The Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow is the tallest Eastern Orthodox structure in the world. Existing in the 19th century, it was completely rebuilt in 2000. It stands near the Moskva river just west of the Kremlin. How it came into existence provides some interesting history. Tsar Alexander I wished to construct a Cathedral in honor of Christ the Saviour. His motif was to honor the Russian blood spillled during conflict with Napoleon, who fled Moscow in 1812. There were many delays and ultimately the project was placed into the hands of his successor and brother, Nicholas I. He commissioned an architect by the name of Konstantin Thon to create a design modeled after the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. Finally, in 1860, some of the best Russian painters, including Kramskoi, Surikov, Vereshchagin (and others) began to embellish the interior. This took another twenty years. The Cathedral was consecrated on the very day Alexander III was crowned, May 26, 1883. A year earlier, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture had debuted there. It existed peacefully until after 1917, when the site of the Cathedral was chosen by the Soviet government for a monument to socialism, to be known as the Palace of Soviets. Stalin eventually had the original cathedral completely demolished with dynamite. But, the construction of the Palace of Soviets was ill-fated and failed due to a lack of money, flooding from the nearby Moskva River, and the outbreak of WWII. The foundation hole remained full of water, until, under Nikita Khrushchev, it was transformed into the world's largest public swimming pool. As mentioned, it was fully reconstructed in the year 2000.

Hand painted on wood and covered with a crystal clear lacquer. 4 3/4"with a matching decorated egg stand. Made in Russia.