there are plenty of humble little Orthodox parishes but there’s a lot of huge cathedrals too and most are actually overflowing.
i’m very happy to see things like the rebuilt ‘Church of the Savior’ in Moscow, and the Cathedral of St Sava in Belgrade.
But I was also happy to see when in Russia last year a parish which the Soviets had demolished rebuilt by locals and a collection jar for passing travelers at a nearby cafe. It was in Pokrov Russia (somewhere between Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod)... I wouldn’t call the parish huge, probably medium sized, but it was packed when I stopped there traveling back to Moscow...
I know, it brings me to tears to see people who have been forcibly estranged and raised godless in coommunist countries flock to churches. They ever so clumsily approach and enter the church, not knowing what to do, but they are there in earnest, hungry for God.