The Blue Mosque, located in Istanbul, was taken as the basis for the construction.
