Among other attractions of the capital of Karelia - the city of Petrozavodsk, the Catherine Church attracts special attention, since it is a vivid example of Russian temple architecture of the late XIX century. It is located on the territory of the Neglinsky cemetery, which stretches along Volnaya street. This temple has witnessed and participated in many events that stirred up the North-West of Russia in the XX century.
Church - a monument of a significant anniversary
From archival documents it is known that the consecration of the Catherine’s Church in Petrozavodsk, held in 1878, was timed to coincide with the celebrations of the centenary of the day when, by the will of Empress Catherine II, the settlement in which the workers of the Petrovsky Metallurgical Enterprises lived, received the status of a city. She began to be called Petrozavodsk.
A year before the momentous event, a place was chosen for future construction on the territory of the Old Believer cemetery, which had been abolished by that time. The funds for the implementation of the planned project were collected by universal subscription. The main contributors were representatives of the local merchants M. A. Pospelov, N. F. Pikin and F. L Chekhonin.
The timber merchant I.F. Gromov, well-known at that time, did not stand aside, who provided the construction with the necessary timber and for his generosity was subsequently awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Petrozavodsk. The Catherine’s Church was built exactly a year, after which it was consecrated by the Bishop of Olonets Paladius. As the St. Petersburg newspapers wrote, the ceremony was attended by specially arrived representatives of the Holy Synod.
Church in the pre-revolutionary years
Initially, the Catherine’s Church of Petrozavodsk served exclusively as a cemetery church and was assigned to the city Svyatoduhovskiy Cathedral, from where members of the clergy were sent to it as necessary, to conduct divine services and fulfill the requir. But in 1910, she was given independent status and staffed with the necessary staff.
In the same period, large-scale work began on the repair of the temple building and the improvement of the territory adjacent to it. They were carried out on the basis of voluntary contributions of the parishioners, but the main donor was then the head of the community - F.V. Nesterov, who financed the facade and repaired nearby road bridges.
In the future, it was planned to build a stone church in memory of the holy saint of God the Great Martyr Catherine. The city authorities even allocated a suitable land for this. The implementation of the plan was prevented by the First World War and subsequent revolutionary events.
Years of Inaction
After the Bolshevik coup, the anti-religious campaign unleashed in the country reached Petrozavodsk. The Catherine’s Church, unlike other city churches, remained active until 1941, and the diocesan department was even transferred to it. During the war, the temple was closed and miraculously survived during numerous shelling and enemy bombardments.
At the very beginning of the victorious 1945, when the party’s previous anti-religious policy softened somewhat, the Catherine Church was again returned to believers, and since then it has not been closed.
New times - new troubles
In the period 2008 - 2010 a large amount of restoration work was carried out in it in order to restore its original appearance, distorted as a result of repeated repairs. The goal was achieved, but on a May night in 2012, a fire broke out in the church building, the cause of which remained unclear. Everything inside was saved, but the walls and the bell tower were badly damaged. As a result, we had to carry out a wide range of restoration work, which was completed only at the end of 2013.
Schedule of services of the Catherine’s Church in Petrozavodsk
Today, as well as for more than a hundred years from the date of its construction, the church on the Neglinsky cemetery of the capital of Karelia unites a large community of believers around itself. Pilgrims from all over the country come here to bow to the shrines stored in it - fragments of the relics of the Great Martyr Catherine and the Monk Elisey Sumy. In addition, the church is known for its miraculous Mother of God icons - “Vladimirskaya”, “Tikhvin” and “Three-Handed”.
At the end of the article, we inform everyone who wants to visit the Catherine’s Church in Petrozavodsk, the schedule of divine services. On weekdays, they start at 9:00 and then continue at 17:00. On Sundays and public holidays, two liturgies are performed in the church: the early one begins at 7:00, and the late at 9:00. All evening services are held in the same way as on weekdays - from 17:00.
Those who wish to familiarize themselves with the schedule of services in more detail can call the phone numbers of the Catherine’s Church of Petrozavodsk indicated on the official website of the church. On them you can get all the necessary information. In addition, the VKontakte social network provides an opportunity for everyone to join the support group, which was recently created with the aim of further restoration and construction work.