The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the largest of the Russian Orthodox Church, can accommodate up to 10,000 people. Horizontally, it has been designed in the form of an equilateral cross over 85 meters wide. The building`s total height is 103 meters, while the dome and the cross alone make up 35 meters. The walls are up to 3.2 meters thick, and the total space of the structure is 542,000 cubic meters. Over 22,000 cubic meters are covered in paintings, with over 9,000 cubic meters of the total in gold leaf gilding. The cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church is an identical replica of the shrine originally erected in the 19th century and demolished in the 20th century.
The cathedral was conceived as a monument to the incredible bravery the Russian people showed in their struggle against Napoleon`s army in 1812. The cathedral was financed with donations from the public. The building was so great, and the work so expensive, that the construction was drawn out for decades, and the cathedral was not consecrated until April 10, 1883 just in time for the coronation of Alexander III.
The final architectural design (picked after the second competition) was authored by Konstantin Ton. He devised a five-domed cathedral in the Neo-Byzantine style, with a great central bell tower and four smaller ones set diagonally at angles. The lower was decorated with 177 marble plates that detail the chronicles of the Patriotic War of 1812. The trophy banners and keys to conquered cities were also kept in the cathedral. The artists hired to paint the interior walls and icons included such famous masters as Vasily Surikov, Viktor Vasnetsov, Ivan Kramskoi, and Vasily Vereshchagin.
In place of the traditional massive Russian iconostasis, the cathedral featured an octahedral chapel of white Italian marble with the altar in the center. To provide enough light for the cathedral, some 640 chandeliers were mounted in the dome, with 600 more peripheral chandeliers on the choir loft. The first electrical torches in Moscow were installed on the square in front of the cathedral. And Professor Mikhail Spassky of Moscow University designed a special system of lightning conductors.
For all its national significance, however, the people`s monument was pulled down in 1930 and it was decided to build the Palace of Soviets in its place. The palace never came to fruition though. Later on, the open foundation pit was used to build the open-air swimming pool Moskva, which was commissioned in 1960. The pool measured over 130 meters in diameter, with a maximum depth of 6 meters. In 1994, the swimming pool was closed, and in 1995, the ceremony of laying the foundation for the cathedral to soon be restored was held.
The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was restored in just about every minute detail. Unlike the original cathedral, the new one now has a basement which houses the Transfiguration Church, the premises of the Holy Synod and the Ecclesiastical Academy, a hall for meetings of the Church Council, and a number of other premises. An observation platform was also installed at the bell tower level.
The cathedral was consecrated in the run-up to Christmas in 2000, and the first service was held on December 31, 1999.
Active vocabulary:
accommodate - размещать
equilateral cross - равносторонний крест
gold leaf gilding - золочение сусальным золотом
shrine - храм, святыня
replica - репродукция
donation - пожертвование
devise - придумать, разработать
bell tower - колокольня
hire - нанимать
octahedral - октаэдральный, восьмигранный
significance - важность, знаковость
pull down - сносить
fruition - достижение цели
premises - помещения
EXERCISES
I. Fill the gaps in the following sentences:
1. The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the largest of the Russian Orthodox Church, … can up to 10,000 people.
2. The walls are up to 3.2 meters …, and the total space of the structure is 542,000 cubic meters.
3. The cathedral was … as a monument to the incredible bravery the Russian people showed in their … against Napoleon`s army in 1812.
4. The cathedral was … with donations from the public.
5. He devised a … cathedral in the Neo-Byzantine style.
6. The lower was decorated with 177 marble plates that detail the … of the Patriotic War of 1812.
7. The first electrical … in Moscow were installed on the square in front of the cathedral.
8. Professor Mikhail Spassky of Moscow University designed a special system of...
9. The pool … over 130 meters in diameter, with a maximum depth of 6 meters.
10. An observation platform was also … at the bell tower level.
II. Find in the text the synonyms for the following words:
project, think up, imitation, statue, invent, corner, defeat, characterize, adjudge, amount.
