ately I have been consumed by the idea of resurrecting the Cathedral of Christ the Savior," admitted Mayor Yury Luzhkov, whose signature on a new Moscow city order will, it appears, bring an end to a debate that has been raging now for many years: Should the world's largest Orthodox cathedral, which was destroyed by Stalin in 1931, be rebuilt? Also at issue here is the use of the cathedral's site near the Kremlin, which the church considers to be holy ground. Currently, the site is occupied by the semi-dilapidated Moskva swimming pool, which was closed over a year ago because the city did not have the funds to modernize it.It would be difficult to overestimate the significance of Luzhkov's recent initiative. Even though donations have been collected for three years now and despite the fact that all the necessary construction permits have been received, this idea -- which was born at the dawn of perestroika -- has generally been considered a Utopian scheme. But now, construction is supposed to begin this summer.However, it is easier to begin major construction projects than it is to complete them.The rationality of exactly recreating one of the most famous and original Russian cathedrals has raised doubts from the very moment the idea came up. The construction of a new cathedral according to the original design was supposed to symbolize the people's return to their lost culture and religion, as well as to acknowledge that Communism was a mistake. This idea immediately became a tool manipulated by conservatives in their political games. However, no one seems to have a clear understanding of the real difficulties involved in such a project. Does such a huge cathedral in this non-residential area correspond to the needs of Orthodox believers? Will it be possible to recreate the 19th-century construction techniques that will be required? Even architects and urban planners do not have any idea what the original cathedral was really like.The original Cathedral of Christ the Savior was the brainchild of Alexander I, who decided in 1813 to build it in honor of the expulsion of Napoleon's army from Russia. The cathedral was to be an eternal monument to the glory and victory of the Russian army. The history of the design and construction of the cathedral spans virtually the entire 19th century. Alexander I's grandson, Alexander III, finally presided at the blessing of the cathedral in 1883. Construction lasted half a century, even though the entire resources of the empire were devoted to it at a time of rapid economic expansion. New deposits of rare stone were discovered and mined especially for this project. The huge cupola was covered with pure gold. Nearly 100,000 people worked on the project. Konstantin Ton, the architect who designed the winning project, became an instant celebrity. He later came to be considered a founder of the new school of Russian national architecture. Ton also designed the Great Kremlin Palace, the Kremlin Armory and a number of palaces, cathedrals and railway stations. However, he did not live to see the completion of the Christ Cathedral, which was his masterpiece, even though he designed it when he was still a young man. Thirty of Russia's greatest artists and many sculptors worked on the cathedral's decoration. Several of them are virtually unknown today because their entire life's work was lost with the cathedral.The legend that the cathedral was paid for by public subscription is merely a legend: The 10,000-person cathedral was built entirely at government expense. In 1931, the cathedral was razed, as were many other churches, during the heat of Stalin's anti-religion campaign. The main altar with its gilded iconostasis was sold to Eleanor Roosevelt, who later donated it to the Vatican where it remains today. The marble was used to decorate some metro stations and the jasper columns now grace Moscow State University. Some frescoes and bas-reliefs found their way into museums, and the marble plaques with the names of those who died during the 1812-14 campaign were used for the facades of new buildings and to pave the pathways in some city parks. Everything else was lost. Architecture student Maria Nashchokina estimates that only 5 percent of the cathedral's decoration was saved.The new cathedral -- which will include underground conference halls, parking, stores and television studios -- is projected to cost about $150 million. However, an expert commission headed by the city's chief architect, taking into account modern construction technology, the cost of the building's infrastructure and the cost of the paintings and sculptures, estimated that the real cost will be more like $300 million.Meanwhile, specialists estimate that as many as 2,000 important works of architecture in Russia are lost every year due to the shortage of funds for maintenance and restoration. Five years ago, it was possible to restore about 150 monuments each year on the money allocated by the federal budget: Now, those funds have been cut by 80 percent.Many specialists, including the authors of books and dissertations on the cathedral, believe that the level of artistic perfection that the original cathedral achieved is now inaccessible. Moreover, of course, a copy -- no matter how good and even if the original does not exist -- will nonetheless always be considered just a copy. The Kazan Cathedral, built last year on Red Square, is a good example of contemporary restoration, but it is not a monument of 18th-century architecture. That fact will never change. At the same time, the new residential districts of the city, where there is an acute shortage of churches, do not attract the attention of architects who claim to be interested in reviving church architecture. However, the renewal of the life of parish churches is the only assurance that the Cathedral of Christ the Savior will not be left empty in future years. Dmitry Popov is a journalist based in Moscow. He contributed this comment to The Moscow Times.