Kazan Cathedral in Moscow

Kazan Cathedral in Moscow

Kazan Cathedral is an Eastern Orthodox church in Moscow, Russia, located at the northeast corner of Red Square. The original cathedral was destroyed by Stalin in 1936, and the current structure was rebuilt in 1993.

In 1612, at the end of the Time of Troubles, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth forces were driven out of Moscow, and Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky attributed the success to the protection of the icon of Our Lady of Kazan. At his own expense, he commissioned the construction of a wooden church dedicated to Our Lady of Kazan on Red Square in Moscow, which was first mentioned in historical records in 1625. After it was destroyed by fire in 1632, Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich Romanov ordered the construction of a new brick-domed church, which was completed in October 1636.

Kazan Cathedral is one of the most important churches in Moscow. Every year on the day Moscow was liberated from Polish–Lithuanian rule, a religious procession was held led by the bishop and the tsar. By the end of the 17th century, the church building had been expanded. In 1936, as the Soviet Union prepared for a parade on Red Square, Stalin ordered the demolition of the churches on the square. Although other churches such as St. Basil's Cathedral were spared, Kazan Cathedral was torn down.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Kazan Cathedral became the first church to be reconstructed. However, the icon of Our Lady of Kazan is only a replica; the original is housed in Yelokhovo Cathedral.

Kazan Cathedral, Moscow

Must-visit reason: One of Moscow’s most important churches

Continent where the attraction is located: Europe【Europe】

Country/region where the attraction is located: Russia[Russia]

Province/state where the attraction is located: Moscow Autonomous City [Moscow]

City where the attraction is located: Moscow [Moscow]