Иркутский собор / Irkutsk Cathedral: 1875-1932
Дореволюционная Россия на фотографиях
Собор Иконы Божией Матери Казанская
г. Иркутск
1875-1932
Pre-revolutionary Russia in photos
Cathedral of the Icon of the Mother of God of Kazan
Irkutsk
1875-1932
Music:
Gloria & Hallelujah by Georgy Sviridov and
Dance of the earth from Le Sacre de Printemps by Igor Stravinsky
The Cathedral of Irkutsk - The Cathedral of the Icon of the Mother of God of Kazan was a huge Byzantine style four-pillared five-cupola place of worship. The main building being connected by a passage to the Cathedral Bell-tower.
For almost half a century, the idea of a great cathedral for Irkutsk was discussed. Finally, in 1849, , the Irkutsk millionaire-gold miner Evfimiy Andreevich Kuznetsov made a large donation of 250 thousand rubles. However, it took until April 17, 1875, on the birthday of Emperor Alexander II, for the solemn laying of the foundation stone. Almost from the beginning of the project disagreements arose between the Holy Synod and the architect, V.A. Kudelsky.....This finally led to his dismissal from the works.
Engineer-captain Mitrofan Nilovich Ogon-Dogonovsky, who compiled a new project of the Kazan Cathedral, was invited to supervise the construction of the cathedral. The facade of the cathedral was repeatedly adjusted, because it did not satisfy the metropolitan authorities in artistic terms. Finally, Emperor III wrote, annoyingly I agree, it's a little better, but not particularly tasteful. However, now there's nothing to be done.....
By June 1879, the walls of the cathedral were erected to the height of the second tier of windows, when a terrible fire destroyed half of the city and suspended the construction of the cathedral for six years.
After the fire, the engineer-architect Baron Heinrich Vladimirovich Rozen was invited to lead the works. The project was approved by the St. Petersburg Technical Committee with a resolution that the facade of the cathedral in its last form was more elegant in artistic terms.
The construction of the Cathedral was completed, finally, in 1894. In total, 904,025 rubles 42 ½ kopecks were spent for the construction and establishment of church utensils........
The consecration of the main chapel in the name of the icon of Kazan Mother of God took place on January 25, 1894. From the end of January until the end of August 1894, Archbishop Tikhon consistently consecrated the remaining altars of the new cathedral. In all, there were six altars in the church: the main one was in the name of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God; the right - Saint and Miracle-worker Nicholas; the left is the St. Evfimiya of Novgorod and St. Euphemia; on the right choirs - St. Tikhon of Zadonsk and St. Mitrofan of Voronezh; on the left choirs - St. Innocent of Irkutsk and the Monk Benjamin Caves and a cave shrine in the name of the Last Judgment of the Lord.
Irkutsk Kazan Cathedral was one of the largest religious buildings in Russia. It accommodated five thousand worshipers, and its height reached 60 meters (from the ground level to the top of the cross of the main dome, not including the underground burial vault).
The consecration of the main chapel in the name of the icon of Kazan Mother of God took place on January 25, 1894.
Irkutsk Kazan Cathedral was one of the largest religious buildings in Russia. It accommodated five thousand worshipers, and its height reached 60 meters (from the ground level to the top of the cross of the main dome, not including the underground temple-burial vault).
The consecration of the main chapel in the name of the icon of Kazan Mother of God took place on January 25, 1894. From the end of January until the end of August 1894, Archbishop Tikhon consistently consecrated the remaining altars of the new cathedral. In all, there were six altars in the church: the main one was in the name of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God; the right - Saint and Miracle-worker Nicholas; the left is the St. Evfimiya of Novgorod and St. Euphemia; on the right choirs - St. Tikhon of Zadonsk and St. Mitrofan of Voronezh; on the left choirs - St. Innocent of Irkutsk and the Monk Benjamin Caves and a cave shrine in the name of the Last Judgment of the Lord.
Irkutsk Kazan Cathedral was one of the largest religious buildings in Russia.
After the October Revolution, in conditions of persecution and terror against the church, the life of the cathedral began to wain considerably. In 1919 the steam heating was destroyed and divine services began to be performed only in the warm season. The cathedral was blown up in 1932. The broken brick was used to fill the area, the level of which, after levelling off the remains of the cathedral, rose almost a metre.
In 1938, almost at the same place where the majestic Kazan Cathedral stood, began the construction of the House of Soviets.
This stark grey coloured monolith, remains to this day........