Cross for the main dome

Service of the consecration of the cross

The cross fixed on the main dome of the Alexander Nevsky church has been carried out in the Byzantine style, it is done after the model of the Rozhdestvensky cathedral's cross of the city of Vladimir where the relics of St. Alexander Nevsky lay before their transfer into Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Rozhdestvensky cathedral itself has not been preserved, but it is known that its cross was like the cross of the Dmitrievsky cathedral that is preserved until our time in its original form. One of the characteristic signs is the half moon at the basis of the cross. This image has many meanings. The half moon on the Cross is the symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ as King and High Priest. Besides, it is an anchor symbol. Apostole Paul teaches that “this hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (Hebrews 6:19). Only the church ship is capable of delivering those who will it over the waves of temporary life into the quiet haven of life eternal. In the patristic tradition we encounter other interpretations of half moon, e.g., that it is a cradle in Bethlehem which received the God-child Christ; a eucharistic cup in which the Body of Christ is; the ship of the church, and a baptismal font.

Crystal dove

The consecration service performed by the Ruling Archpastor, high Reverend archbishop Vikentiy, was also attended by the first deputy of the plenipotentiary of the President of the Russian Federation in the federal district of Ural, V.N. Tumanov who said that he sees a good sign in the fixing of the cross — the sign of restoration of the monastery, and, as a whole, the restoration of Orthodoxy in the Ural land. It is a particularly symbolic event for our abode, because the year 2004 is the tenth anniversary since the moment of its restoration, and the fixing of the cross over the main dome of the monastery's cathedral gives one the hope that in time the entire abode will be restored in its former greatness.

The cross over the night city

The cross is four meters high, on its top sits a crystal dove. The framework of the cross is made of stainless steel, covered with tinsel; inside the tracery framework are plates made of thick glass under which there are metal-halogen bulbs. According to A.V. Dolgov, the director of the “Order” enterprise which made the cross, it presents a most complicated architectural and engineering construction. For the first time an Orthodox cross has been made with inner highlights, which required the application of the most modern technology. The fact that the cross radiates light, in the best way possible conveys the idea that “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Yesterday the cross shone over Ekaterinburg for the first time.

Also look:
— Picture album from the fixing of the cross on the Alexander Nevsky church

Also read:
— Cathedral in honor of St. Alexander Nevsky