Eighty years ago, on December 5, 1931, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow was destroyed by the Bolsheviks. It was built more than half a century after Russia’s 1812 victory over the French, and was in use for about the same length of time. Under the Soviets, this cathedral, Russia’s largest, was destroyed in just one day. In its place, they planned to build a Palace of Soviets. After the Second World War, they built an outdoor swimming pool on the site of the cathedral.
