Religious Russia

Russia is a multiconfessional state. Here, at the same time coexist several world religions. The main confessions in Russia are Orthodox, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists and Catholics. Such a bright palette of different beliefs left to the country a lot of unique architectural and cultural monuments.

Orthodoxy is considered to be the most mass religion in Russia. According to different data the number of people relating themselves to Orthodoxy varies from 40% to 85% of Russians. The monuments of orthodoxy can be found anywhere in the country: from the newly reconstructed grand the Cathedral of the Redeemer in Moscow to a tiny wooden church in a Siberian village.

The special features of Orthodoxy are icons and the art of icon painting. The rules of iconography of the Orthodox Church remained unchanged throughout the last millennium.

From the point of view of the tourism Orthodox shrines of Russia is a huge route, which can last a lifetime. Tour around the Golden Ring with visiting the famous monasteries and temples Yaroslavl , of Novgorod and other ancient cities, cruises o the Balaam and Solovki - and all this is just a small part of the potential attractions of a trip to Russia, which has created and continues to create Orthodoxy.

Islam is the second largest religion in Russia. The main centers of Islam in Russia are Tatarstan, Bashkiria and regions of Caucasus . Among the many monuments of Islamic architecture in Russia the mosques are dominant. The most majestic of them are situated in Kazan - the capital of Tatarstan. The city of Kazan has recently celebrated its millennium. By this date most of the city’s mosques have been reconstructed and presented in an updated form.

Judaism and Buddhism nave also enriched the image of Russian cities. And if synagogues are usually located in major cities - Moscow and St. Petersburg , a Buddhist sacred buildings can be found mostly in eastern Russia. The main Buddhist region of the country is considered to be Buryatiya . On the territory of the Autonomous Republic is situated the center of Buddhism in Russia - Ivolginsky Datsan. Visiting Buddhist temples can be combined with excursions to the Lake Baikal . Partly the lake is located on the territory of Buryatia.

Among the sights, which belong to the Catholic Church, that are worth special mentioning is Kaliningrad . There is one of the most famous cathedrals of the world in which lie the body of the great German philosopher Immanuel Kant. Also, a number of Catholic churches can be seen while traveling to the cities which are situated on the Volga River. A striking example is the Roman Catholic parish of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Astrahan.