The Cathedral of Christ the Savior is one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world. When the last soldier of Napoleon's army fled Russia in 1812, Emperor Alexander I ordered the cathedral be built to thank God and to commemorate the braveness of the Russian people. When it was finished in 1883, it quickly became the center of Russian spirituality.

On December 5, 1931, the Bolsheviks demolished the heart of Russian Orthodoxy. The stronghold of the Cathedral withstood several explosions before finally collapsing at their merciless hands. After the fall of the Communist regime, a construction fund for the resurrection of the Cathedral was initiated. Due to the money raised by ordinary citizens, the construction was completed in 2000 on Transfiguration Day (August 19th). Made of white marble and granite with glittering golden domes, the Cathedral once again became the most impressive ecclesiastical building in Moscow. It is considered a symbol of revival and hope.