On this excursion you will visit one of the largest cathedrals to be built in Russia in the 21st century so far: the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral or the Russian Armed Forces Church as it is also known. It was built to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Sovet Victory in the Second World War (or the Great Patriotic War as it is known in Russia). 

  It has become the third-largest cathedral in Russia after Christ the Saviour’s Cathedral in Moscow and St Isaac's Cathedral in St Petersburg. It is also one of the most unusual religious buildings in the country and has evoked a lot of opinions and discussions in terms of both the artistic implementation and the project cost. 

  The size of the temple is amazing and was not chosen by chance as there is a sacral meaning embedded in each parameter. The height of the cathedral together with the cross is 95 metres (symbolising Victory Day on the 9th May). The diameter of the drum of the main dome is 19.45 meters (symbolising 1945 - the year the war ended). The height of the belfry is 75 metres as 2020 saw the 75th anniversary of the end of the war. Finally, the height of the small dome is 14.18 metres representing the 1418 days and nights that the fighting lasted. Its colour is also unique among churches - a military khaki green.

  This tour also includes a visit to Patriot Park, which has one of the largest collections of historical and modern military equipment in the world.  The collection is so huge that even if you are not a fan of tanks, you will still certainly be impressed, especially since some of the exhibits are unique and actually participated in the battles of the war.

09:00

 Transfer from your hotel to Kubinka. Distance: 70km

10:30

Guided Tour around Patriot Park.

Almost 300 armoured vehicles have been collected on this 12 hectare park. The park incorporates the Kubinka Tank Museum, which has one of the largest collections of tanks in the world, including armaments and equipment from 14 countries. Highlights of the tour include:

• Panzer VIII Maus - only two examples of this 188-tonne German tank were made and they never saw battle. It was designed by Ferdinand Porsche (the same man behind the Porsche company). The tank on display is a restored version combining parts of both examples that were put together by the Soviets for testing.

• American tanks - these were delivered to the USSR under the Lend-Lease Programme.

• Karl-Gerät - this is a giant machine of death that could fire two-tonne missiles over six kilometres.  It is the only surviving version out of a total of seven examples that were made.  It was used to attack the Brest Fortress and Sevastopol, and to suppress the Warsaw Uprising.

• Kugelpanzer - this unique spherical tank was developed by the Nazis but is thought to have never taken part in action.  It was exported to the Japanese, and was captured by the Soviets in Manchuria. 

12:00

 Guided tour of the cathedral - you will visit upper and lower churches of the cathedral:

• the cathedral’s dome takes the form of a Russian helmet of the era of Aleksandr Nevsky and the inside of it is adorned with an image of Christ. The style of the depiction is known as the “Image of the Saviour Not Made by Hand” and it has been portrayed on banners and standards since the days of Ancient Rus.

• the floor tiles of the upper church are made from melted down weapons and equipment captured from the Nazis.

• the lower church is dedicated to St Vladimir - the grand prince of Rus who converted to Orthodoxy and baptised his people. The church is decorated with mosaic pannos and the Gzhel style of painted ceramics.

• The church also holds an “Image of the Saviour Not Made by Hand” Icon, which was especially made for it. The boards on which it is painted were taken from a gun carriage of a cannon made in 1710 that was found at the bottom of the Neva. Before being installed in the church, the icon was taken over 57,000 kilometres around the country and visited 45 cities, churches and military bases.

 Duration: 1 hour

 Visit the "Road of Memory" multimedia museum complex and gallery - the пallery is 1418 metres long to represent the number of days of the Great Patriotic War. Its use of multimedia stands, interactive screens, dioramas, unique lighting and audio-visual designs immerses visitors into every day of the war.

 Duration: 1 hour

 After excursion a transfer to the hotel.

• The tour is available the whole year round starting on any day except Mondays.
• On Mondays the tour is available without a visit of Patiot Park with 10% discount.

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