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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



OUTRAGED AND DESPOILED 



Broken and twisted candelabra, shattered windows, battered ikons, crushed and trampled- 

 upon sacred vessels — such are the scenes which greet the eye of the worshiper in many of the 

 "forty times forty churches" of Moscow today. 



On a large crucifix, standing by the 

 north wall, the outstretched hands of our 

 Saviour were broken off. The figure was 

 gashed with sharp bits of brick, and oil 

 from the hanging lamps had poured over 

 the whole. Red spots made a startling 

 likeness of a living body covered with 

 blood. 



Some pilgrims who had succeeded in 

 getting into the Kremlin, on approaching 

 this sacred object, were unable to look at 

 it and gave way to their grief, passion- 

 ately embracing the feet of Christ cruci- 

 fied afresh (see page 388). 



The little Nicholas Palace, which for- 

 merly belonged to the Chudov Monastery, 

 suffered severely from the attack. From 

 the outside, one peers into great holes 

 in the walls. Inside all is complete devas- 

 tation. The great mirrors and other fur- 

 nishings of the palace have been barba- 

 rously demolished, cupboards broken into, 

 and their books, deeds, and papers scat- 

 tered through all the rooms. 



The Church of Saint Peter and Saint 

 Paul in the palace was pierced by shell 

 and laid waste. The ikonostasis was 

 broken, the Royal Gates forced open by 



