At the entrance to Gatchina along the Kyiv highway from St. Petersburg, a view of the famous Pokrovsky Cathedral, revived by the efforts of parishioners after half a century of desolation, opens up. Today, as in previous years, it occupies one of the leading places among the spiritual centers of the St. Petersburg diocese and is rightfully considered its decoration.
Gift of the pious merchant Karpov
The history of the Intercession Cathedral in Gatchina begins with the fact that in the mid-90s of the 19th century, the leadership of the St. Petersburg diocese had the idea of giving an independent status to the Pyatogorsk Mother of God Convent, which was previously part of the Vokhonovsky Mariinsky Monastery.
One of the stages in the implementation of this undertaking was the creation in Gatchina of a farmstead accepted in such cases, the premises for which were donated by the merchant of the III guild Kuzma Karpov. He donated to the diocese a wooden house (photo of which is presented above), which was soon converted into a temporary church. One of its limits was consecrated in honor of the Protection of the Mother of God, and the second -Alexander Nevsky, thus honoring the memory of Tsar Alexander III, who had died two years earlier.
From the wooden church to the future cathedral
According to the surviving archival materials, the consecration of this temporary wooden church took place on August 7, 1896. It became the forerunner of the current Pokrovsky Cathedral in Gatchina (address: Gatchina, Krasnaya st., 1 A). At the end of the 19th century, 30 sisters were residents of the newly formed farmstead.
Since the house donated by the merchant Karpov was only a temporary church, the diocesan authorities soon attended to the creation of a capital stone Intercession Cathedral. Gatchina at that time was the center of the local deanery (a unit of church-administrative division), and therefore the necessary coordination passed without serious problems. In 1905, immediately after receiving the appropriate permission, St. Petersburg architects L. L. Baryshnikov and L. M. Kharlamov created a project for the future temple, the construction of which began immediately.
Completion of main construction works
From the same archival documents it is known that the Intercession Cathedral in Gatchina was built, as they say, by the whole world. Many townspeople considered it their duty to take part in this charitable cause: some with donations, and some with personal participation in the work. It is characteristic that at the stage of finishing work, the sisters of the Intercession Mother of God Monastery made a significant contribution to the common cause. Their hands were used to gild iconostases and other church accessories, as well ascrosses crowning cathedral domes. They also painted most of the icons.
The main part of the construction work was completed in 1914 and cost, as is clear from the documents, 200 thousand rubles. According to the architectural project, the Intercession Cathedral in Gatchina has three chapels, the main one of which was consecrated on October 7 of the same year. A day later, the southern chapel dedicated to the holy Right-Believing Prince Alexander Nevsky was consecrated, and in December the northern chapel, erected in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Interrupted work
The First World War that broke out that year and the Bolshevik coup that followed forced the builders to interrupt the still unfinished facades, and as a result, the building remained unplastered on the outside until 2011. Contrary to the anti-church policy pursued by the new authorities, in the fall of 1918, another chapel was consecrated in the basement of the Gatchina Intercession Cathedral, this time in honor of John the Baptist. The rector of the temple at that time was the priest Father Sevastyan (Voskresensky), who was shot in 1938 and today canonized as a martyr.
The period of hard times and the subsequent revival of the temple
A year later, by order of the Leningrad Region Executive Committee, the Intercession Cathedral was also closed, thus dividing the fate of many temple buildings in Russia. However, unlike thousands of its counterparts, it was not destroyed, but was used as a warehouse for many years. Shortly before the start of perestroika, the city authorities planned to create a cultural and exhibition center in it.center, but their plans were not destined to come true. In 1990, when a movement was expanding throughout the country aimed at returning property illegally confiscated from the Church, the Intercession Cathedral again became the property of believers.
As once the construction of the temple, and its restoration attracted many residents of Gatchina and other districts of the region. Again, donations began to arrive for a good cause, and people began to come who wanted to personally take part in the work. Thanks to them, the temple, which had been systematically destroyed for almost half a century, was restored in just 10 months and already in 1991 the first service was held in it.
Intercession Cathedral (Gatchina) service schedule
In 1990, after the return of the cathedral to the ownership of the Church, Archpriest Father Mikhail (Yurimsky) was appointed its rector. It was thanks to his tireless work that the dilapidated building was restored in a short time and again became one of the centers of Orthodoxy. For such outstanding services, the pastor was awarded many church awards, including the Order of St. Prince Vladimir, a miter, a decorated cross, and a number of others.
Currently, the clergy led by him perform daily services in the Intercession Cathedral in Gatchina. Their schedule can be seen both on the bulletin board and on the relevant websites. On weekdays, they start at 9:00 and are held in accordance with the church calendar. On Sundays and holidays, the doors of the cathedral open at 7:00 foran early liturgy followed by a late one at 9:40. Evening services begin at 5:00 pm. Additional divine services performed on the occasion of certain calendar dates are announced additionally. Anyone who wishes to receive more detailed information can find the telephone number of the Pokrovsky Cathedral in Gatchina on the website.
