The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

The original Cathedral was supposed to be built after the last of Napoleon's soldiers left Russia, but between 1812 and its' consecration in 1883 there were several Tsars, design changes and a relocation of a church and convent already on the site.  In 1931 it was destroyed to be replaced with the largest building in the world, the Palace of the Soviets.  The building was never built due to World War II and unavailable funds.  Under Krushchev the gaping hole was turned into the largest open air swimming pool in the world.  The temperature was kept at 27 degrees C year round creating a thick fog that shrouded several gruesome murders.  After the fall of the Soviet Union the Russian Orthodox Church received permission to rebuild and the new Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, built with modern materials and amenities, was consecrated in 2000.