Assumption Cathedral in Omsk. Holy Dormition Cathedral: address

The main Orthodox site of the city of Omsk is the Uspensky Cathedral, built in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. Despite the complex history, the temple operates to this day and gathers in its walls thousands of parishioners.

How the Assumption Cathedral was built

Architect Ernest Wirrich, famous for designing the main streets of St. Petersburg, laid the foundation stone of the future temple in the summer of 1891. Prior to that for a long 13 years, preparatory work was carried out. Initially, the Assumption Cathedral (Omsk) was built on money from donations and the foundation of the municipal Orthodox Union. That is why the process dragged on for many years.

At the heart of the project was a church in St. Petersburg - the famous Spas-on-the-Blood. Nevertheless, the Assumption Cathedral in Omsk did not become a simple copy, but received its own revised appearance. During the construction, more than 30 types of bricks were used, so the structure was largely unique.

Uspensky Cathedral (Omsk) was a combination of the best ideas of traditional folk and Byzantine styles. This is how the architects of that time saw the main prayer structures of the country. From Byzantine architecture, Wirrich took bulbous heads, and from Russian - tent porches, framing arches and platbands, melons, decorative kokoshnichki and stuff. The temple was opened in 1898, and several years later, numerous playgrounds, a parish school and two schools appeared on the adjacent territory.

On the verge of extinction

After the revolution, the Assumption Cathedral in Omsk experienced difficult times. In 1920, the temple along with the entire territory was given over to the Renovationists, who could not keep it. Gradually the parishioners began to turn away from the house of God.

By the mid-1920s, the Assumption Cathedral in Omsk was completely empty. It is for this reason that the local authorities decided to begin the demolition of the structure. First of all, the iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral suffered from the plunder. After him, chapters and bells were removed. By 1934, only the walls and the roof remained from the temple. After a while, the building was converted into an opera house for the workers of the regional party committee.

In February 1935, the municipal executive committee decided to demolish the building for the benefit of the future Omsk People's Commissar. The procedure did not take much time. By the end of the year, the ruins were formed on the site of the temple, and the bishop's garden for the parishioners' children became a place for meetings of pioneers. From the cathedral remained only part of the altar wall. In the mid-1990s, the city authorities made a decorative fountain in place of the ruins.

Resurrection from the ashes

In the summer of 2005, by the decision of the regional government, the reconstruction of the temple began, which resulted in the current Uspensky Cathedral in Omsk. It should be noted that during the excavation, entire burials were discovered. Archaeologists found in the foundation on which the Assumption Cathedral was located in Omsk, the relics of Archbishop Silvester. Also in the tomb were found the ancient icons and the porch of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The first stone in the foundation of the new church was laid by Metropolitan Theodosius. Also the father Omsk and Tarski placed in the foundation an ark with the relics of the holy martyr Sylvester. In January 2006, the active construction of the walls began, and by August in the cathedral, new newly poured bells (13 pieces) were consecrated.

A few months later, domes were raised, the total weight of which was 15 tons. In April 2007, a cross was established, and in May ceramic and painted works began. So by mid-summer, July 15, the cathedral was completely erected from the ground up and consecrated.

Architecture and interior

The area of the temple is more than 1500 square meters. Meters. The height of the bell tower together with the cross is 47 m. The diameter of the main dome is 15 meters. St. Uspensky Cathedral (Omsk) is a majestic five-domed building. The domes are made in a helmet shape. At their base are powerful cylindrical towers with arched windows.

Above the main dome is an 8-gang lantern with pilasters. A similar style was used in the construction of the bell tower with the upper interception. The crosses on the heads are eight-pointed. It is worth noting that the bell tower is made of three tiers with elongated apertures. Such an architectural move is used quite rarely, but the architects are based on the original designs of Ernest Wirrich.

The interior of the cathedral consists of the main and middle halls, as well as the porch with a bell tower and a refectory. A five-faced concha is located above the altar. As for the roof of the refectory, it is a classic gable. In the basement of the church, a kind of cladding such as rustic is applied. Each room is decorated with amazing murals of warm tones, decorative niches, scapulas and multi-tier cornices. The windows of the cathedral are decorated with carved platbands.

Shrines and icons

The most important component of the temple of the 19th century was the image of the holy princess, known to the townspeople as Anna Kashinskaya. At the base of the frame there were particles of relics of the faithful.

Icons of the Assumption Cathedral of that time require special attention. In the early 1910s, Bishop Andronik brought with him a number of miraculous images from Novgorod. These were the icons of Our Lady, St. Euphrosyne, Great Martyr Barbara and others. Each of them contained the relics of saints. Currently, the main shrine of the cathedral is the cancer with body parts and clothing of Archbishop Silvester. The relics in 2009 were transferred to the cave church (the lower tier of the church). Also in the iconostasis of the cathedral is the image of the Mother of God of Kazan with the personal signature of Patriarch Alexis II.

The clergy of the temple

At the end of the 19th century, the staff of the Assumption Cathedral included 11 persons: the archpriest, 2 priests, clerks, 2 psalmists and 5 deacons. The first head of the temple was the abbot of Nedosekov. It was he who at the beginning of the 20th century founded, together with the clerk Skalsky, the Omsk Ecclesiastical School. Since 1911, Archpriest Soloviev was archpriest, who for his faithful service received the Order of St. Anne of the highest degree.

Currently, the cathedral is headed by Metropolitan Volodymyr. In his submission there are six priests and five deacons. Chief among the clergy is the cleric Oleg. The archpriest of the church is Valery Zheltovsky.

Addresses and services

The St. Uspensky Cathedral (Omsk) is located in the building No. 12 on Internatsionalnaya Street. Its domes and bell tower are visible from afar, so finding a temple will not be difficult. Public transport also runs next to it. Today, the Assumption Cathedral, a service in which it is held in the evenings on weekdays and weekends, is open daily until late at night for all comers. On holidays, parishioners have the opportunity to climb the bell tower.

The following cathedrals of Omsk are also attributed to the cathedral church: Voskresensky, Pavel Komelsky and Iversk.

Good to know

For the initial construction of the temple in the late 19th century, the necessary funds were collected not only by the city authorities and the Holy Synod, but also by parishioners from across the empire. The Treasury took over the interior decoration, and the iconostasis was imported for the personal money of Nicholas II. Total for the construction and decoration took more than 125 thousand rubles.

In April 2005, in the Omsk region, a grandiose exhibition project dedicated to the Uspensky Cathedral of the late 19th century was launched. The exposition included rare exhibits of ancient Russian architecture, church vestments, books and the first photographs of the church. Today, various festive events of city and state significance are annually held on the square adjacent to the cathedral, for example, the parade by May 9. Also, with the recent measures, the main road to the temple by the decree of the regional government has become the main venue for sports competitions.