The Cathedral of the Russian Army: a church made of weapons and glory that symbolizes Putin’s Russia

In June 2020, a curious new church was consecrated on the outskirts of Moscow: the Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces. The massive khaki-colored temple in a military theme park celebrates Russian might. It was initially scheduled to open on the 75th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany, in May 2020, but was delayed due to the pandemic.

The brainchild of the Russian defense minister following the country’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, the cathedral embodies the powerful ideology espoused by President Vladimir Putin, with strong support from the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Kremlin’s vision of Russia connects the state, the army and the Russian Orthodox Church. As a student of nationalism, I see this militant religious nationalism as one of the key elements in Putin’s motivation for the invasion of Ukraine, my native country. She also goes a long way towards explaining Moscow’s behavior towards the collective “West” and the post-Cold War world order.

angels and weapons

The bell tower of the Church of the Armed Forces is 75 meters high, symbolizing the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. The diameter of its dome is 19.45 meters, marking the year of victory: 1945. A smaller dome measures 14.18 meters, representing the 1,418 days the war lasted. The war weapons obtained as trophies are melted into the ground so that each step is a blow for the defeated Nazis.

The frescoes celebrate Russia’s military might throughout history, from medieval battles to the current wars in Georgia and Syria. Archangels command heavenly and terrestrial armies, Christ wields a sword, and the Holy Mother, represented as the homeland, lends him support.

cradle of christianity

Original plans for the frescoes included a celebration of the occupation of Crimea, with jubilant people holding a banner reading “Crimea is ours” and “forever with Russia.” In the final version, the controversial “Crimea is ours” was replaced by the more benign “we are together”.

When Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated, calling Crimea the “cradle” of Russian Christianity. This mythology is based on the medieval story of Prince Vladimir, who converted to Christianity in the 10th century and was baptized in Crimea. The prince then imposed the faith on his subjects in Kiev, and from there it spread.

The Russian Orthodox Church, also called the Moscow Patriarchate, has long claimed this event as its founding story. The Russian Empire, which was linked to the Church, also adopted this founding history.

the russian world

Putin and the head of the Russian Church, Patriarch Kirill, have resurrected these ideas about empire in the 21st century in the form of the so-called “Russian World”, giving new meaning to a phrase that dates back to medieval times.

In 2007, Putin created the Russian World Foundation, tasked with promoting the Russian language and culture around the world, as a cultural project that preserves Kremlin-approved interpretations of history.

For Church and State, the idea of ​​the “Russian World” encompasses the mission of turning Russia into a spiritual, cultural and political center of civilization to counteract the liberal and secular ideology of the West. This view has been used to justify her policies at home and abroad.

The Great Patriotic War

Another planned mosaic depicted the celebration of the defeat by Soviet forces against Nazi Germany, the Great Patriotic War, as World War II is called in Russia. The image included soldiers holding a portrait of Josef Stalin, the dictator who led the USSR during the war, among a crowd of decorated veterans. Apparently, this mosaic was removed before the inauguration of the church.

The Great Patriotic War occupies a special, even sacred, place in the view of Russian history. The Soviet Union suffered immense losses: 26 million lives is a conservative estimate. Aside from the devastation, many Russians see the war as sacred, in which the Soviets defended their homeland and the entire world from the evil of Nazism.

Under Putin, the glorification of war and Stalin’s role in victory has reached epic proportions. Nazism, for very good reasons, is seen as a manifestation of the ultimate evil.

The rhetoric of this militant religious nationalism has been on display when Russia threatened to invade Ukraine, and finally did. During a speech on February 24, 2022, Putin made a rare call for the “denazification” of Ukraine. He also spoke of brotherly relations between the Russian and Ukrainian peoples and denied the existence of the Ukrainian state. In his opinion, Ukraine’s sovereignty is an example of extreme nationalism and chauvinism.

Putin’s claim that the Ukrainian government is run by Nazis is absurd. However, the manipulation of this image makes sense within the framework of this ideology. Painting the Kiev government as evil helps to paint the war in Ukraine in black and white.

messianic mission

Tangible geopolitical issues may be driving Putin’s war in Ukraine, but his actions also seem motivated by a desire to secure his own legacy. In his vision of “Great Russia,” restored to his former size and influence, Putin is a defender who must defeat his enemies.

The Russian president himself appeared in earlier versions of the cathedral frescoes, along with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. However, the mosaic was removed after the controversy, and Putin himself reportedly gave orders to remove it, saying it was too early to celebrate the country’s current leadership.

Patriarch Kirill, who has described the Putin government as a “miracle of God”, said that the new cathedral “holds the hope that future generations will pick up the spiritual witness of the past and save the homeland from internal and external enemies. ”.

This volatile religious nationalism manifests itself in the militarism developing in Ukraine.

On February 24, 2022, the day the invasion began, Patriarch Kirill called for a speedy resolution and the protection of civilians in Ukraine, while reminding Orthodox Christians of the fraternal connection between the two nations. But he has not condemned the war itself and has referred to the “evil forces” that are trying to destroy the unity of Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church.