Finally, the wonderful beauty of the colossal Church of the Deliverer
must here be spoken of. The work is too unique in its nature to allow of
being passed over in silence. The church is built apart, is visible
afar, and forms the glorious completion of the Kremlin picture seen from
the Moskva. In its mighty height, with its colossal, gilded domes, of
which the middle one measures thirty metres in diameter, it lightens
like a promise of the light the gay, romantic air of the Kremlin.
Fifty-eight high reliefs in marble ornament the façade, sixty windows
give bright light to the interior, colored still more golden by the
light of countless candles. The magnificence of the central nave,
entirely of gold and marble, is simply overpowering, and the golden and
silver garments of the patriarchs would be quite unnecessary in giving
us the strongest impression of the enormous riches of the Russian
Church. Together with the Cathedral of Isaac, in St. Petersburg, this
church is well calculated to compete with St. Peter's, in Rome. But I
believe that one should refrain from the comparison. The expression
"Roma tatae!" comes from Madame de Staël, and was, within certain
bounds, approved by Moltke, who would call Moscow a Russian Rome. But I
must, with all due modesty, demur. Too many undertones vibrate in our
souls at the word "Rome" to allow us to consider any sort of comparison.
But for a Russian? Who knows where the awe of eternity touches him
deeper, before St. Peter's or before this Church of the Deliverer?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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