(23 Jun 2020) Russia's Orthodox Patriarch Kirill consecrated the country's new cathedral of the armed forces outside Moscow on Sunday, in a ceremony attended by the country's top military brass and soldiers wearing WWII-era uniforms.
The cathedral on the western outskirts of the capital was built in just under 600 days and was opened on May 9, dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War II.
The church sparked controversy earlier this year when photographs were leaked online of mosaics featuring Russian President Vladimir Putin and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin intended for the cathedral.
Plans to install the mosaics were later dropped after a public outcry.
A museum at the church complex features exhibitions about the history of Russia's armed forces and the Great Patriotic War.
The Soviet Union lost an estimated 26 million people including 8.5 million soldiers in the Great Patriotic War, and remembrance of the victory in the war has become a fundamental piece of Russian national identity.
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