Cathedral in the Making Hosts Christmas

The choir sang in a bare, chilly nook; the altar leaned against an ugly scaffold tangle; and priestly robes swished along a plain concrete floor. But the dignitaries celebrating the Russian Orthodox Christmas on Sunday in Moscow’s most ambitious construction project pronounced the atmosphere fittingly festive--even inspiring.

In just one year, workers toiling day and night have re-created the silhouette of the magnificent Cathedral of Christ the Savior, a grandiose cathedral that Josef Stalin bulldozed to rubble in 1931.

“It’s the miracle of our days,” said Patriarch Alexi II, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.

As white lights twinkled from skeletal onion domes above, President Boris N. Yeltsin hailed the rapid construction as proof of Russia’s greatness.

“This shows that Russia is alive, the Russian spirit is alive,” he said, gazing at the arched doorways set against the icy Moscow River. “It revives our hope that Russia will rise again, faster now than before.”

Donning a white construction helmet, Yeltsin helped Alexi lay the final brick of the cathedral’s outer wall. So far, the inside remains largely bare, although a bakery on the premises produces wafers for communion, and a library and cafeteria serve visiting clergy.

Sunday’s Christmas liturgy blended religion, politics and construction dust for a ceremony rich in symbolism.

The patriarch, dressed in a green-striped robe and flowing white headdress, prayed aloud as dozens of thin candles illuminated the scaffolding propping up the cathedral’s interior. When he waved a golden cross in the president’s direction, Yeltsin bowed his head meekly. But outside, the president dropped his religious humility and allowed himself some old-fashioned boasting.

“You all said this would take 40 years--you said it in the newspapers and on television--but we have done it in one year,” he told the crowd. “And we have done it on top of everything else. We have not destroyed our other programs--on the contrary, we built more housing and more kindergartens this year than ever before.”

Government officials have promised that the reconstruction--estimated at $300 million--will be funded entirely by donations.

They plan to replicate the delicate domes and impressive bell towers of the original Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Even in these tight financial times, they will coat the exterior with marble, following precisely the 19th century design. But they will never be able to restore the dazzling icons and splendid frescoes of the czarist-era cathedral. Most of the artwork has been looted or destroyed.

After celebrating Christmas in front of a single icon wreathed with flowers, Yeltsin vowed Sunday to try to find the original altar. Russian security services are already searching for it, the Interfax news agency reported.

Yeltsin also promised that the cathedral will be completed within two years. So Moscow Mayor Yuri M. Luzhkov may well be able to fulfill his promise to show off the restoration at his city’s 850th birthday celebration, in the fall of 1997.