The Odigitrievsky Cathedral, which is located in the city of Ulan-Ude, is an amazing monument of Russian Baroque, which recently turned 246 years old. Today it has retained its original appearance, despite the fact that it is located in a rather dangerous seismic zone.
Construction
In 1700, a little distance from the place where the Odigitrievsky Cathedral is today, a small one-story Virgin Mary-Vladimir Church was built (these were usually at cemeteries) and a bell tower separate from the building. It has not survived to the present day, and 2 memorial crosses remind of its existence.
Construction work on the construction of the Odigitrievsky Cathedral, which was supposed to be the first stone building in Buryatia, began in 1741 and lasted about 44 years. This business was financed by local and visiting merchants. In 1770, when the building was completed, the bishops of Nerchinsky, Safroniy and Irkutsk consecrated the lower aisle of the church in honor of the Epiphany of the Lord. Later, in 1785, the upper one was consecrated by Bishop Michael. The temple got its name in honor of the icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria, who is the patroness of travelers and honest merchants, and it was not chosen by chance.
The fact is that the Holy Odigitrievsky Cathedral (Ulan-Ude) was favorably located, namely on the routes between the European part of the Russian Empire and the road to China. Thus, in the XVIII century the largest fair of Transbaikalia was formed there, therefore, money was generously allocated for construction, repair and other needs by merchants seeking to receive God's favor for their commercial enterprises. There were so many who wished that from the middle of the 19th century, the names of the donors to the temple began to be recorded in the Clearing List.
Further story
Beginning in 1818, the Odigitrievsky Cathedral began to gradually collapse, as significant cracks began to form in connection with frequent earthquakes. Later, in 1862 and 1885, strong tremors occurred again, worsening the situation, so the temple constantly needed repairs, which were more or less regularly carried out with the money of benefactors.
In the second half of the XIX century, charitable organizations were opened at the cathedral. The oldest book in the library of the temple was a collection of prayers of 1700, which was printed in Moscow. At the same time, the church had a bell weighing just over 105 pounds. The temple had many expertly executed carved and gilded iconostases. Towards the end of the 19th century, classes in the parish school began to take place in the cathedral.
The history of the cathedral at the beginning of the last century
At the beginning of the XX century, the cathedral owned 4364 square sazhen in Verkhneudinsk and more than 50 acres in the suburbs. At that time, 1833 men and 1816 women belonged to the parish. When the First World War began, parishioners of the Odigitrievsky Cathedral took care of the wounded.
With the advent of Soviet power, the life of believers has changed dramatically. In 1929, the Odigitrievsky Cathedral (Ulan-Ude) ceased to exist in the form in which it was before. The building was confiscated and converted into storage facilities, and the bells and crosses were removed. And in 1930, the communes were shot by the last rector of the temple, Gabriel Makushev, who was bishop of Pribaikalsky.
After 7 years, the Holy Odigitrievsky Cathedral (Ulan-Ude) was turned into the Anti-Religious Museum. The purpose of creating the exposition was to ridicule and discredit Orthodoxy in the wake of the propaganda of atheism.
In the postwar years
After the Victory in the Second World War, the building was transferred to the Museum of Local Lore of Buryatia, and in 1960 it was given the status of an object of historical heritage. This situation continued until the beginning of the 90s, when it was decided to transfer the Holy Hodegetria Cathedral to believers. This long-awaited event occurred in 1992, when the temple again became the property of the RIC.
In 2001, a major overhaul of the premises was made, and new bells were raised to the bell tower, among which the 100-pound Tsesarevich deserves special mention. The master of icon painting, led by Maxim Krasikov, did a great job.
Description
In general, the overall composition of the church is made in the Baroque architectural style. Components are built from west to east. The complex consists of:
- the temple;
- refectory;
- the belfry.
All parts are merged into one continuous component, thus, a dense monolith is obtained. In the center of the building there is a pillarless array of fours, which is blocked by a vault, a high dome and a light torch of two tiers. On the west side is the bell tower, which is made in the form of an octagon on a four. Each of the parts has a semicircular shape, organically combining with the neighboring one. An octagon is located above a pair of square tiers, and each of its faces has arched cutouts. This gives the bell tower a more beautiful and pronounced appearance, well, at the very top there is a bulbous dome with a cross.
In the execution of the facades, the strong influence of baroque techniques is very clearly visible, but it can be seen that the temple also has the features of a classic Russian architectural style, like the wooden church built in its place in 1700.
Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God of Hodegetria
Talking about the main cathedral of Ulan-Ude, one cannot but say a few words about the shrine that gave it its name. It is believed that the Smolensk icon of the Mother of God of Hodegetria was painted by St. Luke. She supposedly came to Russia in 1046, when the Byzantine emperor blessed his daughter Anna so that she became the wife of Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavovich. Since then, the icon began to bear the character of a patrimonial shrine of the upper classes and symbolize the proximity between Russia and Byzantium. Later, the holy image more than once traveled from city to city. At the end, he was transported from Chernigov to Smolensk and installed there in a newly erected church. After the Nazi occupation of the city, the icon was never found.
Address
St. Odigitrievsky Cathedral is located at: Ulan-Ude, Lenin Street, 2. Due to the location of the church in the city center, it has excellent transport accessibility. True, you will not be able to get to the cathedral itself, since Lenin Street is a pedestrian street.
Odigitrievsky Cathedral of Ulan-Ude: schedule of services
The temple receives its parishioners daily. The Divine Liturgy begins at 8 in the morning, and the evening service at 4 in the evening. On Sundays and twelfth holidays, the service takes place at 07:00 and at 09:30.
In the candle shop, the rite of the sacrament of Baptism is held from 10 am to 10:30. Interviews are held from Wednesday to Friday at 6 pm. The icon shop serves every day from 07:00 to 20:00. You can also clarify the data of interest by phone: + 7-301-222-08-31.
Now you know why the main temple of Ulan-Ude is interesting, and you probably want to visit it if you find yourself in the capital of Buryatia.