Holy Assumption Cathedral (also known as the Cathedral of the Assumption Holy Mother of God) is the main religious landmark of Smolensk, located in its center, on Cathedral Hill, from where a panoramic view of the city opens. The cathedral is an object cultural heritage federal significance.
The Assumption Cathedral was erected in 1677 on the site of the 12th century cathedral of the same name.
The height of the Holy Assumption Cathedral is 69 meters.
The architectural ensemble also includes a bell tower, chambers and carriage buildings.
The cathedral itself is made in the Baroque style, inside there is an iconostasis over 30 meters high.
Schedule of services in the Assumption Cathedral of Smolensk
Divine services are held according to the traditional schedule: on weekdays at 09:00 - Divine Liturgy, at 18:00 - all-night vigil. On weekends and holidays: 07:00 - early liturgy, at 10:00 - late, at 18:00 - all-night vigil. In the days Orthodox holidays Schedule is subject to change, please call for more details.
History of the Assumption Cathedral
The original cathedral was founded in 1101 by Prince Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh, who ordered to lay the stone Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on this site (simultaneously with the foundation of the cathedral of the same name in Suzdal).
This stone cathedral remained the only stone church building in the city for almost half a century. After the consecration of the cathedral, Vladimir Monomakh transferred to it the icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria, which he inherited from his parents.
In 1127, with the coming to power of the grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, Prince Rostislav Mstislavovich, the Smolensk principality began to flourish, and in 1136-1137 a special Smolensk diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church was established, and the Assumption Cathedral (finally completed by that time) became the main cathedral.
The tragic event of the destruction of the Assumption Cathedral took place in 1611 - then the stocks of explosives that were stored near the cathedral hill were blown up. As a result of the explosion, part of the cathedral collapsed.
In 1674-75, after the liberation of Smolensk from the Polish-Lithuanian occupation, the old building of the Assumption Cathedral was finally dismantled. Two years later, it was decided to build a new cathedral building, increasing it in size. The architect was Alexei Korolkov. But he could not complete the construction, the work was suspended until 1712. The temple was finally completed only in 1740 and had 7 domes. After 20 years, two chapters collapsed. The temple was rebuilt by the architect Obukhov, who gave the cathedral a traditional look with 5 domes.
The cathedral was practically not damaged during the Patriotic War of 1812. The French emperor Napoleon was struck by the beauty of the cathedral and ordered to guard it.
The cathedral also survived during the Nazi occupation. Then the prototype of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God disappeared from it, the building itself remained unharmed.
During the period of Soviet power, during the times of religious persecution, an anti-religious museum was housed in the church.
In the end, the Assumption Cathedral was transferred back to the Russian Orthodox Church, and now it is one of the main tourist attractions in the city.
Icons of the Assumption Cathedral in Smolensk
The Smolensk Holy Assumption Cathedral houses several Orthodox shrines, including the icon of St. Seraphim of Sarov and the image of the Mother of God Hodegetria (“Guidebook”), which, according to legend, was painted by the holy evangelist Luke.
Among other shrines, it is worth noting the iron sandals of the intercessor of Smolensk, St. Mercury, who is revered as a martyr. He defended Smolensk from the attack of Batu Khan in 1239, having been martyred. His body was buried in the Assumption Cathedral.
The skillfully executed five-tiered iconostasis, more than 30 meters high, presumably belongs to the 1730s-40s.
How to get there
The Assumption Cathedral in Smolensk is easily accessible by public transport.
The nearest stop of urban land transport is Sobolev Street.
The following routes are suitable for you:
- buses No. 3, 7, 9, 10, 19, 22, 22sh, 23, 27, 31, 33, 38, 113, 164
- fixed-route taxis No. 2n, 9n, 13n, 16n, 27n, 38n, 41n, 46n, 52n, 55n, 56n and 119.
From Sobolev Street, you will need to turn onto Sobornaya Gora Street, on which the Assumption Cathedral is located. The walk from the stop will take you 10 minutes.
You can walk from the city railway station in half an hour: the road will pass along 12 Years of October Street, then along Kashen Street and down Belyaeva Street along the bridge across the Dnieper to Soboleva Street.
To order a car, you can use the applications of local taxi services: Gett and the Lucky taxi network operate in Smolensk.
Entrance to the Assumption Cathedral on Google panoramas:
Video about the Assumption Cathedral in Smolensk:
Holy Assumption Cathedral in Vitebsk- one of the unique temples Belarus, built in a picturesque corner of the city - on a high bank. There used to be an old church, destroyed in Soviet time. But in early XXI century Temple resurrected. Today it is the only Cathedral in Vitebsk, the lower active tier of which is underground.
As soon as Soviet power was established in Vitebsk, Assumption Cathedral was closed, and in 1936 Temple blew up. Some sources mention an earlier destruction temple- in 1934, but the essence remains the essence. Undoubtedly, it was a great loss for culture of Vitebsk. Then, for many residents of the city, what they saw was a miracle: on the site of the cathedral, there were not fragments of walls, but separate bricks into which the church crumbled.
After 15 years in place Assumption Cathedral they built a workshop for a grinding machine plant, but in the 80s the building fell into disrepair, and in 1998 the workshop was completely demolished.
Actively develop a restoration project Assumption Cathedral in Vitebsk began in the early 90s. In 1998, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II at the construction site temple laid a capsule with a commemorative letter and consecrated the first stone.
During the archaeological excavations that preceded the restoration Assumption Cathedral managed to establish the exact location of the temple. At the same time, the remains of people were also found - most likely victims of the NKVD or the Nazi Gestapo. They were buried near temple- this is evidenced by a tablet on the north wall of the cathedral.
In June 2000, active restoration of the destroyed began. And three years later, the first liturgy was celebrated in the lower tier under construction. Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The lower tier was completed in 2005. Exactly one year later, the first floor was erected Assumption Cathedral, and by the end of 2007, the second one was completed and the bell towers were erected. In 2008, 10 bells were installed on the south tower. And in March 2011, another set of 11 bells adorned the north tower. By the way, the largest bell in all of Belarus is installed here, the weight of which is 5.2 tons.
Grand opening Holy Dormition Cathedral dedicated to the great church holiday– Annunciation, took place on April 7, 2011.
If you are in the city for the first time and do not know what to see in Vitebsk, you can look at city portal. Here you will find information about objects that are nearby Assumption Cathedral. Among them, no less interesting sights of Vitebsk- , and . A walk through the picturesque views of Vitebsk.
Holy Assumption Cathedral (Russia) - description, history, location. Exact address and website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.
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Holy Dormition Cathedral - the largest church in Omsk. It is included in the catalog of world temple culture and is considered a unique monument of Russian architecture.
The first stone in the foundation of the future temple was laid by Nicholas II, who was not yet an emperor, but only a crown prince. When Omsk becomes the capital of White Russia, the Holy Assumption Cathedral will be the main temple for the White Guard movement.
During the construction of the Holy Assumption Church, the project of the Church of the Savior on Blood in St. Petersburg was taken as a basis. The architect Wirrich did not make an exact copy of the capital's church, but creatively reworked the original version of the project. The result is a unique building.
After the revolution, the Holy Assumption Cathedral in Omsk suffered a sad fate. At first, the temple was supposed to be converted into an opera house, but the acoustics turned out to be insufficient, and the building was blown up in 1935, and the church bells were transferred for remelting. On the cleared place, the Garden of Pioneers was laid out, where the city's Christmas tree was held annually. Only in 2005, the authorities of Omsk decided to restore the sanctuary. The temple was recreated as an exact copy of the destroyed one. The consecration of the Holy Assumption Cathedral took place in 2007, in the same year new bells rang.
In 2009, a shrine with the relics of Archbishop Sylvester, who was shot in Omsk shortly before the destruction of the temple, was installed in the cathedral. Anyone can bow to the relics of the martyr.
After the consecration of the temple, the area around it was renamed the Cathedral. Now all the main city holidays are held here.
If possible, take a walk around the temple in the evening. With the onset of darkness, the building is illuminated with a large number of lamps, thanks to which the Holy Assumption Cathedral looks especially majestic.
Address: Omsk, International, 12.
Photo: Holy Dormition Cathedral
Photo and description
Vitebsk Holy Assumption Cathedral is a temple that was destroyed and rebuilt 12 times.
The hill on which the cathedral now stands has been known since ancient times. Once upon a time there was a pagan temple on the hill, later the abandoned sanctuary of the old gods began to enjoy a bad reputation, for which it was nicknamed the Bald Mountain. The Orthodox priests who came to Vitebsk decided to build a church of the Most Holy Theotokos on the site of the former temple, which they successfully carried out. As early as 1406, there is a mention of an Orthodox church standing on Prechistenskaya Hill (this is how they began to call Bald Mountain).
At the beginning of the 15th century, on the site of the destroyed wooden church, a new stone cathedral church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built, at which the archbishop's metochion was located, and the hill began to be called the Assumption Mountain. In 1619, the Uniates took away the Assumption Church. Near it, Archbishop Iosafat Kuntsevich set up his residence, advocating the transition of all the lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to Catholicism. It was here, in the residence of Iosafat Kuntsevich on the Assumption (Bald) Mountain, that the memorable murder of the Uniate archbishop took place, after which his body was thrown from the mountain into the river. The temple, hated by Orthodox Christians, was destroyed by the rebels, and then it was dismantled and rebuilt by the rebels by court order.
In 1629 there was a fire. In 1636, the temple was rebuilt on the site of the burnt church. For some reason, this temple quickly fell into disrepair and in 1682 a new temple and a Basilian monastery were built in its place. In 1708, Tsar Peter I ordered to burn Vitebsk, and with it the Basilian monastery. The hastily built church at the new Basilian monastery turned out to be too cramped. In 1715, it was dismantled, and in its place, at the expense of the tradesman Miron Galuzo, a more spacious temple was built for the monastery.
In 1722, during a fire, the Basilian monastery burned down, and with it the church. For 20 years the Assumption Mountain was empty. Again they remembered its former name Bald Mountain, and again unkind rumors about this place spread. In 1743, it was decided to rebuild a Basilian monastery and a stone church in the same place. In 1799, a large and beautiful stone Basilian church was handed over to Orthodox Christians, who rebuilt and decorated it in their own way.
The French did not bypass the new cathedral in 1812. They liked the building at the confluence of the Vitba and Zapadnaya Dvina rivers, and they set up an infirmary in the temple, thoroughly robbing it along the way and destroying the interior decoration. The temple has been restored. In 1831, Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, who died of cholera, was buried there.
After the arrival of the Bolsheviks in Vitebsk, it was decided to immediately demolish the Assumption Church. It was blown up in 1936. After the Great Patriotic War On the Assumption Mountain, a plant producing machine tools was built. In the 1980s, the apparently unprofitable plant was abandoned. For many years, the most terrible urban legends circulated about this place.
On September 26, 1998, a solemn ceremony took place at which the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II laid the first stone of the temple with a commemorative letter for posterity.
Archaeological finds discovered during the construction of the temple shocked the builders: hundreds of human remains were found on the site of the former monastery cellars. However, despite the terrible discovery, construction continued, and the found human bones were buried near the temple after its consecration in 2005.
Mindful of the history of previous temples, priests were literally on duty during the construction, each stage of construction was consecrated and blessed. The fully built, finished and decorated Assumption Cathedral was opened to parishioners on April 7, 2011.
The Assumption Cathedral of Smolensk is both the main cathedral of the city and a monument symbolizing its heroic and turbulent history, and, together with the rest of the buildings of the Cathedral Mountain, a luxurious architectural ensemble that is the main dominant of Smolensk, its symbol and decoration. If you don’t visit here, then you won’t see the city either. And so the first thing we go to the Holy Assumption Cathedral.
1. The ensemble of the Cathedral Hill in the form in which it exists today was formed mainly by the middle of the 18th century. How good that in historical center Smolensk no high-rise buildings! Thanks to this, the turquoise cathedral with white stucco is clearly visible from almost anywhere in the city, and even from trains passing through Smolensk. On the left - the Assumption Cathedral, on the right - the gate of the Epiphany Cathedral, built in different years, but in the same style - baroque. You can get to the top of the Cathedral Hill by passing under the arch of the gate of the Epiphany Cathedral, built in 1787, or by stairs from Bolshaya Sovetskaya.
2. At the end of the 11th century, Smolensk became a specific city of the grandson of Yaroslav the Wise - Vladimir Monomakh. Prince attached great importance Smolensk. In 1101 he founded here a large stone cathedral in honor of the Assumption of the Mother of God. Vladimir Monomakh took part in the consecration of the cathedral and at the same time placed in it the image of the Mother of God Hodegetria. By the 40s of the XII century, an ancient architectural ensemble had formed on Cathedral Hill.
3. On Cathedral Hill there is not only the ensemble of the Assumption Cathedral, but also the complex of the Bishop's Court.
4. Until the beginning of the 17th century, despite the turbulent historical events that took place in Smolensk, the cathedral retained its original appearance. In 1609, the Polish king Sigismund went on a military campaign against Russia. In September of the same year, the Polish army besieged Smolensk. The heroic defense of the city lasted 20 months. During the assault, powder magazines located in the thickness of the Cathedral Mountain were blown up. The explosion destroyed almost the entire top of the cathedral. The Poles, blocking the building with boards, built a church in it.
5. After the return of Smolensk, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, taking care of building Orthodox churches in the cities returned from Poland, on November 30, 1676, he sent the Smolensk Archbishop Simeon a plan for building the Smolensk Assumption Cathedral on the site of the former church. On August 2, 1677, the cathedral was founded. Construction work proceeded rather quickly at first. But since 1679 the construction of the temple was suspended and only in 1728 resumed. The architect Anton Ivanovich Shedel is considered the author of the project for the completion of the cathedral. On August 13, 1740, the cathedral was consecrated. But its fragility was revealed almost immediately: dangerous cracks appeared in the vaults and domes. It was decided to replace the plank roof with a tin one.
6. By 1760, the architect Pyotr Obukhov rebuilt the domes of the cathedral. He removed the seven-domed completion and crowned the cathedral with the traditional five-domed dome, instead of a large stone dome, he installed a wooden one.
7. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the cathedral went through hard times. He miraculously survived the Patriotic War of 1812. Having taken Smolensk, the French not only did not destroy the temple, but also guarded it. Only the helmet of the patron saint of Smolensk, Saint Mercury, disappeared. During the Great Patriotic War, the cathedral also survived, but forever lost its main shrine - the Smolensk miraculous icon. Mother of God"Hodegetria".
8. Forged gate leading to the courtyard of the cathedral.
9. An elegant two-tiered bell tower was erected at the northwestern corner of the cathedral in 1766-1772. It has a domed roof with a cupola and two floors, the lower of which was built on the remains of a 17th-century bell tower. The stone fence around the Assumption Cathedral and the upper part of the stairs made of granite were built simultaneously with the bell tower (60-70s of the 18th century).
10. An extension for the clock adjoins the eastern wall of the bell tower. The clock was made in 1791 by the Smolensk master V. Sokolov.
11. Detail of the decor of the bell tower.
12. On the turquoise facades of the cathedral and the bell tower - an abundance of white baroque decor.
13. An ancient bell stands on a wooden stand near the bell tower. The date on it is 1636.
14. On both sides of the entrance to the cathedral there are signs telling about the heroic history of Smolensk: "The architectural monument of the Assumption Cathedral. Erected as a monument to the heroic defense of Smolensk in 1609-1611. Its construction began in 1677 by the Moscow stone worker apprentice Alexei Korolkov. In In 1679, the eastern wall collapsed during construction. Work stopped. The construction of the cathedral was completed in 1732-1740 according to the project of the architect AI Shedel".
15. The cathedral keeps a lot of unique items. Its main shrines are the Smolensk icon of the Mother of God "Hodegetria", the sandals of St. Mercury, the patron saint of Smolensk, the embroidered veil "The Entombment".
The five-tiered iconostasis of the cathedral was made in the 1730-40s by the Ukrainian carver S. Trusitsky with assistants P. Durnitsky, F. Olitsky and S. Yakovlev. The icons were probably painted by the same masters. The iconostasis is an outstanding monument of baroque architecture.
16. It is not known exactly how the ancient Hodegetria icon came to Russia. According to legend, she was brought by the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomakh, who was married to Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich. The Byzantine princess and the Russian prince had a son, Vladimir, and a daughter, Janka. After the death of his parents, the icon passed to Vladimir Monomakh. It was he who brought it to Smolensk at the beginning of the 12th century and placed it in a new cathedral. Then she began to be called "Smolensk".
The image was miraculous. One of the main miracles was the deliverance of the city from the invasion of Batu in 1239. At the behest of the icon, the righteous warrior Mercury went to the enemy camp and saved Smolensk at the cost of his life. Mercury was canonized and buried in the cathedral church.
In 1941, on the site of the missing icon, the image of the Mother of God "Hodegetria" (1602), brought by Boris Godunov, was installed. Now this icon is located on the right side of the cathedral, two cast-iron stairs lead to it, converging on a cast-iron platform near the icon.
17. In the left pillar is another shrine of the Smolensk Cathedral - the Shroud "The Entombment". As the inscription embroidered on it at the feet of Christ says, the shroud was embroidered in the workshops of Euphrosyne Staritskaya in 1561. Princess Staritskaya, aunt of Ivan the Terrible, was implicated in a conspiracy against Ivan. In 1563 she was exiled to the Goritsky monastery near Kirillov. In addition to this shroud, two more have been preserved, from the workshops of Staritskaya - one in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery (1561), the second in the Russian Museum (1560).
The Shroud, located in the Assumption Cathedral, was the princess's contribution to the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. From it, along with other valuables, the shroud was stolen by the French in 1812 and sent to France. Smolensk partisans repulsed the Napoleonic convoy and, as a reward for this, the shroud was granted to the Smolensk Assumption Cathedral.
22. June 9-12 became special days for the Holy Dormition Cathedral. A particle of relics was delivered to the cathedral - the right hand of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious, and a miraculous icon.
23. The ark with the relics was accompanied by a delegation of Athos monks from the Xenophon monastery. They also accepted notes from believers in the courtyard of the cathedral.
24. On the Cathedral Hill in the souvenir shop you can buy icons, books, booklets.
25. View from the Assumption Cathedral to the Resurrection Monastery.
27. Staircase leading from the cathedral. To the right - a monument to Kutuzov and a parking lot, to the left - Bolshaya Sovetskaya.
29. Outside the walls of the cathedral...
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30. View of the bell tower and the Assumption Cathedral.
33. It is interesting that historically the Cathedral Hill complex does not begin with a cathedral, but with an observation deck in the eastern part. There used to be a princely tower here, built in the middle of the 12th century, presumably by Prince Rostislav.
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