Pantheon, Moscow
Encyclopedia
The Pantheon officially also called the Monument to the Eternal Glory of the Great People of the Soviet Land (Памятник вечной славы великих людей Советской страны), was a project to construct a monument
al memorial tomb
in Moscow
, Soviet Union
. The tomb was planned to serve as the final resting place for prominent Communist
figures along with the remains of Communists who had been buried at the Kremlin Wall Necropolis
. According to the plan, Vladimir Lenin
's embalmed body would be transferred from Lenin's Mausoleum
to the new Pantheon.
The decision to build the Pantheon was taken by the Central Committee of the CPSU
and Council of Ministers in a joint decision of March 6, 1953, the day following Joseph Stalin
's death. It was decided that the Pantheon would be built in Moscow, but its location was not further specified. A likely location would probably have been opposite the Kremlin
, on the Sophie quay by the Moscow River
. The project was partly inspired by the Pantheon in Paris
, and the idea was to transfer all the remains buried at the Kremlin Wall Necropolis, and convert the Lenin Mausoleum into a monumental tribune
overlooking Red Square
. According to the decision, the Pantheon would be accessible to broad masses of visitors.
The decision to build the Pantheon was never executed. Its fate may be connected with the turning point of Stalinist architectural projects
after Stalin's death, and with the official condemnation of Joseph Stalin, whose body was removed from the Lenin Mausoleum on October 31, 1961 and buried next to the Kremlin Wall
as part of the process of de-Stalinization. The decision of 1953 was further invalidated on December 4, 1974, when the Ministerial Council of the Russian SFSR decided to formally protect the historical monuments of the Lenin Mausoleum and the Kremlin Wall Necropolis.
Monument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
al memorial tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. The tomb was planned to serve as the final resting place for prominent Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
figures along with the remains of Communists who had been buried at the Kremlin Wall Necropolis
Kremlin Wall Necropolis
Burials in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis in Moscow began in November 1917, when 240 pro-Bolshevik victims of the October Revolution were buried in mass graves on Red Square. It is centered on both sides of Lenin's Mausoleum, initially built in wood in 1924 and rebuilt in granite in 1929–1930...
. According to the plan, Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
's embalmed body would be transferred from Lenin's Mausoleum
Lenin's Mausoleum
Lenin's Mausoleum also known as Lenin's Tomb, situated in Red Square in the center of Moscow, is the mausoleum that serves as the current resting place of Vladimir Lenin. His embalmed body has been on public display there since shortly after his death in 1924...
to the new Pantheon.
The decision to build the Pantheon was taken by the Central Committee of the CPSU
Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union , abbreviated in Russian as ЦК, "Tse-ka", earlier was also called as the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party ...
and Council of Ministers in a joint decision of March 6, 1953, the day following Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
's death. It was decided that the Pantheon would be built in Moscow, but its location was not further specified. A likely location would probably have been opposite the Kremlin
Moscow Kremlin
The Moscow Kremlin , sometimes referred to as simply The Kremlin, is a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River , Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square and the Alexander Garden...
, on the Sophie quay by the Moscow River
Moskva River
The Moskva River is a river that flows through the Moscow and Smolensk Oblasts in Russia, and is a tributary of the Oka River.-Etymology:...
. The project was partly inspired by the Pantheon in Paris
Panthéon, Paris
The Panthéon is a building in the Latin Quarter in Paris. It was originally built as a church dedicated to St. Genevieve and to house the reliquary châsse containing her relics but, after many changes, now functions as a secular mausoleum containing the remains of distinguished French citizens...
, and the idea was to transfer all the remains buried at the Kremlin Wall Necropolis, and convert the Lenin Mausoleum into a monumental tribune
Tribune (architecture)
Tribune is an ambiguous — and often misused — architectural term which can have several meanings. Today it most often refers to a dais or stage-like platform, or — in a vaguer sense — any place from which a speech can be prominently made.-Etymology:...
overlooking Red Square
Red Square
Red Square is a city square in Moscow, Russia. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod...
. According to the decision, the Pantheon would be accessible to broad masses of visitors.
The decision to build the Pantheon was never executed. Its fate may be connected with the turning point of Stalinist architectural projects
Stalinist architecture
Stalinist architecture , also referred to as Stalinist Gothic, or Socialist Classicism, is a term given to architecture of the Soviet Union between 1933, when Boris Iofan's draft for Palace of the Soviets was officially approved, and 1955, when Nikita Khrushchev condemned "excesses" of the past...
after Stalin's death, and with the official condemnation of Joseph Stalin, whose body was removed from the Lenin Mausoleum on October 31, 1961 and buried next to the Kremlin Wall
Kremlin Wall
The Kremlin Wall is a defensive wall that surrounds the Moscow Kremlin, recognizable by the characteristic notches and its Kremlin towers. The original walls were likely a simple wooden fence with guard towers built in 1156.-History:...
as part of the process of de-Stalinization. The decision of 1953 was further invalidated on December 4, 1974, when the Ministerial Council of the Russian SFSR decided to formally protect the historical monuments of the Lenin Mausoleum and the Kremlin Wall Necropolis.