Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-23
BY JAMES WALDO FAWCETT.

By JAMES WALDO FAWCETT.
THE finest cathedral in Russia is
being raartyred The magnth-
cent Church of the Redeemer,
one of the principal landmarks
of ancient holy city Of Moscow.
Is being destroyed. Final services were
held on August /, and the work OF
wrecking the building was started inn
mediately. A board fence, 20 feet high.
was quickly set up around the entire
cathedral park, and now no one may
observe at close hand the tragic bust
ness going on within. The destruction
of the church is being accomplished
with the minimum of publicity. But
since the five graceful domes OF the
edifice were visible from almost every
section of the city, familiar features
of the skyline. their disappearance can
hardly be unnoticed. It would be nearly
as difhcult secretly to remove 81.
Peters from Rome or st. PauIs from
London.
In America little Is known regarding
the reasons for this drastic example
of modern iconoclasm. The decision
of the Moscow government TO clear
the site appears to have been reached
abruptly. Normal sources OF Russian
news are as vet inadeqIately informed
SA@NS@N@(N-~~
vices are available. It Is said that
the land is required for the erection
of an auditorium to be known as the
Palace of the Soviets. but this explana-
ton does not seem convincing in view
of the fact that other, less valuable
locations were to be had for the taking
The death verdict passed upon the
cathedral is another Of the apparently
inexplicable mysteries OF Soviet policy.
Built as q Memorial.
Naturally, the news that workmen
were engaged in tearing TO pieces the
great central dome Of the church has
come as a shock to Americans who
know from experience the beauty OF the
structure. Even those who usually are
philosophically sympathetic TO the Rus
sian experiment have confessed their
grief at the intelligence. Moscow Is
notoriously crowded with interesting
buildings, but none Of the others could
boast the harmony, the grace, the al
most musical charm of the cathedral
now being annihilated The design was
so lovely that its effect has been nkened
to that of the Tai Mahal at Agra IN
India-lnforgetably poetical, delicate
and noble. No other architectural
monument in Russia has any such COM
pelling claim upon the memory. The
new Soviet Palace VIII need TO be
stupendously glorious creation u 1t Is
to justify this bitter phase Of us cost.
The Cathedral of the Redeemer was
built to commemorate the dsliverance Of
Russia from the French In 1812-1814.
1t was thank offering Of the Russian
people for the victories OF the War OF
Liberation The vast expense OF the
ecffica was borne by all classes OF the
population. 1t was In no true sense
an enterprise Of the Cars alone. The
nation, not merely the government, con-
structed it. The work is said to have
required a total Of 100000 rubles or
about 10000 900, but actually the ex-
pense was much greater for many
wealthy persons made offerings OF
precious stones, plate, veStments and
religious pictures OF immense value, OF
which no formal account was taken.
The story of the origin of the plan
is q curious one. When the French
evacuated Moscow, October IL (23),
1912, a certain monk in the Alexievsky
Monastery is supposed to have had a
dream, in which the Savior appeared
to him and told him that on the spot
on which the monastery stood there
would arise one day the fairest church
In Russia and that all the people would
give thanks at its altar for deliverance
from the French yoke. The next day,
so tradition recites, this monk related
his dream TO the Metropolitan Plato
who was the more impressed by 1t since
ne himself, as he explained, had had
precisely the same vision that very same
night. The Car Alexander I, coming
to Moscow, was approaced on the sub
ject, and so much did the suggestion
appeal to him that he ordered a sub
scription to be opened for the colec-
ton of the necessary funds. The
monastery, an old, half-ruined building,
was removed with the consent of the
monks. and in 1915 the Gar laid the
first stone Of the new church. A great
ceremony took place, a multitude Of
people attending.
But it was not until 1887 that the