Churches of Izhevsk: the spiritual life of the arms capital

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

Temple for a Christian is the material embodiment of the creed, the center of spiritual life. It is impossible to imagine a settlement in today's Russia that is not decorated with the golden domes of churches. The people that passed through the trials of the twentieth century, in the twenty-first, like a prodigal son to his father, returns to Christian values. Since the beginning of the century, abandoned churches have been intensively restored in Russia and new ones are being built. The domes of the restored and built churches of Izhevsk rushed to the sky.

Temple of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God

In 1995, on the eve of the Victory Day, the idea of restoring St. Michael's Cathedral arose. Initially, they planned to build a chapel at the cathedral, but then they decided to build a church.

On May 9, 1995, memorial stones were laid and consecrated on the sites of the future church and cathedral. On November 4, 2001, the church was inaugurated.

Stone church, in Russian eclectic style, single-domed, with hipped roofbelfry.

Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel

The history of this cathedral dates back to 1765 with the construction of a chapel at the arms factory. Nineteen years later, the chapel was rebuilt into the Trinity Church. The wooden church was destroyed by fire. In 1907, a two-story Mikhailo-Arkhangelskaya Church in the Russian eclectic style was built on the site of the burnt one.

After the revolution, it was closed for the first time in 1923, but the authorities were forced to open it at the request of gunsmiths. In 1937, the church was blown up, and a square was laid out on this site.

In 1997, it was decided to restore this church in Izhevsk. On August 5, 2007, the main altar dedicated to the Holy Archangel Michael, the head of the heavenly army, the patron of the city of gunsmiths, was consecrated. The first liturgy in the newly rebuilt church was performed by His Holiness Patriarch of All Russia Alexy II.

In May 2012, the icon-painting studio of Alexander Gusakovsky finished painting the St. Michael's Cathedral: over 4,500 square meters were decorated with frescoes.

The newly rebuilt temple has preserved the architecture of the cathedral destroyed in the thirties: the red brick church is crowned with a hipped roof sixty-seven meters high. Massive chapels with gilded onion domes and belfries slender as candles adjoin the church. Now it is one of the most beautiful churches in Izhevsk, the domes of which are visible from anywhere in the city.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

This spectacular temple was erected in the style of Russian classicism -strict, cold, high-powered - in three years. The project of St. Andrew's Cathedral in Kronstadt was chosen as a model for construction. It was adapted by the architect S. Dudin to the area, taking into account the town-planning ensemble of the city that had developed by that time.

The solemn consecration took place in October 1823. The largest temple in the Vyatka province was the center of the spiritual and cultural life of the city until the October events of 1917.

In the twenties of the last century, the cathedral, like most religious buildings, was nationalized.

In 1990 the temple was returned to the diocese. The restored cathedral was re-consecrated on January 2, 1994.

Makes an indelible impression with the elegance and sophistication of the external appearance, the grandeur of the interior decoration in the canonical Byzantine style and excellent acoustics.

Church of Seraphim of Sarov

One of the youngest churches in Izhevsk. The construction of the temple was initiated by the inhabitants of the city. The construction of the church was carried out from 2008 to 2013. Traditional Russian church with a hipped dome. The belfry is equipped with an electronic bell system.

Cathedral of the Holy Trinity

The church was built according to the project of the architect Dudin S. E. The architectural solution was innovative for that time.

During the restoration work in 1912-1914. the originally low bell tower was replaced by a three-tier one.

In 1937, the authorities closed the Trinity Cathedral. The intention of the authorities of Izhevsk included the demolition of the temple, but the residents managed todefend him. The planned demolition of the church was cancelled.

Unlike most churches that were closed and nationalized in those years, the Trinity Church of Izhevsk was returned to parishioners in October 1945. The destroyed and decapitated temple was restored by the whole world.

The modern appearance of the Trinity Church is the result of the restoration of 1985-1991, during which a single-tier bell tower, two-story extensions and a baptismal church were built.

Church of the Iberian Icon of the Mother of God

New brick church with fiberglass decor. Construction started in 2009, the church was opened on February 12, 2017.

Architecturally designed in the style of St. Basil's Cathedral. The central octagon ends with a pillar with a gallery. Above it are four drums with onion domes and four tents. A hipped bell tower was built above the narthex.

Moscow artists were engaged in the decoration of the temple. Masters from Lebanon created mosaics and floors. The interior decoration of the temple uses Byzantine motifs and depicts the symbols of the monasteries of Athos.

All the chandeliers in the temple are located inside the arches. The same lighting was done in St. Isaac's Cathedral.

The church is equipped with an electronic bell system, the playlist of which contains 30 melodies. For each holiday or service, 13 bells have their own chimes. The masters who have been studying this art for years are no longer in the newly built temples.

Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin in Zarechye

The church was built in 1915 and consecrated on August 28, 1916.

Uspenskayathe church of Izhevsk is the only one of the churches in the city that did not close during the Soviet era. Built in 1910 by architect I. A. Charushin, the modest wooden church did everything to preserve the spiritual life of the city's inhabitants.

The arms capital of Russia lives a rich spiritual life. In addition to Orthodox churches, the city has the Evangelical Church of God in Izhevsk, the Armenian Apostolic Church, mosques and a synagogue.