Difference in forms and design of Cathedral of Christ the Savior and Big WIld Goose Pagoda

CATHEDRAL OF CHRIST THE SAVIOR AND BIG WILD GOOSE PAGODA
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The Cathedral of Christ the Savior is an epitome of the Byzantine style and laid out as an equal sided cross. Konstantin Thon is the Russian architect who came up with the original design. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda on the other hand is built in the architectural style typical of the Tang dynasty. It is a Chinese architectural version of stupas.
The Cathedral is built with stone and features a metallic copper roof with a brass balustrade CITATION Atl15 l 2057 (Atlanta Serbs 2015). It is three storeys high with a white façade contrasting with the copper on its roofs. The roof features several domes typical of Orthodox structures. The Cathedral was designed so that it would be visible from all corners of Moscow and stood side by side with the Kremlin.
The Pagoda was built with mud and wood reinforced with square bricks without the use of any cement thus making it an architectural marvel. Due to its square bricks, it resembles a square cone CITATION Tra151 l 2057 (Travel China Guide 2015). Its timber frames and bracketing systems consist of posts and beams that are not nailed or screwed together allowing for easy dismantling and free movement. This allows the Pagoda to be more resistant to the vagaries of earthquakes. It is seven storeys high with each storey delineated by a small roof jutting out at each level. Each storey of the Pagoda is smaller than the previous with each floor marked by several rows of prism shaped bricks.

Each storey has a view of all the four cardinal direction from the arch doors. Its outer façade is solemn in a brown color representative of its constituent materials. The roof is a spire unlike the Cathedral. It also features a spiral wooden staircase. Unlike the Pagoda, the cathedral was reconstructed with modern amenities including elevators, air conditioning, telecommunication facilities and underground parking.
The Cathedral interior features marble, arched ways and windows with several paintings, frescos and ornaments of stone by several Russian painters including Vereschagin, Surigor and Krumskoi. The marble panels are covered by pre revolution Russian script describing the Napoleonic invasion in 1812. There are several marble plaques remembering the participants from this war. The paintings depict the interaction of the church with the Russian people especially after the Napoleonic invasion as well as classical religious depictions – the central cupola is a dramatic painting of the Holy Father with baby Jesus in His hands with the words ‘elohim’ in Hebrew beside the fresco. There are two symbolic thrones inside – one for Saint Nicholas and the other for Prince Alexander who was honored as a saint by the Orthodox Church.
The Pagoda also features several paintings by painters of note during the Tang dynasty but the walls are engraved with several statues of Buddha by Yan Liben. The first floor lintels and doorframes of the Pagoda are covered with beautiful carvings. The entrance to the Pagoda features two stone tablets with containing engravings of prefaces of the Great Tanzang Tang scriptures with one belonging to Emperor Tang Gaozong.
The Cathedral Square contains several chapels styled in the same way as the Cathedral itself. A pedestrian bridge and statues of Alexander II and Nicholas II complete the square. The Pagoda on the other hand has very beautiful gardens with several fountains and Buddha statues.

Bibliography
BIBLIOGRAPHY Atlanta Serbs. Christ the Savior Cathedral Moscow. 2015. http://www.atlantaserbs.com/learnmore/monasteries_and_towns/Moscow-cathedral.htm (accessed December 11, 2015).