Russian Orthodox Church: Irkutsk, Kazan Church

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The Mother of God-Irkutsk Church is evidence of the talent of the Trans-Ural masters who created a real work of art. Built in the Russian-Byzantine style, the temple adorns Irkutsk.

The Kazan Church, like other places of worship in the post-Soviet space, has experienced many misfortunes, but has been revived. In beauty and grandeur, it is not inferior to the leading cathedrals of the world. In the Irkutsk and Angarsk diocese, the church serves as a cathedral.

How the temple appeared

At the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th century, the first settlements appeared on Siberian land near the Ushakovka River. The visitors were Orthodox, they felt the need to communicate with God. Since 1803, the parishioners visited the Boriso-Gleb church, but soon it became too small for everyone who wanted to pray and repent for sins. Then the famous gold miner, honorary citizen of Irkutsk Alexander Sibiryakov donated money for the construction of a new temple. Also, the necessary funds were allocated by Dmitry Demidov and AlexanderTrapeznikov, who want to transform their native Irkutsk. The Kazan Church was built with donations from caring people.

Construction

Before construction work began, a special committee was formed. Initially, it was planned to consecrate the temple in honor of St. Nicholas, but later they decided to build the Church of the Kazan Mother of God - the intercessor of the Russian people.

At that time, the Irkutsk land was rich in skilled craftsmen: carvers, icon painters, gilders, etc. All of them gladly took part in the design of the temple. The name of Vladimir Fyodorovich Karataev, who made choirs and iconostases for the side chapels of the church, has come down to our days. The composition "Evangelists" was written by a graduate of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts Maxim Ivanovich Zyazin, who came to work in Irkutsk. The Kazan Church was not the artist's only place of work. M. I. Zyazin taught drawing at the Irkutsk Teachers' Seminary and Technical School.

The parishioners who brought money, candles, icons, books, covers, vestments for the priests contributed to the speedy opening of the church.

The newly built temple was consecrated in April 1892. This is how the Kazan Church (Irkutsk) appeared.

History of the Kazan Church

After the consecration of the temple, the clergy of the church of Boris and Gleb was determined. The first divine services were conducted by priest Fyodor Kholmovsky and deacon Alexander Blagobrazov. The townsman Ivan Yakovlev was appointed headman.

The territory of the church was surrounded by a fence with iron bars and gates. Belonging to the templeplots of land were rented out, and the proceeds and money from donations went to the needs of the temple. In 1914 the parish consisted of 1,618 men and 1,811 women. Among the parishioners were philistines, guilds, peasants and officers of the lower ranks.

The Church of Our Lady of Kazan (Irkutsk) remained active until the 1917 revolution and for another 18 years. In 1936, the temple was closed for worship, and a bookshop base was placed in the church building. Later projectionists were trained here and Siberian souvenirs were made. Each new owner sought to remake the interior in his own way, thereby accelerating the destruction of the church. At the same time, the presence of people in the building made it possible to save the temple.

In 1975, the building was recognized as a cultural monument of local importance, and thirteen years later it was transferred to the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments.

Funds for the restoration of the church were collected by selling lottery tickets, organizing subbotniks, and attracting sponsors. In honor of the 100th anniversary of the temple in Irkutsk, for the first time after the closing of the churches, a procession was held. Restoration work was led by leading architect Larisa Ivanovna Gurova.

In 1994, the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God (Irkutsk) was returned to the diocese.

Modern appearance and decoration of the temple

The building of the Kazan Church differs from other places of worship in the city by its three-dimensional composition and symmetry of the centric structure. On the western side, the symmetry is broken by the addition of a bell tower.

Compact but roomyThe Kazan Church is divided into subordinate volumes grouped around the central pillar. A dodecahedral drum and a dome are placed on top. On the low limits, the apse and the bell tower, there are octagonal drums resembling pavilions. The nuclei of additional turrets located diagonally end with tents. They crown the dome structure. The facade of the building is decorated with modulons, kokoshniks, paired columns and panels.

Through the efforts of the servants of the temple in 2011, a new iconostasis 12 meters high and weighing 70 tons was installed in the church, which the whole of Irkutsk comes to admire. The Kazan church, which was beautiful before, has been transformed. Chinese craftsmen worked on the design of red-coffee granite, and the unusual material was brought from India. The authors of the project are icon painter Nikolai Natyaganov, architects Victoria Yakovleva and Denis Dresvyakin.

Kazan Church is famous for its bells, especially five-ton bells. The heaviest bell is famous for its loudest ringing.

Our Lady of Kazan

The icon of the Mother of God, in honor of which the cathedral was consecrated, became famous for miracles. The first miracle happened in Kazan. One day there was a fire in the city. The fire destroyed the Orthodox Church, which caused the locals to question their faith. The Mother of God came to the rescue. The Virgin Mary dreamed of the daughter of the archer Matryona and ordered to get a miraculous icon from under the ground. Parents did not believe their daughter, but the dream repeated itself. When the Mother of God dreamed for the third time, the adults decided to check if the girl really spokethe truth. It turned out that the image of the Mother of God was indeed underground. Probably, the icon has been kept there since early Christianity.

The appearance of the image of the Mother of God of Kazan was a real miracle, people again believed in Christ. Later, the icon, referring to the type of Hodegetria (Guide), more than once helped the Russian troops in military campaigns. The lists of the image stored in Russian churches also have miraculous power.

The Irkutsk-Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is located in the Epiphany Cathedral. The image helps to grow a good harvest.

Kazan Church (Irkutsk): address

One of the most beautiful places of worship in the world is located in Irkutsk, on Barrikad Street, 34/1. You can get to the place by buses No. 42, 43, 67, 21, 56, 480 and fixed-route taxis No. 99, 3, 20, 9, 377.