Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II celebrated 14 years as leader of the country's dominant faith and his 75th birthday belatedly with an elaborate service Thursday at the grandiose Christ the Savior cathedral near the Kremlin.
His intricately woven maroon robe standing out against the golden garments of lower-level clerics, Alexy performed a liturgy at the massive church in a simultaneous celebration of the two occasions.
The original Christ the Savior cathedral was blown up by Stalin and a circular, heated outdoor swimming pool was put in its place. The church was rebuilt in the years immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Alexy's actual birthday was in February, but he declined to celebrate it then because it fell on the first day of Russian Orthodox Lent. A large ``75'' sign made red-and-white flowers was set up in the cathedral during the service.
Named patriarch in 1990 as the officially atheist Soviet Union was collapsing, Alexy has presided over a revival of the church, which claims two-thirds of Russia's 144 million people as believers, and has strengthened its ties with the state.