Pictures show glitzy interiors and controversial mosaics taking shape in a church that is being built to commemorate the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
Inside Moscow's New Military Megachurch
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The main dome inside the cathedral includes Jesus looking down on worshippers. Many details of the cathedral reference the 1941-45 war with Nazi Germany. The diameter of the main dome is 19.45 meters, while the belfry will be 75 meters above the ground in honor of the upcoming 75th anniversary.
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A shot of the interior of the church under the main dome shows a stained-glass emblem in the top right that features the communist hammer and sickle.
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A close-up of the emblem with the words “for personal courage” and a partially obscured communist insignia.
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One of the numerous mosaics inside the cathedral shows Jesus being held by his mother, Mary. On April 24, the Russian news outlet MBK published leaked photos of unfinished mosaics inside the cathedral depicting Soviet leader Josef Stalin, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and scenes from Russia’s 2014 takeover and annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.