The improbable Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces
At the occasion of the 75th celebration of the end of the second world war, Russian armed forces have been offered a singular present, which mixes history, war and religion.
The architecture of this monumental project, financed with opaque funds, is surprising. Situated inside the newly constructed Patriot Park, and belonging to the Russian Defense Ministry, this vast edifice, of khaki colour, ambitions to become a major historical and memorial place around Moscow. The inside ornaments are mainly composed of mosaics in tribute to military campaigns, the pride of the Russian army. Murals and other orthodox idols are remembering the religious function of the building.
Outside the religious monument, a replica of second world war battlefields has been installed, with trenches, tanks, and other planes captured to the enemy. This park is dedicated to the awareness of young generations to the extreme conditions of the war. These authentic attractions are, however, appreciated by the visitors. For many families, it’s the occasion to gather to honour the memory of relatives who disappeared during the second world war. Dubbed “the great patriotic war”, more than twenty million Soviets lost their lives.
However, this cathedral is, before everything, the most salient example of the convergence of the army and orthodox church, which have been taking place under the aegis of Vladimir Putin. At the beginning of the year, voices rose when a mosaic representing Stalin was meant to take place in the cathedral. Under his regime, state atheism was the rule, and members from the orthodox churches were persecuted. For other critics, this place looks more like a sanctuary for Mars, the god of war.
Full series in French on Hans Lucas (here).
A plane from the German army, captured by the USSR during the second world war, is displayed in the park surrounding the Cathedral of the Russian Armed forces. Planes, tanks, trenches and barbed wires give an impression of historical reconstitution. |
A visitor is observing the exterior of the Cathedral from the top of the surrounding wall. On the top of the edifice, the six golden domes are dedicated to a different branch of the Armed Forces. |
A tankodrom is installed near the main parking at the entrance of the Cathedral. Here, parents and children can enjoy a ride in the motorized miniature tanks. |
A woman is reading the description of boxes in memories of each cemetery where soldiers were buried during and after the war. Each box contains a piece of the soil of the cemeteries. Behind, the sign “1941” refers to the year the USSR entered into war against the Nazis.. |
A service agent is removing the snow from boxes containing soils from cemeteries where soviet soldiers were buried during the second world war. |
The memorial of "the mothers of the winners" symbolize the maternal feelings in the armed forces. Behind "1941-1945" refers to the second world war in Russia. |
A mother and her daughter are walking in the direction of the Cathedral. They are passing by rusted tanks from World War 2. During World War 2, the USSR counted around 20 million casualties, and up to today, the “the great patriotic war” is extremely present in Russian society. |
A man with a navy hat is playing the accordion on the main square of the Cathedral. This Cathedral is also famous among veterans of the Russian Armed Forces. |
Behind the iconostasis, a representation of Jesus is symbolizing the resurrection. The orthodox name of the Cathedral is the resurrection of Christ. |
To the right, the mosaic of the dome depicts a Christian scene, with Marie holding Jesus in her arm. To the left, the mosaic depicts the 1812 “patriotic war”, the war between Russian empire and France, under Napoleon. |
Inside the Cathedral, each mosaic refers to a battle of the Russian army. Here, the mosaic refers to the second World War. |
Believers are following normal orthodox, which consist of lighting candles and praying for their god. Behind, a mosaic is representing a recent Russian battle, most probably the Afghanistan war (according to the dresses and the military equipment). |
Visitors are seating under a mosaic in the Cathedral of the Russian Armed forces. The mosaics above them represent the soldiers who fought against the Nazi during the battle of Stalingrad, the defence of Leningrad and the polar zone, among others. |
An orthodox priest is celebrating the evening prayer at the Cathedral. Behind him, a military choral is singing traditional orthodox chants. |
A military choral is performing orthodox chants in the morning and the evening in the Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces. |
A young woman is lighting a candle during her evening prayers at the Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces. |
Teenagers from Young Army Cadets National Movement are visiting the Cathedral on a Sunday afternoon. This movement aims to instil the values of patriotism, national service, military history to the young generation. |
On a Sunday, a man dressed-up with old military clothes is visiting the Cathedral with his son. He came along to present a military vehicle used during the second-world war. |
Multiple sledge slopes have been installed on the parvis of the Cathedral during the Christmas and winter period. One hundred fifty thousand visitors were expected during the Christmas period 2020/2021. Besides, a 30 meters Christmas tree has been installed in the middle of the parvis. Men in uniforms are supervising the entertaining activities. |
A group of teenagers are visiting the Cathedral. Next to them, huge Christmas trees as well as entertaining activities, such as ice-skating rings and sledging slopes have been installed on the parvis of the Cathedral to attract visitors during the Christmas and winter season. The highest conifer is a pruce which stands at 30 meters high. |
Visitors are skating on the 3,000 square meters ice-skating ring, which is installed for the 2020/2021 winter season. The rent of the ice-skating, as well as the access to the ring, is free. The winter installations were inaugurated by Sergei Choigu, the minister of the army, on the 26th of December and were expected to drain 150,000 visitors. |
A boy is walking next to trenches and the barbed wires next to the Cathedral. This reconstitution of the second World War 2 is meant to familiarize the young generation with the past wars. |
View of the open-air museum from the surrounded walls of the Cathedral. The open-air museum intends to recreate the atmosphere of a battlefield during the second world war. |
Some young men are taking pictures next to a tank in the park dedicated to World War 2. Behind them, black and white photos from this epoch are covering the surrounding walls of the Cathedral. |
On a Sunday afternoon, kids are playing with an anti-aircraft gun from the second world war, in the open-air museum “the field of victory” near the fortifications of the cathedral. |
A woman is taking a picture of her partner playing with a missile launcher in the surrounding of the Cathedral. Playing with old military equipment is a common activity all over Russia. |
A plane from the German army, captured by the USSR during the second world war, is displayed in the park surrounding the Cathedral of the Russian Armed forces. Planes, tanks, trenches and barbed wires give an impression of historical reconstitution. |