Sochi: temples and cathedrals

The city of Sochi is known as the largest resort on the Black Sea coast of Russia and the capital of the 2014 Winter Olympics. But not everyone knows that over 180 years of the city's existence, it was built more than 30 churches and temples, as well as 2 monasteries. There are always a lot of tourists here. For many tourists in Sochi, temples represent sights. But there are people who come to the city for treatment. It is important for them to be able to put a candle on the health of their loved ones or return home safely and attach themselves to unique icons.

Where you can pray in Sochi

During the preparations for the Olympics-2014, active construction began, due to which the city's population increased. It was also expected that a large number of athletes and guests of the Olympics would come from different countries. In this regard, the construction of religious buildings in Sochi began. The temples built during this period belong to different religious denominations.

The Orthodox community has about 40 churches and chapels, the Trinity St. George Monastery and the Monastery of the Holy Cross Deserts.

About 1,5 thousand inhabitants of the city are adherents of the Roman Catholic faith and conduct divine services in the temple of the Apostles Simon and Fadeia. In the city there are also adherents of the Armenian church. At their disposal are 4 churches and the Apostolic Armenian Church. In addition to these churches and cathedrals, there are 10 prayer houses belonging to the Protestant community in the city, and the Muslim service is held in a mosque in the mountain village of Thagapsh and the cathedral mosque in Bytkha.

The Cathedral of Michael the Archangel - the memory of the end of the Caucasian War

In 1838 the city of Sochi was founded. Temples in it began to erect in 1874. The first of these was the Cathedral of Michael the Archangel, built by the decree of Mikhail Romanov on the occasion of the end of the war in the Caucasus. Construction continued until 1890, consecration took place in 1891. The church is located in the center of Sochi and enjoys great popularity among Orthodox believers.

It operated until 1931, after which the divine services ceased and it was turned into a warehouse. During the war the cathedral was returned to the church, after that it was rebuilt, and in 1990 completed the complete reconstruction, giving the original look. The temple with the bell tower rises to 34 meters, its length is 25.6 m. Next to the cathedral built the baptism of the Iberian icon of the Mother of God and the Sunday school of Saints Cyril and Methodius.

Temple of St. Prince Vladimir

On the Vinogradnaya Street is the Temple of Prince Vladimir. Sochi is a city in which many cathedrals look very impressive. This can be said about the Temple of Prince Vladimir, who was built in honor of the Baptist of Russia. Its almost mystical meaning is very great for the city. The exterior of the temple is close to the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed. The walls of the building are decorated with bright decorative details of green, blue and red colors, conveying the cheerful character of the church. The domes are helmet shaped and decorated with gold, the facade is decorated with mosaic icons and colored paintings.

The Temple of Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir was built from 2005 to 2011. After the construction was completed, it was consecrated by Metropolitan Ekaterinodar and Kuban. Despite the fact that the church was built quite recently, its significance is very great for the Orthodox religion.

Temple of the Holy Face - The Olympic Cathedral in Sochi

The Holy Church (Sochi) was popularly called Olympic because it was built near the Olympic Park. In 2010, the city built a road leading to future sports facilities. During the excavations, the ruins of the Byzantine basilica of the 9th century were discovered, then it was decided to build a new church instead. The stone from the ruins of the basilica was consecrated in August 2012 and laid in the foundation of the future church. A year and a half later, in a deserted place, a church was built in accordance with Byzantine traditions. The consecration of the church and the first divine service took place in the early days of February 2014.

The height of the Temple of the Holy Face is 43 meters, the domes are decorated with gold leaf, the walls inside are painted with frescoes in the style of the artist Vasnetsov. About 40 leading Russian artists participated in the wall painting. In the center of the arch there is a figure of the Savior surrounded by seraphim. There is a large conference hall in the building of the temple, and a shelter for priests is built in the park.

Hostinskiy Transfiguration Church

Hosta is one of the districts of the city. Since the foundation of Sochi, temples have not been built in it. This caused inconvenience to the population of the village. At the beginning of the last century in this area was a summer residence of one of the ministers of tsarist Russia IG. Shcheglovitova. At the initiative of his wife in the village, a board of trustees was organized to build an Orthodox church. Maria Fyodorovna was collecting money and got 4000 rubles for the construction of the church from Emperor Nicholas II. The project was entrusted to the local architect V.A. Ion, who took as a basis the architecture of the Jerusalem Temple of the Holy Sepulcher.

The Transfiguration Church (Sochi) was built and consecrated in 1914. Divine services were held until 1917. After the October Revolution the church was closed. It stood for so many years, until in 1981 the building was not opened ATS. A little later, an Orthodox community was organized in Khost, which served in a small annex to the building. In 2001 the church was returned to the Orthodox Church. Now it contains fragments of the relics of the apostles Peter and Foma, as well as the Moscow Patriarch Tikhon.

Despite the fact that among the population are still strong anti-church sentiments, more and more Sochi residents believe in the help of higher forces and visit the temples and cathedrals of the city.