The main temple of Russia - Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow or Russian Cathedral Orthodox Church. This temple is the largest in Russia and can accommodate 10,000 people.
It is located not far from the Kremlin on the left bank of the Moscow River.
In 1931, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was destroyed, and then restored in 1994-1997. By the way, the filming of the 2010 film Pop by Vladimir Khotinenko took place in this temple.
The height of the temple is 105 m.
Old view of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior:
Night view from the Patriarchal Bridge:
A huge staircase leads to the Temple:
Along the entire perimeter of the Temple there are sculptures on biblical themes.
and sculptures of angels:
Hall of Church Councils of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior:
Dome (inside view) in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior:
Painting on the main dome of the Temple. 22,000 m² of the Temple area are covered with painting, of which 9,000 m² are gilded.
Altar in the Temple:
Chapel near the Temple: Cross of a solid dome:
Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
The Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow is the cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church not far from the Kremlin on the left bank of the Moscow River, in a place formerly called Chertolye. The existing structure is an external recreation of the temple of the same name, created in the 19th century, carried out in the 1990s. On the walls of the temple were inscribed the names of officers of the Russian army who died in the War of 1812 and other military campaigns close in time.
The original of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow was erected in gratitude to God for saving Russia from the Napoleonic invasion: “to preserve the eternal memory of that unparalleled zeal, loyalty and love for the Faith and the Fatherland, with which the Russian people exalted themselves in these difficult times, and in commemoration of Our gratitude to the Providence of God, which saved Russia from the destruction that threatened it.”
The Cathedral of Christ the Savior was built according to the design of the architect Konstantin Ton. Construction lasted almost 44 years: the temple was founded on September 23, 1839, consecrated on May 26, 1883.
On December 5, 1931, the temple building was destroyed. It was rebuilt on the same site in 1999.
The Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow is the largest in the Russian Church. Designed for 10,000 people.
In plan, the cathedral was an equal-ended cross about 85 m wide.
The outer part was decorated with a double row of marble high reliefs by sculptors Klodt, Loginovsky and Ramazanov. All entrance doors - twelve in total - were made of bronze, and the images of saints decorating them were cast according to the sketches of the famous sculptor Count F. P. Tolstoy.
The height of the temple with the dome and cross is currently 105 m (3.5 m higher than St. Isaac's Cathedral). Built in the traditions of the so-called Russian-Byzantine style, which enjoyed broad government support at the time construction began. The painting inside the temple occupies about 22,000 sq.m., of which about 9,000 sq.m. are gilded.
The modern complex of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior includes:
- “upper temple” - the Cathedral of Christ the Savior itself. It has 3 altars - the main one in honor of the Nativity of Christ and 2 side altars in the choir - in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (southern) and St. Prince Alexander Nevsky (northern). Consecrated on August 6 (19), 2000.
- "lower temple" - Church of the Transfiguration, built in memory of the Alekseevsky women's monastery located on this site. It has three altars: the main one - in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord and two small chapels - in honor of Alexy the man of God and the Tikhvin icon Mother of God. The church was consecrated on August 6 (19), 1996.
Mosaic on the pedestal of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
Ceiling painting. Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in the complex of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
On December 25, 1812, when the last Napoleonic soldiers left Russia, Emperor Alexander I signed the Highest Manifesto on the construction of a church in Moscow, which at that time lay in ruins.
After the victory over Napoleon in 1814, the project was refined: it was decided to build a cathedral in the name of Christ the Savior within 10-12 years.
Project by A. Vitberg
Also in 1814, an international open competition was held with the participation of such respected architects as Voronikhin, Quarenghi, Stasov and others. However, to the surprise of many, the project of 28-year-old Karl Magnus Witberg, an artist (not even an architect), freemason and and a Lutheran at that. The project, according to contemporaries, was truly exceptionally beautiful. Compared to the current one, the Witberg temple was three times larger, it included the Pantheon of the dead, a colonnade (600 columns) of captured cannons, as well as monuments to monarchs and prominent commanders. In order to approve the project, Vitberg was baptized into Orthodoxy. It was decided to place the structure on Vorobyovy Gory. Huge funds were allocated for construction: 16 million rubles from the treasury and considerable public donations.
On October 12, 1817, on the 5th anniversary of the French departure from Moscow, in the presence of Tsar Alexander I, the first temple designed by Vitberg was founded on the Sparrow Hills.
Upon the accession of Nicholas I to the throne in 1825, construction had to be stopped, official version, due to insufficient soil reliability; Witberg and the construction managers were accused of embezzlement and put on trial.
There was no new competition, and in 1831 Nicholas I personally appointed Konstantin Ton as the architect, whose “Russian-Byzantine” style was close to the tastes of the new emperor. A new place on Chertolye (Volkhonka) was also chosen by Nicholas I himself; the buildings that were there were purchased and demolished. Alekseevsky, located there, was also demolished convent, a monument of the 17th century (transferred to Krasnoe Selo). Moscow rumor has preserved the legend that the abbess of the Alekseevsky monastery, dissatisfied with this turn, cursed the place and predicted that nothing would stand on it for long.
Vasily Nesterenko - Epiphany. Painting of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.
Vasily Nesterenko - The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.
The second temple, unlike the first, was built almost entirely at public expense.
Vasily Nesterenko - Miracle in Cana of Galilee - Patriarchal refectory of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
Vasily Nesterenko - The miraculous multiplication of the loaves - Patriarchal refectory of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
The ceremonial laying of the cathedral took place on the day of the 25th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino - in August 1837. However, active construction began only on September 10, 1839 and lasted almost 44 years; the total cost of the Temple extended to 15 million rubles. The vault of the large dome was completed in 1849; in 1860 the outer scaffolding was dismantled. Work on the interior decoration continued for another 20 years; famous masters V. I. Surikov, I. N. Kramskoy, V. P. Vereshchagin and other famous artists worked on the painting Imperial Academy arts
Vasily Nesterenko - Last Supper - Patriarchal refectory of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
Vasily Nesterenko - A wonderful catch - Patriarchal refectory of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
On May 26 (June 7), 1883, the solemn consecration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow took place, performed by Metropolitan Ioannikiy (Rudnev) of Moscow with a host of clergy and in the presence of Emperor Alexander III, who had been crowned in the Moscow Kremlin shortly before.
Vasily Nesterenko - Christ and the Samaritan Woman Patriarchal refectory of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
On December 5, 1931, the temple-monument to military glory was destroyed by an explosion. On June 2, 1931, an order was given to demolish the Cathedral of Christ the Savior for the construction of the Palace of Soviets in its place.
Vasily Nesterenko - "The Resurrection of Christ" and "Apostle Matthew"
Hurried work to dismantle the building continued for several months, but it was not possible to dismantle it to the ground, and then it was decided to blow it up. There were two explosions - after the first explosion the temple stood. Not all contemporaries equally admired the architecture of the huge temple, but Muscovites, who respected their history, saw in it a symbol of the glorious victories of the past and the memory of the dead. According to the recollections of shocked witnesses, powerful explosions shook not only nearby buildings, but were felt several blocks away. It took almost a year and a half just to dismantle the ruins of the temple left after the explosion.
Nikolai Mukhin - Nativity of Christ. Altar painting of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
The construction of the Palace of Soviets, which began in 1937, was not destined to be completed - the Great War began Patriotic War, and from metal structures prepared for installation were made anti-tank hedgehogs for the defense of Moscow, and soon, having barely risen from the foundation level, the building had to be completely dismantled.
Fragments of the first Cathedral of Christ the Savior, preserved in the Donskoy Monastery.
Painting inside the temple.
Nikolai Mukhin - Fragments of the painting of four compositions “Miracle-working and revealed icons of the Mother of God with the Forthcoming” (choirs of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior). 1999
Nikolai Mukhin - Fragments of the painting of four compositions “Miracle-working and revealed icons of the Mother of God with the Forthcoming” (choirs of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior). 1999
Nikolai Mukhin - Fragments of the painting of four compositions “Miracle-working and revealed icons of the Mother of God with the Forthcoming” (choirs of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior). 1999
Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Artist Vasily Nesterenko.
F. A. Klages. Internal view Cathedral of Christ the Savior (1883)
The temple is an octagonal chapel made of white marble, with ornaments and inlay with colored marbles and complex stone carvings.
The work used Carrara marble from Italy, domestic stones labradorite, red granite, porphyry, jasper.
The chapel is crowned with a bronze gilded tent, tapering upward and ending with a chapter reminiscent of one of the chapters of the Intercession Cathedral. The huge internal space under the dome of the Temple symbolically personifies Red Square - the center of Moscow and Russia, preserved by Christ the Savior.
On the south side: St. Cosmas the Unmercenary, St. Great Martyr Panteleimon.
Performed by artist E. S. Sorokin.
The following icons are placed above the northern and southern deacon doors on the altar side:
Above the northern doors is an icon with three Metropolitans of Kyiv and All Rus': St. Peter, St. Alexy, St. Jonah;
Above the southern doors is an icon with three Saints: St. Philip Metropolitan of Moscow, St. Sergius the Wonderworker of Radonezh, St. Demetrius Metropolitan of Rostov. Executed by artist E.S. Sorokin.
On both sides of these icons inside the Altar there are half-length images:
On the north side: St. Philaret the Merciful, St. Innocent Bishop of Irkutsk;
St. Prov, St. Martyr Minodord.
Performed by artist E.S. Sorokin.
Third tier
The third tier represents the New Testament Church (20 icons).
In the middle above the Royal Doors is Christ the Savior, risen, in a scarlet tunic, in strong radiance; He blesses with his right hand and supports the cross with his left.
From the icon of the Savior to the right: the Mother of God, standing with her head slightly bowed to Him and with her hands folded on her chest, an Angel holding in her right hand a white round stone with the name HC, Apostle Peter, Apostle James, Apostle Philip, Apostle Matthew, Apostle James Alpheus , Apostle Thaddeus.
In the same tier, from the side of the altar, three icons are facing the High Place: in the middle - Not Made by Hands
The image of the Savior, on the sides are two Angels facing the Image of the Savior in a prayer position. All icons of the third tier were executed by Professor T.A. von Neuf.
Fourth tier
The fourth tier consists of half-length images of the Forefathers and Prophets of the Old Testament Church (16 icons): The Sign of the Mother of God, Forefather Abel, Abraham with the charter “Will you destroy the Righteous with the wicked,” Forefather Jacob with the charter “Bless you, Blessed One,” Aaron with a staff in his hands, at the top of which is a blossoming rose, King Hezekiah with the charter “I will protect this city,” Prophet Isaiah with the charter “Behold the Virgin shall receive with child,” Prophet Malachi with the charter “The sun of righteousness shall shine upon you who fear My name,” image of Sophia the Wisdom of God, Forefather Adam, Forefather Noah with the image of the ark in his hand and the charter “This will give us rest from our deeds”, Forefather Isaac with the charter “All nations shall be blessed through your seed”, Prophet Moses with the tablets and the charter “The Lord alone is their leader”, King David with the harp and the charter “I will set Him as the Firstborn, high above the kings of the earth,” the Prophet Elijah with the charter “I am jealous of the Lord,” the Prophet Daniel with the charter “The Holy of Holies will be anointed.”
All icons of the fourth tier were executed by Academician P.S. Shiltsov; When comparing these icons with the others, it turned out that it was necessary to rewrite these icons, which was done by Academician K.A. Gorbunov.
Architect B. Iofan wrote: “It was 1928. The Cathedral of Christ the Savior still stood in the middle of the huge square near the Moscow River. Large and heavy, sparkling with its gilded head, similar at the same time to a Easter cake and a samovar, it put pressure on the houses surrounding it and on the consciousness of people with its official, dry, soulless architecture, reflecting the mediocre system of the Russian autocracy of the “high-ranking” builders who created this landowner-dom. merchant's temple - the Proletarian Revolution boldly raises its hand over this heavy architectural structure, as if symbolizing the strength and tastes of the lords of old Moscow."
On July 13, 1931, a meeting of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the USSR was held, at which the decision was made: “To choose the area of the Cathedral of Christ in the mountains as the site for the construction of the Palace of the Soviets. Moscow with the demolition of the temple itself and with the necessary expansion of the area.”
Six months before the explosion of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. OGPU summary:
Anti-Soviet talk and agitation intensified in connection with the decision to demolish the Temple. The following conversations were noted: “The power has been wasted and now the Government wants to destroy the Temple and sell it in parts to America for a lot of money.”
Secretariat of the Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee:
"By agreement between People's Commissariat The Finance and Economic Department of the OGPU transferred to the latter for processing all gilded objects from the closed prayer buildings. The richest in terms of the presence of gold are the domes of churches, in particular the domes of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. We believe that at present leaving 20 pounds of gold, about half a million in currency, on the domes is an unnecessary luxury for the USSR. We ask you to urgently resolve the issue of the Temple and the domes so that the OGPU can begin removing the domes in early spring."
From the memoirs of cameraman Vladislav Mikoshi: “Our director Viktor Iosilevich, the newsreel director, called me and said, lowering his voice:
We instruct you to film how the Temple is being destroyed. And you will be observing from the very beginning to the very end.
And I couldn’t understand why this was needed? And when I asked Iosilevich a question:
For what? What, will Isaac also be destroyed? Will all Temples be destroyed?
I heard in response:
Don't ask such questions. Do what you are told and talk less!
Then everything I had to film was like a bad dream; you want to wake up from this, but you can’t. The unique pictorial manuscript on the walls of the Cathedral perished. Through the wide open doors, wonderful marble creations were dragged out with nooses around their necks. They were dropped from a height to the Earth - into the mud! The angels, who briefly hovered over the city, had their arms, heads, and wings flying off..."
One of latest photos temple before demolition
Dismantled eastern staircase of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior
The first thing they did was remove the gold.
Commission for dismantling the Cathedral of Christ the Savior
Apollos Ivanov:
“Once, walking along the embankment near the Cathedral of Christ, I noticed several climbers on the main dome. They were cutting and removing gilded sheets of copper roofing from the dome and passing them through the hatch into the dome. After two weeks, only the metal ribs of the openwork lathing with braces remained on the domes, forming hemispheres of the vaults and reminiscent of heroic helmets.On the same day I was able to see a scene that left an indelible mark on my memory.
There was a truck parked in Vsekhsvyatsky Proezd. A thick rope was attached at one end to the cross of the main dome, and at the other to the car. The driver backed up. approaching the temple, and then rushed forward at full speed. The car pulled the rope like a bowstring, trembled, lifting the rear part of the body up; the rear wheels, having left the ground, were spinning at tremendous speed. The driver, taken aback, was at first confused, then turned off the engine and began checking the car and the fastening of the cable. Passers-by who observed this barbarity crossed themselves, cried, whispered curses, and the cross calmly stood in its place, unharmed, despite the fact that it had been sawed down by climbing workers for several days.
A quarter of an hour later the destroyers repeated their operation. But this time they were unsuccessful. After some time, they drove up another car, placed the cars one after another on the same axis, connecting them together. They repeated the jerk again. This time the cross bent, but did not break. The stunned drivers, after an obscene squabble and a long smoke break, decided to load the cars with stones and bricks and repeat it all over again. This time the cross broke. With a grinding and clanging sound, creating showers of sparks, he fell to the ground. The golden miracle that adorned the sky of Moscow was now lying in a heap of garbage, like unwanted trash."
Dismantling the domes of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior
High relief "Reverend Sergius blesses the Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy for the battle with the Tatars and gives him the monks Presvet and Oslyabya."
Details of the design of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior during its demolition
The same place a few days later:
Dismantling the Cathedral of Christ the Savior
The marble is left for recycling.
Dismantling the altar of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior
Analysis of the painting "Adoration of the Magi"
Dismantling the marble walls of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior
After dismantling, contrary to the well-known legend about the processing of boards into crushed stone, large marble slabs were used in the interior decoration of a number of large administrative buildings then under construction in Moscow. White marble crushed stone was made from part of the small external decoration of the temple.
Hurried work to dismantle the building continued for several months, but it was not possible to dismantle it to the ground, and then it was decided to blow it up. On December 5, 1931, two explosions were carried out - after the first explosion, the temple stood.
“The explosion of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was scheduled for the first ten days of December 1931. Residents were temporarily evicted from the block located next to the temple. Not far from the temple, in the courtyard of one of the houses, a seismograph was installed in a deep trench to determine the force of the explosion and possible ground vibrations...”
According to the recollections of shocked witnesses, powerful explosions shook not only nearby buildings, but were felt several blocks away.
From Borovitsky Hill, Kaganovich watched the explosion of the temple through binoculars. A contemptuous expression escaped his lips: “Let’s pull up the hem of Mother Rus'!”
The Kropotkinskaya and Okhotny Ryad metro stations were lined with marble from the Temple, and benches were decorated at the Novokuznetskaya station.
It took almost a year and a half just to dismantle the ruins of the temple left after the explosion.
Taken by Ilya Ilf in December 1931 from the window of his apartment in house No. 5 on Soimonovsky Proezd.
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In Rus', military victories were traditionally celebrated by laying the foundation of churches. In December 1812, the manifesto of Alexander I was published on the creation of a church in the name of Christ the Savior in the capital city of Moscow. The design of the artist Vitberg won the architectural competition, but he did not turn out to be a business executive. The construction of the temple on Vorobyovy Gory had to be curtailed, and Vitberg himself, accused of embezzlement and negligence, was exiled to Vyatka in 1827.
The history of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior began on December 25, 1812, when Emperor Alexander I signed a manifesto on the creation of a church in the name of the Savior Christ in honor of the victory over Napoleon’s army. On October 12, 1817, the ceremonial foundation stone of the temple on Vorobyovy Gory took place. However, soon construction on this site had to be abandoned - the soil here was fragile due to underground streams. On April 10, 1832, Emperor Nicholas I approved a new design for the temple drawn up by Konstantin Ton. Nicholas I personally chose the location for the temple.
Alekseevsky Convent was transferred to Krasnoye Selo near Sokolniki. All the buildings of the monastery were destroyed. According to legend, the abbess of the monastery cursed the destroyers and predicted that not a single building would stand on this site for long.
The ceremonial laying of the new temple took place on September 10, 1837. It was built for almost 40 years as a temple-monument dedicated to the Patriotic War of 1812. The consecration took place on May 26, 1883, on the day of the coronation of Emperor Alexander III to the throne. Work on the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was carried out according to the orders of four Russian emperors - Alexander I, Nicholas I, Alexander II, Alexander III. It could accommodate 10,000 people at the same time. Constructed in the so-called Russian-Byzantine style, grandiose in scale (height 103.3 m), the building was distinguished by the luxury of its external and internal decoration.
Construction of the temple. 1852:
Consecration of the temple. 1883:
Cathedral of Christ the Savior. 1918-1931:
After the revolution began troubled times. Confiscation of church valuables from the temple. 1922-1931:
1931 Dismantling the domes before the explosion of the temple:
The decision to demolish the temple was made according to the Moscow reconstruction plan on June 2, 1931, at a meeting in Molotov’s office. The Cathedral of Christ the Savior was destroyed by several explosions on Saturday, December 5, 1931, within 45 minutes. The original high reliefs were rescued and taken to the Donskoye Cemetery, where they can still be seen.
Instead of a temple, they decided to build the greatest building in the history of mankind. But the construction of the Palace of Soviets, which began in 1937, was not destined to be completed - the Great Patriotic War began, and anti-tank hedgehogs were made from metal structures prepared for installation for the defense of Moscow, and soon the building, which had barely risen from the foundation level, had to be completely dismantled.
1935-1937:
1938-1940:
According to one legend, the foundation pit for the Palace of the Soviets was flooded with water and therefore a swimming pool had to be built instead of the Palace of the Soviets. The Moscow swimming pool (architect Dmitry Chechulin) opened to visitors in July 1960.
According to an employee of the pool, in all 33 years of the existence of the Moscow pool, the sanitary and epidemiological station has never made any complaints about the quality of the water. The water was not only passed through sand filters, but also chlorinated. The pool had its own laboratory constantly working, water samples were taken every three hours (and samples were taken weekly by the sanitary and epidemiological department). In the first ten years, the water treatment cycle included bactericidal installations that irradiate water with ultraviolet light (1.0 kW PRK-7 mercury-quartz lamps). Studies have shown that the water treatment cycle can be carried out without them, without affecting the water quality.
The pool was part of the city’s civil defense system: in the event of a nuclear attack, a washing (disinfecting) point would function here.
From urban legends, one can recall the stories of rescuers who pumped out people - visitors to the pool, who were deliberately drowned by a certain bearded man; they could not catch the villain.
They say that the pool was originally planned as a temporary structure. The builders saw a note on the drawings describing the facility as a “temporary structure with a service life of 15 years.” The Moscow swimming pool was closed in 1994.
The pool was demolished for economic reasons: after 1991, energy costs skyrocketed. Support costs temperature regime V winter time were very high. The price of tickets would not be realistic for the vast majority of Moscow residents. In addition, the time has come for a major overhaul with the replacement of the entire pipeline system.
According to another version, the water vapor from the pool negatively affected the foundations of nearby buildings, and this was an additional reason for the demolition of the pool.
Swimming pool "Moscow". 1969:
Pool demolition. 1994:
The design of the new temple was carried out by architects M.M. Posokhin, A.M. Denisov and others. The construction of the new temple was supported by many community groups, but despite this, it was surrounded by controversy, protests and accusations of corruption by city authorities. The author of the Denisov reconstruction project stepped away from work, giving way to Zurab Tsereteli, who completed the construction, deviating from Denisov’s original project, approved by the Moscow authorities. Under his leadership, not marble compositions (the originals were preserved in the Donskoy Monastery), but bronze compositions (high reliefs) appeared on the white stone walls, which caused criticism, because they were a clear departure from the original. The painting of the temple interiors was carried out by artists recommended by Tsereteli; the cultural value of these murals is also debatable. Instead of the original white stone cladding, the building received marble, and the gilded roof was replaced with a coating based on titanium nitride. It is worth noting that these changes made to the historical project entailed a change in the color scheme of the facade from warm to cooler. Large sculptural medallions on the facade of the temple were made of polymer material. A two-level underground parking lot for 305 cars was located under the temple.
On August 19, 2000, the great consecration of the temple by a council of bishops took place. The modern complex of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior includes: “Upper Temple” - the Cathedral of Christ the Savior itself. It has three altars - the main one in honor of the Nativity of Christ and two side altars in the choir - in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (southern) and St. Prince Alexander Nevsky (northern). “Lower Temple” is the Church of the Transfiguration, built in memory of the Alekseevsky women’s monastery located on this site. It has three altars: the main one - in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord and two small chapels - in honor of Alexy the man of God and the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God. The stylobate part houses the Temple Museum, the Hall of Church Councils, the Hall of the Supreme Church Council, refectory chambers, as well as technical and service premises.
The land and buildings of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior complex belong to the city of Moscow. On March 14, 2004, at a meeting of the public supervisory board for the restoration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, it was announced that the temple would be transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church for indefinite free use; The Board of Trustees of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was created. In church and administrative terms, the Temple has the status of a metochion of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.
Suddenly I noticed.
Here is the painting of the main altar of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
Do you notice anything strange?
Remember, we have already said more than once that the papists have an esoteric gap, i.e. an external public teaching and an internal secret one, which is transmitted only for one’s own. And that the essence of this secret teaching (from which all Catholic madness stems such as the primacy and vicariate of the pope, indulgences and satisfaction with supererogatory merits, hypertrophied veneration of Christmas and the fadedness of Easter) is almost certainly that Christ “really” was not resurrected.
Now let's look at this photo again. It does not cover the entire altar, but a list of paintings can be easily found.
I'll copy it here for memory
In the Altar of the Temple there are sacred paintings reminiscent of both the very birth of the Savior and the events last days His earthly life, as well as the depiction of faces, a direct connection with the sacred rites performed here.
Below the vault on the area of the eastern wall there is an image of “The Nativity of Christ” (height 16 meters and width 13 meters) according to the church song: “Today the Virgin gives birth to the Most Essential.” In the foreground of the picture is a nativity scene, in the nativity scene there is a manger containing the swaddled Infant of God. The Mother of God sits before Him with virginal maternal love and a joyful and reverent gaze turned to the Born One. A radiance emanates from the Baby, illuminating the nativity scene. On the right side of the audience, shepherds of various ages, illuminated by light, look at an angel with outstretched wings, who points his hand towards where Christ reclines in the manger. On the left side are three wise men walking towards the den at the direction of the star shining above them. Above is the sky, filled with many hosts of heaven, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will toward men.” They are covered in heavenly light, from which the light that illuminates the shepherds also spreads (the author of the reconstruction is N.A. Mukhin).
Below this painting, on the High Place, is an image of the Last Supper. Performed by Professor G.I. Semiradsky. The author of the recreation is A.K. Bystrov.
To the left of her:
“Prayer for the Cup” - the painting depicts the moment when the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane, during prayer, utters the words: “My Father! If possible, let this cup pass from Me, however, not as I want, but as You want.” To the left of the viewer the Angel of the Lord is visible, giving Him this cup.
“Behold the Man” (the humiliation of the Lord during His trial) - the basis for painting the picture was the Gospel story from John, Ch. XIX, art. 4 and 5, when Pilate brings out the Savior in a crown of thorns and in a scarlet robe and, testifying to the people about the innocence of Jesus, says: “Behold the Man” and with these words leaves Him for the people to see.
“Carrying the Cross” - the picture shows: the Savior, exhausted under the weight of the cross, which the Jews laid on him, leading him to Golgotha, and Simon of Cyrene, who took upon himself the cross to carry. Christ, turning to the women crying for Him, says: “Daughters of Jerusalem! Do not weep for My eyes, but weep for yourself and for your children!”
“Crucifixion” - the painting depicts the moment when Christ crucified on Calvary says: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” At the top of the cross is the inscription: “(I. H. Ts. I.)” (Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews).
“The Descent from the Cross” - after 9 o’clock in the evening, when Christ gave up His spirit on the cross, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, with the permission of Pilate, remove the body of the God-Man with reverence and caution. Mary Magdalene and Mary Joseph are present with expressions of deep sadness.
“Entombment” - the same people participate in this sacred picture as in the previous one. The deceased Christ, wrapped in a wide quadrangular cloth, is placed in a tomb in a cave by Joseph and Nicodemus (similar in appearance and size to the cave of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem). Mary Magdalene and Mary Joseph outside the cave. The burial took place at night, so lighting was noticeable inside the coffin.
The modern Temple houses original restored paintings by V.P. Vereshchagina; The restoration of the paintings was carried out by specialists from the Interregional Scientific and Restoration Art Directorate of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
Below the vault, on the wall facing the north side, above the arch, Christ the Savior is depicted, as the Great Bishop of the Church, in bishop’s vestments, blessing with both hands, surrounded by angels in deacon’s vestments, illuminated by the light emanating from Christ.
On the sides of the choir arch are the ecumenical saints and teachers, compilers of the rite Divine Liturgy, on each side there are two images, one below the other: St. James the Brother of the Lord and St. Basil the Great, St. John Chrysostom and St. Gregory the Double.
Below the vault, on the wall facing the south side, above the arch there is an image of the Mother of God “The Word became Flesh” with full-length Angels standing on both sides.
On the sides of the arch are four images, two on each side, one below the other, of the ecumenical saints and teachers of the true confession of faith, pillars of Orthodoxy and fighters against heresies: St. Athanasius the Great and St. Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Gregory the Theologian and St. Leo Pope.
In the large arch above the iconostasis in medallions are depicted the Holy creators of Divine chants sung by the Orthodox Church on the days of the Lord and the Mother of God feasts: St. Hierotheus Bishop of Athens and St. Athenogenes Bishop, St. Gregory Bishop of Neocaesarea and St. Methodius of Patara, St. Proclus Archbishop of Constantinople and St. Ephraim the Syrian, St. Anatoly Archbishop of Constantinople and St. Romanus the Deacon, St. Ambrose Archbishop of Milan and St. Sophronius Patriarch of Jerusalem, St. Cosmas of Maium and St. John of Damascus, St. Theodore the Studite and St. Joseph the Studite, St. Joseph the Songsinger and St. Theophan the Songsinger.
Inside the altar canopy above the altar, in the vault representing heaven, the Holy Spirit is depicted in the form of a dove. Below this image, in the belt (frieze), is the inscription: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you have eaten the flesh of the Son of Man, you have not drunk His blood, you have not life in you. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood will have an eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me and I in him” (John VI. 53, 54, 56).
On the slope of the four sails are four Angels kneeling with outstretched wings. Their faces are turned to the throne, with an expression of special reverence they hold in their hands the following sacred symbols: paten, cup, book and cross. In the northeastern sail there is an Angel with a paten, in the southeastern one - an Angel with a cup, in the northwestern one - an Angel with a book and in the southwestern one - an Angel with a cross.
On both sides of the canopy the “Last Supper” (Eucharist according to the ancient rite) is depicted in two paintings.
On the north side of the canopy: The throne, as it is arranged in the church, with a paten on it, and bread on the paten.
To the right is Jesus Christ, who turned to the Apostle Peter and, stretching out his hand, taught him His Most Holy Body. The Apostle Peter, bowing, stretches out his hand to receive the Most Holy Body of Christ. In the background are the Apostles: James, Philip, Thomas, Jacob Alpheus and Simon. Around the image is the inscription: “Given to the Saints His disciple and Apostle the rivers: Take, eat this, this is My Body.”
On the south side of the canopy: Christ the Savior teaching the cup, and the Apostles: Andrew, John, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thaddius and Paul. Around the image is the inscription: “Given to His Saints His disciples and Apostles the rivers: Drink of it, all of you, this is My Blood.”
Above the northern doors of the iconostasis from the side of the altar: Christ the Savior, blessing and holding an open book with the saying “I am the door.” From the side of the church: Cathedral of the Archangel Gabriel.
On the northern wall: the image of Alexy the man of God in memory of the fact that on the site of the Temple there once existed the Alekseevsky monastery.
Inside the passage, above the southern doors of the iconostasis from the side of the altar: the Great Council of the Angel, and from the side of the church - the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael.
On the southern wall: an image of the Apostle Archippus, whose memory is celebrated on February 19 - the day of accession to the throne of Emperor Alexander II.
On the altarpiece of the main altar, on one side is the Nativity of Christ, and on the other, the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God.
Exactly.
In all the variety of icons and images, THERE IS NO MOST IMPORTANT THING.
Without which, according to the Apostle Paul, our faith is in vain.
Icons of the Resurrection of Christ. (and I’ll add - Ascension, because the latter is a direct consequence of the Resurrection)
This causes not just bewilderment - a feeling of some kind of black abyss under the appearance and beautiful multitude of other icons - saints (although these are more like paintings than icons), but... devoid of meaning without the Resurrection of Christ.
