Images from Russia

The Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior was built in 1714 on Kizhi Island, Russia. It is a wooden church with 22 cupolas. A companion church (to the left and behind it) is the nine-domed Church of the Intercession.

Tsar Peter I is often called Peter the Great and is known for his victories in Russia’s Great Northern War against Sweden, for his founding of Saint Petersburg in 1703, and for his opening of Russia to the West in the 18th century.

The Cathedral of Christ our Savior was built in Moscow, Russia. It took 45 years to build and was consecrated in 1883. It was acclaimed as one of Russia’s largest and most lavishly decorated cathedrals. It was demolished by Joseph Stalin in 1931 to make way for a mammoth new Soviet government building, but this planned government building never materialized. Following the fall of communism in the former Soviet Union, the Cathedral was rebuilt as a near-replica of the former building and was opened in 1997.

This wedding photo was shot in Russia in 2009.

Vladimir Lenin was an important leader of the October 1917 Revolution that brought socialism/communism to Russia. Lenin is buried in a mausoleum in Moscow, Russia. Statues of Lenin are located in many Russian cities.

St. Basil’s Cathedral, Red Square, Moscow, Russia. Erected between 1555 and 1561.