{"id":28863,"date":"2022-03-02T00:44:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T00:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=28863"},"modified":"2022-03-03T00:53:25","modified_gmt":"2022-03-03T00:53:25","slug":"holy-wars-how-a-cathedral-of-guns-and-glory-symbolizes-putins-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/holy-wars-how-a-cathedral-of-guns-and-glory-symbolizes-putins-russia\/","title":{"rendered":"Holy wars: How a cathedral of guns and glory symbolizes Putin\u2019s Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lena Surzhko Harned<\/a>, Penn State<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A curious new church was dedicated<\/a> on the outskirts of Moscow in June 2020: The Main Church of the Russian Armed Forces<\/a>. The massive, khaki-colored cathedral in a military theme park celebrates Russian might. It was originally planned to open on the 75th anniversary of the Soviet Union\u2019s victory over Nazi Germany, in May 2020, but was delayed due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conceived by the Russian defense minister<\/a> after the country\u2019s illegal annexation of Crimea<\/a> in 2014, the cathedral embodies the powerful ideology espoused by President Vladimir Putin, with strong support from the Russian Orthodox Church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kremlin\u2019s vision of Russia connects the state, military and the Russian Orthodox Church. As a scholar of nationalism<\/a>, I see this militant religious nationalism as one of the key elements in Putin\u2019s motivation for the invasion of Ukraine<\/a>, my native country. It also goes a long way in explaining Moscow\u2019s behavior toward the collective \u201cWest\u201d and the post-Cold War world order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Angels and guns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Church of the Armed Forces\u2019 bell tower is 75 meters tall, symbolizing the 75th anniversary<\/a> of the end of World War II. Its dome\u2019s diameter is 19.45 meters, marking the year of the victory: 1945<\/a>. A smaller dome is 14.18 meters, representing the 1,418 days the war lasted. Trophy weapons are melted into the floor so that each step is a blow to the defeated Nazis<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frescoes celebrate Russia\u2019s military might<\/a> though history, from medieval battles to modern-day wars in Georgia and Syria. Archangels lead heavenly and earthly armies, Christ wields a sword<\/a>, and the Holy Mother, depicted as the Motherland, lends support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Members
Service members and young army cadets gather for an event held outside the cathedral to mark the 80th anniversary of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in World War II. Gavriil Grigorov\\TASS via Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Cradles\u2019 of Christianity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The original plans for the frescoes included a celebration of the Crimean occupation<\/a>, with jubilant people holding a banner that read \u201cCrimea is Ours\u201d and \u201cForever with Russia.\u201d In the final version, the controversial \u201cCrimea is Ours\u201d was replaced by the more benign \u201cWe are together<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated, calling Crimea the \u201ccradle\u201d of Russian Christianity<\/a>. This mythology draws on the medieval story of Prince Vladimir<\/a>, who converted to Christianity in the 10th century and was baptized in Crimea. The prince then imposed the faith on his subjects in Kyiv, and it spread from there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Russian Orthodox Church, also called the Moscow Patriarchate, has long claimed this event as its foundational story. The Russian Empire, which linked itself to the church, adopted this foundational story as well<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Russian World\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Putin and the head of the Russian church, Patriarch Kirill<\/a>, have resurrected these ideas about empire for the 21st century in the form of the so-called \u201cRussian World<\/a>\u201d \u2013 giving new meaning to a phrase that dates to medieval times<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2007, Putin created a Russian World Foundation<\/a>, which was charged with promotion of Russian language and culture worldwide, such as a cultural project preserving interpretations of history approved by the Kremlin<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For church and state, the idea of \u201cRussian World\u201d encompasses a mission of making Russia a spiritual, cultural and political center of civilization to counter the liberal, secular<\/a> ideology of the West<\/a>. This vision has been used to justify policies at home and abroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Great Patriotic War<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Another planned mosaic<\/a> depicted the celebrations of Soviet forces\u2019 defeat of Nazi Germany \u2013 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. This mosaic was reportedly removed<\/a> before the church\u2019s opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Great Patriotic War has a special, even sacred, place in Russians\u2019 views of history. The Soviet Union sustained immense losses<\/a> \u2013 26 million lives is a conservative estimate. Apart from the sheer devastation, many Russians ultimately see the war as a holy one<\/a>, in which Soviets defended their motherland and the whole world from the evil of Nazism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under Putin, glorification of the war and Stalin\u2019s role<\/a> in the victory have reached epic proportions<\/a>. Nazism, for very good reasons, is seen as a manifestation of the ultimate evil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Portraits of Soviet leader Josef Stalin (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin on display at the opening of an exhibit called Russia – My History, 1945-2016, at Moscow\u2019s Manege Central Exhibition Hall. Valery Sharifulin\\TASS via Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The rhetoric of this militant religious nationalism has been on display as Russia threatened to and ultimately did invade Ukraine. During a speech on Feb. 24, 2022<\/a>, Putin bizarrely called for the \u201cde-nazification\u201d of Ukraine. He also spoke of fraternal relationships between Russian and Ukrainian people and denied the existence of the Ukrainian state. In his view, Ukraine\u2019s sovereignty<\/a> is an example of extreme, chauvinistic nationalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putin\u2019s claim that Ukraine\u2019s government is run by Nazis<\/a> is absurd. However, the manipulation of this image makes sense in the framework of this ideology. Painting the government in Kyiv as evil helps to paint the war in Ukraine in black and white.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Messianic mission<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tangible geopolitical issues<\/a> may be driving Putin\u2019s war in Ukraine, but his actions also seem motivated by a desire to secure his own legacy<\/a>. In his vision of \u201cGreat Russia,\u201d restored to its former size and influence<\/a>, Putin is a defender who must vanquish its enemies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Russian president himself appeared in earlier versions of the cathedral\u2019s frescoes, along with Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. However, the mosaic was removed<\/a> after controversy, with Putin himself reportedly giving orders to take it down, saying it was too early to celebrate the country\u2019s current leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patriarch Kirill, who has called Putin\u2019s rule a \u201cmiracle of God<\/a>,\u201d said the new cathedral \u201cholds the hope that future generations will pick up the spiritual baton from past generations and save the Fatherland from internal and external enemies<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This volatile religious nationalism manifests itself in the militarism unfolding in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Feb. 24, 2022, the day the invasion began, Patriarch Kirill called for a<\/a> swift resolution and 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 \u201cevil forces<\/a>\u201d trying to destroy the unity of Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Like what you\u2019ve read? Want more?<\/em> Sign up for The Conversation\u2019s daily newsletter<\/a>.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lena Surzhko Harned<\/a>, Assistant Teaching Professor of Political Science, Penn State<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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