Memory of Russia: Main temple of the Armed Forces of Russia and the "Memory Road" museum complex to open in the Patriot Park near Moscow

The Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ or the Main Temple of the Armed Forces of Russia in the Patriot Park near Moscow will be opened for parishioners on June 22.

The opening of the "Memory Road" museum complex is also timed on the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow. The length of the multimedia gallery is 1,418 steps, according to the number of days of World War II. It will include information on more than 33 million war participants and their photographs.

The temple consecration ceremony took place on June 14. It was held by Patriarch Cyril, who became rector of the cathedral.

The temple was built on voluntary donations. Three billion rubles were given by Russian residents, citizens of other countries, as well as numerous organizations.

The Image of Edessa in the temple is the largest image of Christ's face in the mosaic technique. Mosaics cover about four thousand square meters in the upper and lower temples.

The cathedral rises to 75 meters, which symbolizes the anniversary of the Victory. The diameter of the base of the chief dome is 19 meters 45 centimetres which marks the Victory in 1945. Location of the temple is also important. Odintsovo district of Moscow Region is a frontline which was not crossed by the enemy.

The temple is the first church in the world that marks the anniversary of the Victory. The temple presents a selection of samples of soil from the graves of Soviet soldiers both in Russia and abroad, collected in the frameworks of the "Handful of Soil" project. The main icon of the church was created at the personal donations of the President of the Russian Federation only. It is painted on wooden gun carriage boards. The icon is a piece of art. Its creation involved jewellers, metallurgists, and artists.

The temple steps are made from the steel tracks of fascist tanks. People, climbing the stairs, will step on the weapons of the defeated enemy. The floor in the temple is transparent, and under it are the banners of the Wehrmacht units. These banners were thrown to the walls of the Kremlin during the Victory Parade in 1945.