Four of the world’s Great Cathedrals are tied to Napoleon. Each has a rich and sometimes tragic story beyond its amazing architecture and stunning beauty. See Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior; France’s Basilica-Cathedral of Saint Denis; and the Île de la Cité’s two wonders: Sante-Chapelle and Notre Dame de Paris – with its Hunchback. Mourn some of their terrible stories as you are elevated by them. Touch other places of worship, too.
The story of Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior begins when Napoleon Bonepart invaded Russia in 1812. The Czar had the city blown up and burned to force the French to leave. To commemorate this Russian “Victory,” he ordered the Cathedral be built next to the Kremlin — exactly next to its walls. Peter Tchaikovsky wrote the 1812 Overture to celebrate the victory, too. It was played for the first time in the almost-completed Cathedral in 1882.
Then came more war. The communists took control of the Russian Government, renaming it to Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. To show the superiority of their creed over religion, the Cathedral was stripped, and dynamited. They began to build the world’s largest building, to be topped by the world’s largest statue. World War II began — then Hitler ordered an attack on Russia. It stopped construction. After the war, the site was rebuilt as the world’s largest heated outdoor pool.
This is just a part of the history we cover, for just one of the Cathedrals Napoleon touched.