Одигитриевский собор, который находится в городе Ulan-Ude is an amazing monument of Russian baroque, which recently turned 246 years old. To date, it has retained its original appearance, despite the fact that it is located in a rather dangerous seismic zone.
In 1700, a little distance from the place where todayOdigitrievsky Cathedral is located, a small one-story church of the Virgin-Vladimirskaya 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 memorable crosses remind of its existence.
Construction work on the construction of OdigitrievskyThe cathedral, which was to become 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 Odigitria, which 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 18th century, the largest Transbaikalia fair 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 people who wanted to, that from the middle of the XIX century, the names of the donors to the church began to be written on the Clearing list.
Since 1818, Odigitrievsky Cathedral becamegradually to collapse, as in connection with frequent earthquakes began to form significant cracks. Later, in 1862 and 1885, strong shocks again occurred, aggravating the situation, therefore the church constantly needed repairs, which were more or less regularly carried out with money from benefactors.
In the second half of the XIX century at the cathedralcharity organizations are opening. The oldest book in the library of the temple was a collection of prayers of the year 1700, which was printed in Moscow. At the same time, the church had a bell weighing just over 105 pounds. The temple had many masterfully made carved and gilded iconostasis. By the end of the 19th century, a parochial school began to be held in the cathedral.
At the beginning of the XX century in the possession of the cathedral was 4364square sazha in Verkhneudinsk and even more than 50 acres in the suburbs. At that time, 1833 men and 1816 women belonged to the parish. When World War I began, the parishioners of Odigitrievsky Cathedral cared for the wounded.
With the advent of Soviet power, the life of believers is coolhas changed. 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 space, and the bells and crosses were removed. And in 1930, the communists shot the last abbot of the temple, Gabriel Makushev, who was the Bishop of Pribaikalsky.
After 7 years, the Holy Odigitrievsky Cathedral (Ulan-Ude) was turned into an Anti-Religious Museum. The purpose of creating the exhibition was to ridicule and discredit Orthodoxy in the wake of the propaganda of atheism.
After the Victory in the Great Patriotic War the building was transferredLocal history museum of Buryatia, and in 1960 he was awarded the status of an object of historical heritage. This situation continued until the early 1990s, when it was decided to hand over the Holy Odigitrievsky Cathedral to believers. This long-awaited event occurred in 1992, when the church again became owned by the RCP.
В 2001 г.a major overhaul of the premises was carried out, and new bells were raised to the bell tower, among which the 100-pood Tsesarevich deserves special mention. A great work was done by icon-painting masters under the guidance of Maxim Krasikov.
In general, the overall composition of the church is made in the Baroque architectural style. The components are built from west to east. The complex consists of:
All parts are merged into one continuous component,thus, a dense monolith is obtained. In the center of the building is a columnless array of a quadrangle, which is covered by a vault, a high dome and a flashlight of two tiers. On the west side there is a bell tower, which is made like an octagon on a quadrangle. Each of the parts has a semicircular shape, organically combining with the next. Above a pair of square tiers is the octagon, and each of its faces has arched notches. This gives the bell tower a more beautiful and pronounced appearance, and at the very top there is a bulbous dome with a cross.
In the implementation of the facades is very well seena strong influence of baroque receptions, but it is clear that the temple also has features of the classic Russian architectural style, like the wooden church built in its place in 1700.
Talking about the main cathedral of Ulan-Ude, it is impossible notsay a few words about the shrine that gave it its name. It is believed that the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God Odigitrii was written by St. Luke. She came to Russia allegedly in 1046, when the Byzantine emperor blessed her daughter Anna to become the wife of Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavovich. Since then, the icon began to bear the character of the patrimonial shrine of the upper classes and symbolize the closeness between Russia and Byzantium. Later the holy image traveled more than once from city to city. At the end, he was transferred from Chernigov to Smolensk and installed there in a newly built church. After the Nazis occupied the city, the icon was never found.
St. Odigitrievsky Cathedral is located at:Ulan-Ude, Lenin Street, 2. Due to the location of the temple in the city center, it has excellent transport accessibility. True, you will not be able to reach the cathedral itself, since Lenin Street is a pedestrian street.
The temple takes its parishioners daily.The Divine Liturgy begins at 8 am, and the evening service is at 4 pm. On Sundays and the Great Seasons, the service takes place at 07:00 and at 09:30.
The candle shop is held the rite of the sacramentBaptism from 10 am to 10:30. Conversations 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 what is interesting about the main temple of Ulan-Ude, and you probably want to visit it if you find yourself in the capital of Buryatia.
