The cathedral was painted by V.Surikov, F.Bruni, V.Vereshchagin, K.Briullov and I.Kramskoy. Sculptors A.Loganovsky and A.Ramazanov created reliefs based on the plots of the Old Testament and Russian history. A round gallery included 177 marble plates with the names of the bearers of the St. George order and descriptions of the main battles that took place in 1812. A unique iconostasis was shaped as an eight pointed roofed chapel with domes resembling those of the St. Basil's Cathedral. The huge inner space under the dome symbolized Red Square, the center of Moscow and all Russia.<br><br>
The new Kremlin rulers after the revolution could not bear the golden-domed heritage, and made the first attempt to destroy the church back in 1924, to install a monument to Lenin in its place. The idea was never made a reality: according to Stalin's order a Soviet Palace was to be erected there.<br><br>
In December, 1931, the church was blown up. First, there were two powerful explosions but the church was still standing almost untouched and it was only after the third blow that it was destroyed. Marble pieces were used for decorating the "Kropotkinskaya" and the "Okhotny Ryad" metro stations, as well as for benches in the "Novokuznetskaya" station. An open swimming pool replaced the church.

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