Temple of Christ the Saviour

One of the most imposing and controversial buildings in Moscow, the resurrected Temple of Christ the Saviour has had a short but turbulent history. It was originally commissioned after the defeat of Napoleon, but construction did not begin until 1839. In 1931 it was blown to pieces by orders of Stalin to make way for a proposed Palace of the Soviets, which was never built. In 1990, the Russian Orthodox Church received permission to rebuilt the cathedral. Completed in 2000, the new cathedral is loosely based on the original design, but constructed with modern building materials. At a height of 105 meters (344 feet) it is the tallest Orthodox church in the world.