The majestic Annunciation Cathedral, located in the historical center of Kharkov, attracts admiring glances with its unusual "striped" masonry and forms unusual for an Orthodox church. This is one of the architectural calling cards of the city, which enjoys a lot of attention from tourists.
The history of the founding of the temple
The history of the Cathedral of the Annunciation (Kharkiv) is long and interesting. The first building of the Church of the Annunciation in the Zalopan parish was founded in 1655, simultaneously with the Rozhdestvenskaya and Nikolaevskaya churches. This single- altar temple was built of wood in a three-domed form, traditional for Ukraine, the bell tower was made of a log house separately, and the territory was surrounded by a wicker fence. The active development of the village gave impetus to the increase in 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 to its original form. The wooden church lasted 51 years, in 1789due to 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 erected, which differed from the previous ones in greater capacity and rich decoration (Colonel Batezatul, who funded the construction, singled out pure gold for gilding the dome and iconostasis). However, already in the 30s, the temple had to be expanded due to the growing number of parishioners year by year. In the 80s of the XIX century, it was decided to expand the Cathedral of the Annunciation 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, a new church was solemnly laid next to the old church. The old temple operated all the time while the construction of the new church building was underway. The Construction Committee entrusted 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 rich donations from we althy merchants of Kharkov, Kyiv and Moscow. In total, about 7,000,000 bricks were needed to build the temple, about 400,000 royal gold rubles were spent.
In 1901, a new temple appeared in the city. It was a majestic Byzantine-style building, to which the architect added elements inherent in traditional Romanesque churches. The cathedral is crowned with five domes. Thanks to the mixture of styles, the architectmanaged to achieve an amazing effect: with massive volumes, the temple seems airy and light. The abundance of decorative details and the original "striped" facade created an original and memorable appearance of the temple.
The interior of the church was amazingly luxurious. Especially for the new temple, the eminent Moscow sculptor Orlov carved an iconostasis from white marble, which became a real gem of the church. From the old temple, which was demolished after the consecration of the new one, the most significant and revered icons were transferred here. The walls of the Orthodox monastery were painted by the best artists. The motifs for painting the new church were partially borrowed from the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior and St. Vladimir's Cathedral in Kyiv.
In July 1914, the church was given a new status - the Cathedral of the Annunciation. Kharkiv became the only city in the Russian Empire in which the building of the Orthodox Cathedral was built in the 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 its iconostasis and many church valuables, dismantled and taken out of the church. In the same year, the first, but not the last, attempt was made to close the temple. In 1925-26. sacred music concerts were held in the cathedral building with the permission of the authorities on holidays.
In February 1930, the authorities finally decided to close the temple. From now on, his premises becamebe used as a stable and oil depot.
The first service after the closure of the temple in the Annunciation Cathedral of Kharkov took place only on the day the city was liberated from Nazi troops, August 23, 1943. After 3 years, the cathedral was awarded the title of cathedral. A few years later, the relics of the saints are transferred there - St. Meletia, St. Athanasius Patelaria seated and Alexander (Petrovsky).
Modern history of the temple
In 1993, it was decided to transfer the relics of the repressed Archbishop of Kharkov, Great Martyr Alexander, to the building of the Annunciation Cathedral (Kharkiv).
In 1997, during welding work in the dome of the temple, a strong fire broke out that destroyed the cross.
In 2008, a new fence was erected around the cathedral, which further emphasized the beauty and uniqueness of the Orthodox shrine.
Now one of the Sunday schools in Kharkov is located on the territory of the Annunciation Cathedral. Priests take an active part in charity, spiritually take care of hospitals, orphanages and nursing homes.
Interior decoration
Since 1946, the incorrupt relics of Athanasius of Tsaregradsky sitting on the throne, which are the only ones of its kind in the Orthodox world, have been buried in the temple. In 1654 he died on one of his journeys, sitting on a throne, and was buried in the same position. The miracles represented by the incorruptible relics of the saint were repeatedly described by the clergy. Miracles continue to this day: the robe and shoes of St. Athanasiuscompletely wear out within two to three weeks, there is no scientific explanation for this phenomenon at the moment.
The interior of the Cathedral of the Annunciation (Kharkiv) amazes with its richness and magnificence. The restorers did a great job, as a result of which the updated altar, wall paintings and decorative elements made the temple a real gem of Orthodox monasteries.
Kharkiv Metropolitan Nikodim, known for his good deeds, who died in 2011, is buried on the territory of the cathedral.
Legends
Probably, there are only legends about any other temple in the world, how many there are about the Annunciation Cathedral.
According to the first legend, the whole city will fall if the relics of St. Athanasius.
The second legend says that the place was chosen unsuccessfully: either there used to be a city gallows, or a pagan temple, or even the planes of other worlds intersect. As proof of this, the cross of the temple was cited three times: once it was swept into the river, the second time it was bent by a hurricane at an angle of 90 degrees with respect to the dome, and the third time it was completely destroyed by fire. However, the place for the future temple was chosen back 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 a refutation.
Annunciation Cathedral (Kharkiv), schedule of services
The temple can accommodate up to 5,000 people,parishioners who did not get into the building stand even on the territory of the cathedral.
Every Saturday at 16.00 the Sunday Vigil Service begins, and at 7 am the next day the Divine Liturgy is read. The time of baptisms, weddings, memorial services and other needs must be agreed separately.
More detailed information on the official website is provided by the Cathedral of the Annunciation (Kharkiv). The schedule of festive services, posts, news, requests - all this can be found on the church's website 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 Central Market metro station.
You can take a bus of any route passing through the Central Market or Poltava Shlyakh, on tram route 20 to the Central Market or on route 6 to the Lopanskaya Embankment stop.
The Annunciation Cathedral of Kharkov is one of the 7 wonders of the city, the most beautiful, majestic cathedral, which has become its real hallmark. The temple is one of the places of Orthodox pilgrimage, annually visited by a very large number of believers.
