Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ

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Disclaimer.
This project was done in a period when I believed I was working for the good sake of my homeland and country. It was a great opportunity to prove my talents and determination, since the original idea behind this cathedral was the approval and praise of the defenders of country during history of Russia and all her historical epochs: Kievan Rus', Russian Empire, USSR.

In my perspective this project was about union, not destruction. As an Orthodox Christian, I believed so, even though I had doubts. But current war and aggression against Ukraine is a truly tragic turn of events. Even though I had bright motifs and ideas, it's sad that this project became central point in current war. This is beyond of my reach now, but the only thing I can do now is to publicly expose my thoughts.

This cathedral is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Apart from being third biggest Orthodox Cathedral, it is a historical monument and an exhibition dedicated to the history of formation of the Russian state and its armed forces.

During the late design stages I was commissioned to develop and design calligraphy and lettering compositions on the exterior of the cathedral. The whole process of design took me approximately 6 months.

The letters on the facades of the building were carved are finished with metal. The height of compositions is ranged from 3-5 meters (9-16ft).

The areas with lettering compositions are shown below in white color.

Eighteen compositions are done in a cross-shaped form, whilst four are done in a way that matches silhouette of an area on the facade.

The overall design of cathedral has a militaristic essence, therefore I had to find balance between a very geometric form of vyaz and decorative, fine balanced letters. During the prototype phase, I've developed a monospaced typeface called "Arma" , which was then used as a base for decor. This typeface has a large number of ligatures.

The sources of text used on facedes is rather wide. There's six quotes from the Holy Bible and apostles as well as quotes of Russian saints like Dmitry Donskoy, Yaroslav The Wise, Nestor the Chronicler, Vladimir II Monomakh, Sergius of Radonezh and John of Kronstadt. Text is written both in Russian and Church Slavonic.

The areas with lettering compositions are shown below in white color.

Eighteen compositions are done in a cross-shaped form, whilst four are done in a way that matches silhouette of an area on the facade.

Here are shown some excerpts from the different development phases.

Also, before the construction phase we've done several testings with the bevels and embossing on the letters, which was visualised as well.

Here are some actual variants of lettering. "Arma" typeface has strictly geometric form and monotonous rhythm, that's why during the finalisation of development phase I've added more visually pleasant look the letters. The rhythm has become aesthetically balanced, since it lost forced monotonous nature, and most lines have become more fluid.

The construction phase took approximately 3 months. Due to pandemic I wasn't unable to track each step of construction, but when situation got better I've reached the construction site and took a few shots with my analog camera. I've used film Lomography Color Negative 800, that's why color grading seems a little bit off.

The finalisation of construction took in last mid-April. When the overall situation with the coronavirus got better, I've reached the construction site again and took photos, but now with my DSLR and drone. I've also included some photos of the interior, since it also deserves attention,