The tallest Orthodox church in the world, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour has one of the most intriguing histories of any building in Moscow.
Originally erected to celebrate Russian victory over Napoleon, this magnificent marble and bronze building was actually demolished by the Stalinist regime in 1931 but painstakingly rebuilt to the original design in the 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union and completed in 2000.
Controversy dogged the Cathedral from its inception - the mediaeval Alekseevskiy Convent was destroyed so that this monument to the sacrifices of the Russian people could be built on its grounds, designed by the St Petersburg architect Konstantin Ton in the Byzantine style.
Although Tsar Alexander I had decreed that the Cathedral be built in 1812, construction didn't actually begin until 1839 under the reign of his brother Nicholas and it would be another 44 years before the cathedral was consecrated, at the coronation of Alexander III in 1883.
The 1917 Bolshevik Revolution ended with the Soviets in power under Stalin who earmarked the Cathedral to be the site of his Palace of Soviets - an enormous monument to socialism with a giant sculpture of a triumphant Lenin at its peak. The church was blown to bits but the planned Palace of Soviets was never built and instead the site eventually became a public swimming pool.
The fall of the Soviet Union reignited interest in the Orthodox Church and the significance of the site was confirmed in 1990 when the Church was given permission to rebuild the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.
A construction fund was established and the Church joined forces with the city council and 1 million Muscovites to finance a $360million project that saw the Cathedral rise again and become a dominant feature on the Moscow skyline.
The rebuild used the original designs of architect Ton but used modern building materials to recreate his vision of white marble and granite with gold domes, as well as incorporating modern design touches such as air conditioning, lifts and underground parking to accommodate the 10,000 worshippers its interior can hold.
Criticised by some as too garish and opulent, the new building is a truly historic one and its splendour is something to behold for visitors and residents alike.
The Cathedral has quickly regained its status as one of the most important religious and cultural sites in Moscow - consecrated in 2000, the Cathedral was the venue when the last Tsar and his family were glorified as saints and was also the place for the laying in state of former Russian president Boris Yeltsin in 2007.
Statues of Alexander II and Nicholas II, the tsars who commissioned the cathedral, stand nearby.
The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is open to visitors but only as part of an organised tour, which includes a panoramic view of its interior from a 40metre high observation platform. The site includes an exhibition that details the history of the original Cathedral, its construction, demolition and reconstruction, and also includes the Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812.
