June 7 — in Moscow, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was consecrated.
The idea of building the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour arose immediately after the end of the Patriotic War of 1812. Its building was laid down three times, and three times over nearly two centuries the first stone was consecrated.
In the competition announced by Emperor Alexander I in 1814, the best architects took part; Alexander Vitberg was recognized as the winner. In the autumn of 1817, the cathedral was ceremonially laid. The final design of the structure was approved in 1825.
At that time Nicholas I came to power; construction of the cathedral was suspended, and Vitberg himself was sent into exile for 15 years. In 1832, the emperor approved a new design presented by architect Konstantin Thon (1794–1881). A new site for the cathedral on the bank of the Moskva River, on Volkhonka, was chosen by the emperor himself. The laying of the structure took place in 1839.
The creation of the cathedral involved the best architects, builders, and artists of the time: Surikov, Vereshchagin, Makovsky, Vasnetsov, Bruni, Koshelev, Kramskoy, Semiradsky, and others. The facade sculptures were made by the masters Klodt, Ramazanov, and Loganovsky. On (May 26) June 7, 1883, the cathedral was ceremonially consecrated, coinciding with the Coronation Day of Emperor Alexander III. Especially for the day of the consecration of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote the overture "The Year 1812", which was performed for the first time by the cathedral choir.