Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Eastern Orthodox cathedral near Victory Square in Kaliningrad, Russia
The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is a white-stone Orthodox cathedral with five golden domes, designed by Oleg Kopylov in the style of Vladimir-Suzdal church architecture. It rises 51 metres to the cross and stands on Victory Square, the city's main square. Inside are two churches: the upper Church of the Nativity and the lower Church of the Holy Face of Our Saviour.
Construction of the cathedral began with a cornerstone ceremony in 1995, and President Boris Yeltsin placed soil from Moscow's cathedral at the site in 1996. This represented the beginning of Orthodox church building in a city that had lacked such structures for decades.
The lower church, consecrated on 27 September 2007, is dedicated to the Holy Face of Our Saviour and serves as a temple of military glory. It holds the "Memel" iconostasis, made during the Seven Years' War for the Russian garrison in Memel (now Klaipėda) and given by the St Vladimir brotherhood from Germany in 1996. It commemorates Russian soldiers who died in East Prussia in the Seven Years' War, the Napoleonic Wars and both world wars.
The cathedral stands near Victory Square, making it straightforward to locate using this well-known landmark. The two-level layout requires moving between different heights, so visitors should consider their ability to navigate stairs.
The lower church holds the "Memel" iconostasis, made during the Seven Years' War for the Russian garrison in Memel, now Klaipėda, and handed over in 1996 by the St Prince Vladimir Brotherhood from Germany. At the suggestion of its chairman Gleb Rahr, the lower church became a temple of military glory for Russian soldiers fallen in East Prussia.
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