Vakhtang Kipshidze, a representative of the Orthodox Church, criticized the burning of a cathedral and said the organizers’ intentions were “questionable.”

“It is interesting to look at the fire drawing images in real time,” Polissky said.

During Maslenitsa, Russians traditionally eat blini – pancakes meant to symbolize the sun and its warmth.

There were also games, contests, pancake eating and music at the Maslenitsa celebrations at the park.

Those who witnessed the cathedral burn will keep the memory for a lifetime, said Polissky.

Gothic vibes in the Nikola-Lenivets Art Park.

The artist Herman Vinogradov set the structure on fire on Saturday at 5.00 p.m.

The structure was named “Flaming Gothic” by its creator Nikolai Polissky.

The idea behind the Gothic design came from the Art Park’s founder and artist, Nikolai Polissky.

In Nikola-Lenivets, Russians celebrating Maslenitsa burned a 30-meter Gothic cathedral made from twigs and brooms.

Russians this week celebrated Maslenitsa, a Slavic folk festival with pagan roots, which marks the beginning of Lent.

In a tiny village in the Kaluga region 150 kilometers southwest of Moscow, a traditional bonfire was lit on Saturday in the Nikola-Lenivets Art Park.

Instead of burning an effigy of a scarecrow, festival organizers departed from tradition by torching a wooden cathedral.