Assumption Cathedral, Kharkiv
Encyclopedia
The Assumption or Dormition Cathedral was the main Orthodox church of Kharkiv
, Ukraine
until the construction of the Annunciation Cathedral
in 1901. The cathedral stands on the University Hill by the bank of the Lopan River
and dominates the entire downtown. The Neoclassical
cathedral belltower, built in the 1820s and 1830s to a height of 90 meters, remained the tallest building in the city until the 21st century.
The original Dormition Church was built in the Kharkov Fortress in the 1680s. It was completely rebuilt after a fire to a Late Baroque
design loosely based on St Clement's Church, Moscow
. The cathedral was consecrated in 1780 in the presence of Ukraine's governor, Pyotr Rumyantsev
. The church boasted a gilded icon screen, carved from limewood to Rastrelli's Rococo
design.
The free-standing Alexander Belltower was built in the aftermath of Napoleon's expulsion from Russia "to express the people's gratitude to Alexander I
". It used to be the second tallest building in Ukraine after the Great Lavra Belltower
. The seat of the local bishop was moved from the older Intercession Cathedral to the Dormition Church in 1846. A large French clock
was installed in the bell tower in 1856.
The Soviet authorities closed the cathedral and had its domes torn down in 1929. The belfry was further damaged by a tornado
in 1975. The cathedral was restored in the late 1970s and reverted to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
in 2006. The local bishopric shares it with a philharmonic society which had a Rieger–Kloss organ installed in the building back in 1986.
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
until the construction of the Annunciation Cathedral
Annunciation Cathedral, Kharkiv
The Annunciation Cathedral is the main Orthodox church of Kharkiv, Ukraine. The pentacupolar Neo-Byzantine structure with a distinctive 80-meter-tall bell tower was erected between 1889 and 1901, from designs by a local architect, Mikhail Lovtsov....
in 1901. The cathedral stands on the University Hill by the bank of the Lopan River
Lopan River
The Loppan' River is a river that rises in Belgorod Oblast of Russia and flows across the Russian-Ukrainian border into Kharkiv Oblast where it joins the Udy River in Kharkiv. The river is 93 km long. The Kharkiv River is one of its tributaries....
and dominates the entire downtown. The Neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
cathedral belltower, built in the 1820s and 1830s to a height of 90 meters, remained the tallest building in the city until the 21st century.
The original Dormition Church was built in the Kharkov Fortress in the 1680s. It was completely rebuilt after a fire to a Late Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
design loosely based on St Clement's Church, Moscow
St Clement's Church, Moscow
St. Clement's Church is one of the two Orthodox churches in Moscow dedicated to a Roman Pope, St. Clement I. The massive five-domed two-storey church used to dominate the skyline of Zamoskvorechye...
. The cathedral was consecrated in 1780 in the presence of Ukraine's governor, Pyotr Rumyantsev
Pyotr Rumyantsev
Count Pyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky was one of the foremost Russian generals of the 18th century. He governed Little Russia in the name of Empress Catherine the Great from the abolition of the Cossack Hetmanate in 1764 until Catherine's death 32 years later...
. The church boasted a gilded icon screen, carved from limewood to Rastrelli's Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
design.
The free-standing Alexander Belltower was built in the aftermath of Napoleon's expulsion from Russia "to express the people's gratitude to Alexander I
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
". It used to be the second tallest building in Ukraine after the Great Lavra Belltower
Great Lavra Belltower
The Great Lavra Belltower or the Great Belfry is the main belltower of the ancient cave monastery of Kiev Pechersk Lavra in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. It is one of the most notable buildings of the Kiev skyline ....
. The seat of the local bishop was moved from the older Intercession Cathedral to the Dormition Church in 1846. A large French clock
Clock
A clock is an instrument used to indicate, keep, and co-ordinate time. The word clock is derived ultimately from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell". A silent instrument missing such a mechanism has traditionally been known as a timepiece...
was installed in the bell tower in 1856.
The Soviet authorities closed the cathedral and had its domes torn down in 1929. The belfry was further damaged by a tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
in 1975. The cathedral was restored in the late 1970s and reverted to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is an autonomous Church of Eastern Orthodoxy in Ukraine, under the ecclesiastic jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate...
in 2006. The local bishopric shares it with a philharmonic society which had a Rieger–Kloss organ installed in the building back in 1986.
See also
- Annunciation Cathedral, KharkivAnnunciation Cathedral, KharkivThe Annunciation Cathedral is the main Orthodox church of Kharkiv, Ukraine. The pentacupolar Neo-Byzantine structure with a distinctive 80-meter-tall bell tower was erected between 1889 and 1901, from designs by a local architect, Mikhail Lovtsov....
- List of tallest Orthodox churches