The majestic Annunciation Cathedral, located in the historical center of Kharkov, attracts admiring glances with its unusual “striped” masonry and unusual forms for the Orthodox church. This is one of the architectural business cards of the city, which enjoys great attention of tourists.
History of the foundation of the temple
The history of the Annunciation Cathedral (Kharkov) is long and interesting. The first building of the Church of the Annunciation of the Zalopansky parish was laid in 1655, at the same time as Rozhdestvenskaya and Nikolaevskaya. This one-throne church was built of wood in a three-domed form, traditional for Ukraine, the bell tower of the log house stood separately, and the territory was surrounded by a wicker fence. The active development of the village gave an impetus to an increase in the parish, where by 1720 there were already 2 priests in the state. In 1738, a major fire occurred, the church burned down almost to the ground, but after a few years it was restored to its original form. The wooden church lasted 51 years, in 1789, in connection with the rapid growth of the urban population, it was decided to build a new building for the church.
Five years later, a new Orthodox monastery was erected, which was distinguished from the previous ones by its larger capacity and rich decoration (Colonel Batezatul, who financed the construction, allocated pure gold for gilding the dome and iconostasis). However, already in the 30s the temple had to be expanded in connection with the growing number of parishioners from year to year. In the 80s of the XIX century, it was decided to expand the Annunciation Cathedral again. Kharkov, whose history is no less interesting than the history of the cathedral, began collecting donations for this good cause.
New temple
In early October 1888, a new church was solemnly laid next to the old church. The old temple operated all the time while the construction of a new church building was underway. The construction committee entrusted the development of the project to the architect Lovtsov, professor at the Technological Institute. The construction was carried out for 13 years, mainly due to the rich donations of wealthy merchants from Kharkov, Kiev and Moscow. In total, about 7,000,000 bricks were needed for the construction of the temple, about 400,000 royal gold rubles were spent.
In 1901, a new temple appeared in the city. It was a magnificent building made in the Byzantine style, to which the architect added elements inherent in traditional Romanesque churches. The cathedral is crowned with five domes. Thanks to the mixing of styles, the architect managed to achieve an amazing effect: with massive volumes, the temple seems airy and light. The abundance of decoration details and the original “striped” facade created an original and memorable appearance of the temple.
The interior of the church was amazingly luxurious. The iconostasis, which became a real pearl of the church, was carved from white marble especially for the new church by the eminent Moscow sculptor Orlov. From the old temple, which was demolished after the consecration of the new, the most significant and revered icons were transferred here. The walls of the Orthodox monastery were painted by the best artists. The motives for painting the new church were partially borrowed from the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev.
In July 1914, the church was given a new status - the Annunciation Cathedral. Kharkov became the only city in the Russian Empire in which the building of the Orthodox Cathedral was built in the Byzantine style.
The temple in the Soviet years
With the advent of Soviet power for the cathedral, the struggle between the Orthodox dioceses began, which lasted two years. In 1923, the Holy Annunciation Cathedral was looted. Kharkov, in particular, lost the iconostasis and many church values, dismantled and taken out of the temple. In the same year, the first, but not the last attempt was made to close the temple. In 1925-26 With the permission of the authorities, holy music concerts were held in the cathedral building on holidays.
In February 1930, the authorities finally decided to close the temple. From now on, his premises began to be used as stables and tank farms.
The first service after the closing of the church in the Annunciation Cathedral of Kharkov took place only on the day the city was liberated from the Nazi troops, on August 23, 1943. After 3 years, the cathedral is awarded the title of cathedral. A few years later, the relics of saints - St. Meletia, St. Athanasius Patelaria sitting and Alexander (Petrovsky).
Modern history of the temple
In 1993, it was decided to transfer the relics of the repressed archbishop of Kharkov, the great martyr Alexander, to the building of the Annunciation Cathedral (Kharkov).
In 1997, during welding work in the domed room of the church, a severe fire broke out, which destroyed the cross.
In 2008, a new fence was erected around the cathedral, which further emphasized the beauty and originality of the Orthodox shrine.
Now on the territory of the Annunciation Cathedral is one of the Sunday schools in Kharkov. Priests take an active part in charity work, take care of spiritually hospitals, orphanages and nursing homes.
Interior decoration
Since 1946, the incorrupt relics of Athanasius of Tsaregradsky sitting on the throne, which are the only ones of this kind in the Orthodox world, rest in the church. In 1654, he died on one of his travels, sitting on a throne, and was buried in the same position. Miracles, which are the incorrupt relics of the saint, have been repeatedly described by clergy. Miracles are still going on: the robe and shoes of St. Athanasius is completely worn out within two to three weeks, at the moment there is no scientific explanation for this phenomenon.
The interior of the Annunciation Cathedral (Kharkov) impresses with its wealth and splendor. The restorers did a great job, as a result of which the renewed altar, murals and decorative elements made the church a real gem of Orthodox monasteries.
Kharkov Metropolitan Nicodemus, who died in 2011, is buried on the territory of the cathedral, famous for his good deeds.
Legends
Probably, about no other church in the world only legends go, how many of them exist about the Annunciation Cathedral.
According to the first legend, the whole city will fall if you remove the relics of St. Athanasius.
The second legend says that the place was chosen unsuccessfully: either the city gallows used to be there, or the pagan temple, or the planes of other worlds intersect . To prove this, they bring the temple cross three times damaged: once it was carried into the river, the second was bent by a hurricane at an angle of 90 degrees to the dome, and the third time it was destroyed by fire. However, a place for the future temple was chosen back in the distant XVII century, and then great importance was given to this.
The third legend says that the Annunciation Cathedral and the Belgorod Monastery are connected by an underground tunnel. Who knows, maybe this legend is true, no one gave a refutation.
Annunciation Cathedral (Kharkov), schedule of services
The temple seats up to 5,000 people; parishioners who do not enter the building even stand on the territory of the cathedral in holiday services.
Every Saturday at 16.00 the Sunday Vespers service begins, and at 7 am the next day the Divine Liturgy is read. The time of baptisms, weddings, memorial services and other requirements must be agreed separately.
More information on the official website is provided by the Annunciation Cathedral (Kharkov). Schedule of celebratory services, fasting, news, requests - all this can be found on the temple’s page on the Internet.
The cathedral is open to everyone every day from 7.30 to 11.30.
How to get there
The temple is located near the metro station "Central Market".
You can take a bus of any route passing through the Central Market or Poltava Shlyah, on the 20th tram route to the Central Market, or on the 6th route to the Lopanskaya Naberezhnaya stop.
The Annunciation Cathedral of Kharkov is one of the 7 wonders of the city, a beautiful, majestic cathedral, which has become its real business card. The temple is one of the places of Orthodox pilgrimage, visited annually by a very large number of believers.