History of the Annunciation Cathedral (Kharkov). Service in the Annunciation Cathedral. schedule

The majestic Annunciation Cathedral, located in the historical center of Kharkov, attracts admiring views with its unusual "striped" masonry and unusual for the Orthodox church forms. This is one of the architectural business cards of the city, which enjoys great attention of tourists.

History of the foundation of the temple

The history of the Annunciation Cathedral (Kharkov) is long and interesting. The first building of the Annunciation Church of the Zalopa parish was laid in 1655, at the same time as the Nativity and Nikolayevskaya. This one-temple temple was built of wood in a three-domed form, traditional for Ukraine, the belfry from the log cabin stood separately, and the territory was surrounded by a wicker hedge. Active development of the settlement gave impetus to the increase of the parish, where by 1720 there were already 2 priests in the state. In 1738 there was a major fire, the church burned down almost to the ground, but a few years later it was restored in its original form. The wooden church lasted 51 years, in 1789, in connection with the rapid growth of the urban population, it was decided to build a new building for the church.

Five years later, a new Orthodox monastery was built, which differed from the previous ones by its greater capacity and rich decorations (Colonel Batezatul, whose funds were used for construction, allocated pure gold for the gilding of the dome and the iconostasis). However, already in the 30's the church had to be expanded in connection with the growing number of parishioners every year. In the eighties of the XIX century, it was decided to expand the Annunciation Cathedral again. Kharkov, whose history is no less interesting than the history of the cathedral, began collecting donations for this good cause.

New Temple

In early October 1888, next to the old church was solemnly laid the new church. The old temple functioned all the time while building a new church building. The Construction Committee commissioned the development of the project to the architect Lovtsov, a professor at the Technological Institute. Construction was carried out for 13 years, mainly due to the rich donations of wealthy merchants of Kharkov, Kiev and Moscow. In total, about 7,000,000 bricks were needed to erect the temple, about 400,000 royal gold rubles were spent.

In 1901 a new church appeared in the city. It was a majestic building, executed in Byzantine style, to which the architect added elements inherent in traditional Romanesque temples. The cathedral is crowned with five domes. Thanks to the mixture of styles, the architect managed to achieve a surprising effect: with massive volumes, the temple seems airy and light. The abundance of details of the decor and the original "striped" facade created an original and memorable appearance of the temple.

The interior of the church was amazing. Especially for the new church, the famous Moscow sculptor Orlov from white marble was carved an iconostasis, which became a real pearl of the church. From the old temple, which was demolished after the consecration of the new, here moved the most significant and honored icons. The walls of the Orthodox monastery were painted by the best artists. The motives for painting the new church were partly borrowed from the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev.

In July 1914 the church was given a new status - the Annunciation Cathedral. Kharkov became the only city of the Russian Empire, in which the building of the Orthodox cathedral was built in Byzantine style.

Temple in the Soviet years

With the advent of Soviet power for the cathedral, a struggle began between the Orthodox dioceses, which lasted two years. In 1923, the Holy Annunciation Cathedral was plundered. Kharkov, in particular, lost the iconostasis and many church values, dismantled and taken out of the temple. In the same year, the first, but not the last, attempt was made to close the temple. In the years 1925-26. Concerts of sacred music were held in the building of the cathedral with the permission of the authorities on holidays.

In February 1930, the authorities finally decided to close the temple. Henceforth, its premises began to be used as a stables and oil depot.

The first after the closing of the church service in the Annunciation Cathedral of Kharkov was only on the day of liberation of the city from the fascist troops, August 23, 1943. After 3 years, the cathedral is awarded the title of cathedral. A few years later, the relics of the saints are transferred there. Meletios, St. Athanasius Paterelia sitting and Alexander (Petrovsky).

Modern history of the temple

In 1993, it was decided to transport the relics of the repressed Archbishop of Kharkov, the Great Martyr Alexander, to the building of the Annunciation Cathedral (Kharkov).

In 1997, during the welding operations in the podkupolnom room of the temple there was a very strong fire that destroyed the cross.

In 2008, around the cathedral was erected a new fence, which further emphasized the beauty and uniqueness of the Orthodox shrine.

Now on the territory of the Annunciation Cathedral there is one of Sunday schools in Kharkov. Priests take an active part in charity, patronize the hospitals, orphanages and nursing homes spiritually.

Interior decoration

Since 1946, the incorrupt relics of Athanasius of Constantinople sitting on the throne rest in the temple, which are the only such kind in the Orthodox world. In 1654, he died in one of the journeys, sitting on the throne, and was buried in the same position. Miracles, which are the imperishable relics of the saint, were repeatedly described by clergymen. Miracles are still going on: the attire and shoes of St. Athanasius completely wear out for two to three weeks, there is currently no scientific explanation for this phenomenon.

The interior of the Annunciation Cathedral (Kharkov) amazes with its wealth and splendor. Restorers have done a lot of work, as a result of which the renewed altar, wall paintings and decorative elements made the temple a real gem of Orthodox monasteries.

On the territory of the cathedral the Kharkiv Metropolitan Nikodim, known for his good deeds, who died in 2011, is buried.

Legends

Probably, there are no legends about any other temple in the world, how many of them exist about the Annunciation Cathedral.

According to the first legend, the whole city will fall, if you take out of the temple the relics of St. Athanasius.

The second legend says that the place was chosen unsuccessfully: whether earlier there was a gallows of the city, or a pagan temple, or even the planes of otherworldly worlds intersect . As a proof of this, three times suffered the cross of the temple: once it was carried to the river, the second hurricane bent at an angle of 90 degrees in relation to the dome, and for the third time in general, the fire destroyed. However, the place for the future temple was chosen in the distant 17th century, and then it was given great importance.

The third legend says that the Annunciation Cathedral and the Belgorod Monastery are connected by an underground tunnel. Who knows, maybe this legend is true, no one gave refutation.

The Annunciation Cathedral (Kharkov), the schedule of services

The temple can accommodate up to 5,000 people, in festive services, parishioners who do not enter the building stand even in the cathedral.

Every Sunday at 4:00 pm, the Sunday Vigil service begins, and at 7:00 am the next day the Divine Liturgy is read. The time of baptisms, weddings, requiems and other requests must be agreed separately.

More detailed information on the official site is provided by the Annunciation Cathedral (Kharkov). The schedule of festive divine services, posts, news, requests - all this can be found on the page of the temple on the Internet.

The cathedral is open to everyone every day from 7.30 to 11.30.

How to get there

The temple is located near the metro station "Central Market".

You can take a bus on any route passing through the Central Market or the Poltava route, on the 20th tram route to the Central Market or on Route 6 to the stop "Lopanskaya Naberezhnaya".

The Annunciation Cathedral of Kharkov is one of the 7 wonders of the city, the most beautiful, majestic cathedral, which became his real visiting card. The temple is one of the sites of the Orthodox pilgrimage, visited annually by a very large number of believers.