Moscow is home to more than 300 churches. The majority of Russians belong to the Russian Orthodox Church, although, as a result of the fact that Moscow is a multi-ethnic city, there are many religious denominations, including the Roman Catholic Church and the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Up until 1917, there were more than 1000 churches in the city.
However, after the revolution, the Bolsheviks came to power, and one of their ideologies was state atheism. Therefore, during this time, many churches were destroyed or used for other purposes. However, in recent times, due to political change, religion has experienced a revival, and many churches have been saved. A famous example of this is the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. After the revolution, it was destroyed, and the land was used for a giant swimming pool. Now it has been rebuilt as a close replica of what it used to be.

There are many beautiful churches to see in the city. St Basil’s Cathedral is the most recognisable building in Russia, and is definitely worth a visit to see the maze of small churches inside. Other impressive churches include the Donskoy Monastery, which was originally part of the city’s fortifications, the Church of the Resurrection in Kadashi, and the Church of Pope Clement.
The Kremlin houses many churches, including three cathedrals, which were used by the Russian Tsars. Another sight to see is the Church of Saint Nicholas in Izmailovo, which is a modern wooden church, and is the highest wooden church in Russia at 46 metres high.
Other interesting religious sites include the Novodevichy Cemetery, which is where many famous people are buried, such as Chekhov, Stalin’s wife, Mayakovsky, Gogol, Khrushchev and Yeltsin.