The Central Bank of Russia has announced the halt of the issue of the redesigned 1000 ruble bill. The design of the controversial banknote was promised to be finalized before it entered wide circulation. No official reason was given but it is clear that that public backlash was the cause.

Why did the Bank of Russia issue new money?

In March 2023, Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank Sergei Belov announced the release of new banknotes with denominations of 1000 and 5000 rubles. The banknotes were promised to change their design, improve protection and make them more resistant to wear and tear. This all makes perfect sense. The Central Bank (the Fed) of Russia has already started to introduce new banknotes, the 200 and 2000 as well as provide major updates to others.

The reenvisioned banknotes were presented to the Russian public on October 16, 2023. The design of the thousand-ruble banknote was dedicated to the Volga region. The front side of the banknote depicts the Nikolskaya Tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. On the reverse side there are the Museum of History of Statehood of the Tatar people and the Republic of Tatarstan in Kazan, the Suyumbike Tower on the territory of the Kazan Kremlin, the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography in Ufa.

And here is where the scandal begins

Pavel Ostrovsky, a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church, TV presenter and blogger, was one of the first to draw attention to the fact that the former Palace Church in the Kazan Kremlin is depicted without a cross. According to him, most Russian residents do not know the history of the Kazan Kremlin and will quietly use a banknote with a temple without a cross, located next to a minaret with a crescent moon. This obviously seems strange, hypocritical and disrespectful.

The priest suggested that such a design was realized either because of the “stupidity of the designers” or because of “conscious provocation, which has been seen before from the followers of Islam from Tatarstan.”

One possible explanation why there is no cross

Currently, the church building houses the Museum of the History of Statehood of the Tatar People and the Republic of Tatarstan. According to Lilia Khairutdinova, a leading specialist of the museum, the building was built in the XIX century as a palace church of the governor’s family. The cross was removed from the temple during the Soviet regime. During those times the building housed a warehouse. Then it became an archive and a canteen. Finally, in 2006 a museum was opened in the historical building. Only the domes have been preserved from the church.

There is currently no cross atop the domes. But, if historical accuracy must be maintained perhaps the artists could have chosen a different building. There are hundreds of examples of churches with crosses that were “desovietized” and are not being used as museums. If you just type “the best cathedrals in Kazan” into a Yandex search many wonderful options, with crosses proudly intact, instantly appear before your eyes.

Image above: The Kazan Kremlin has an Orthodox Christian cathedral right next to a mosque. Why not use an image like this on the bill?

How did the Church and the State Duma react to the controversial design of the money?

Vladimir Legoyda, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Synodal Department for Relations between the Church and Society and the Media, said that the Central Bank should have chosen the images on banknotes more carefully, “so as not to create tension where there simply should not be any.” He is absolutely correct in this assertion. Money is a national symbol. As such it should create a spirit of unity and respect, not create utterly pointless divisions within religious groups or give the appearance of playing favorites.

Mr. Legoyda’s deputy in the synodal department, Vakhtang Kipshidze, added that the authors of the design failed to present Kazan as an interreligious city. Kazan’s kremlin is famous as having a the city’s key mosque and church right next to each other inside of its walls. Many Russians see this as a reflection of internal harmony and mutual respect. Why didn’t the designers use this blatantly obvious architectural symbolism that is famous all over the country?

A representative of the Moscow Patriarchate called the choice of the building to be depicted on the banknote strange. He emphasized that the The Russian Orthodox Church categorically disagrees with the fact that religious structures are depicted without crosses. He believes, “The Church’s buildings should be returned to their status. They should bear the symbols of the religion to which they belong”. He continued “Our society should strive to ensure that every religious building… fulfills the functions for which it was once erected by believers,” . And, Andrei Klishas, member of the Federation Council said “A church without a cross reminds us of the dark period of godlessness. It is at least unwise and even provocative to place such an image on banknotes”

Justified public outrage won the day

After the Russian people’s reaction, the Central Bank decided to cancel the issue of new banknotes. Officially the reason for this was not named. But, representatives of the regulator announced an update of the controversial design, which will later go back into production. Let us pray that this new modified design will show zero disrespect to Christians in Russia.