Russia just opened a massive cathedral in honor of its armed forces, with steps rumored to be made from melted Nazi tanks

Denis Voronin/Moscow News Agency/Handout via Reuters

• Russia has just opened a massive cathedral in honor of its military, a major project favored by President Vladimir Putin. 
• The cathedral serves the Russian Orthodox faith. Its military connection is no coincidence. 
• Putin has made the glorification of the military a major part of his appeal to Russian voters throughout his 20-year leadership. 
• The opening of the cathedral overlaps with a referendum that could see Putin remain as president until 2036.
• When the project was announced, Russia's defense minister promised the steps would be poured from "German trophy hardware" — rumored to be a reference to melted-down Nazi tanks.
• The building is filled with symbolism in honor of Russia's military history — but also caused controversy with a planned mosaic of Putin that was ultimately canceled. 
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Russia has just built a huge cathedral in honor of its military to commemorate 75 years since the end of WWII.

Igor Palkin/Patriarchal Press Service/Handout via Reuters

Its full title in English is: The Resurrection of Christ Cathedral, the main Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Russian Armed Forces.

The cathedral is about 34 miles west of Moscow in a complex called Patriot Park.

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Each of its four chapels is dedicated to a different patron saint of the branches of the Russian armed forces — the aerospace forces, the missile forces, the navy and the land army. 

Source: Cathedral website.

It was built in just under 600 days, but was slightly delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Denis Voronin/Moscow News Agency/Handout via

It was supposed to be consecrated on May 9, which is Victory Day in Russia, but due to the coronavirus this was rescheduled to June 14, according to Radio Free Europe. 

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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