christ_saviour_church_2_lg

The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Built between 1995-97 at the behest of Mayor Luzhkov, the original cathedral was destroyed by Stalin, who wanted to erect a Palace of Soviets (surmounted by a statue of Lenin that would have been taller than the Statue of Liberty). The ground proved to be too unstable, though, and instead the world's largest open-air swimming pool was built on the site.