Russia has no shortage of Orthodox cathedrals, but the Cathedral of Christ the Savior is particularly notable for its history.

The cathedral was built in the late 19th century to honor Christ the Saviour for saving Russia from Napoleon. (Father Frost received no credit.) In 1931, the atheist regime opted to destroy the cathedral in order to build a monument to socialism. Unfortunately, once WWII began there were fewer funds available to build giant statues of Lenin, so the building’s foundations were filled with water and transformed into a giant public swimming pool. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the cathedral was rebuilt — with donations from the public.

Russians have an odd relationship with their history. The transformation of cathedral to swimming pool is widely regarded as a travesty, and those that I’ve talked to seem proud that the building was restored. But the МГУ, the Moscow State University, still has stars and hammers and sickles decorating it.  There’s even a Communist fresco on the inside that hasn’t been replaced, the students tell me, because it’s too expensive.  The Russian Communist party still receives a significant chunk of the vote (13% in the 2003 elections).