Khram Khrista Spansitelya (Christ the Saviour Cathedral)

Christ the Saviour Cathedral is a monument to the struggles of 20th-century Moscow. The original cathedral was constructed between 1883 and 1889 to commemorate Moscow's victory over Napoleon, but in 1930, Stalin ordered the church to be demolished, to make way for one of his vain-glorious skyscrapers. On discovery that the ground was too soft, the area was turned into a huge outdoor swimming pool instead. The decision to resurrect the cathedral was the brainchild of Moscow mayor Yuri Luzkhov, and the gleaming new cathedral, completed in 1997, was paid for by public donations from school children, babushkas, public officials and rich benefactors alike.