Nativity of Christ Cathedral (Novokuznetsk) is a decoration of the city and a memorial in honor of the dead miners. It appeared thanks to the general support of people and can be considered the Kuzbass folk temple.
Story
Nativity of Christ Cathedral (Novokuznetsk) was built at the seminary and is dedicated to the memory of the dead miners. When laying the temple in 1998, it was believed that the cathedral would be only in memory of those 29 people who died in the Zyryanovskaya mine, the tragedy happened on December 2, 1997. Now the cathedral commemorates all the dead miners. The foundation stone of the temple was consecrated in July 1998, and funds for construction from the Prime Minister were received only in 2000.
The zero construction cycle was completed in February 2001, and all work stopped due to lack of funding. The project was frozen, the situation changed after the creation of a charitable foundation in 2008. Architectural and design documents were sent for revision, a new construction contractor appeared. The parishioners and all interested persons became firmly convinced that the Church of the Nativity of Christ in Novokuznetsk would soon decorate the city and serve as a consolation to everyone whose loved ones died in the mines.
Construction stages
On August 18, 2008, a prayer service was held on the foundation of the future cathedral and a procession was held. Two years later, on August 19, on the day of the Feast of the Transfiguration, the gilded domes of the temple were consecrated. Seven towers and a bell tower were crowned with onions. The central dome is made by analogy with the dome of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior (Moscow), it is so large that it was raised in separate fragments and mounted in a single unit immediately on the central drum.
The highest point of the cathedral was the top of the cross on the bell tower, it rises up to a height of almost 52 meters. The Church of the Nativity in Novokuznetsk has its own voice, consisting of nine bells, the production of which was carried out by the Ural masters.
Almost all civil works were completed in 2011, and in April, the foundation stone was consecrated, which marked the construction of the administrative building of the temple.
Interior works and temple painting
In May 2011, a group of specialists began painting murals inside the cathedral. The painting was carried out with acrylic paints, the basis of the compositions were traditional painting samples of the 14-15th centuries.
In November of the same year, the Cathedral of the Nativity (Novokuznetsk) in the eastern part of the facade was decorated with three mosaic icons - the Holy Life-Giving Trinity, the Great Martyr Barbara (patroness of the miners) and Sergius of Radonezh (patron saint of Russia).
The Lower Baptismal Church was built in a complex architectural form, richly decorated with mosaic icons of natural stones and smalt. The decoration used marble, columns. A stepped floor, hemispherical arches and convex icons made in the ancient Byzantine tradition give the interior space. The font of the temple is decorated with early Christian symbols.
The Cathedral of the Nativity in Novokuznetsk was being built by the whole world, large organizations, entrepreneurs and ordinary parishioners donated funds for its needs. It became a people's cathedral and a memorial in memory of the miners. The total area of the temple is 3391 square meters, with an estimated capacity of 2200 people at a time.
Architecture
The Nativity of Christ Cathedral (Novokuznetsk) consists of four main parts. The square part of the apse is covered by a channel vault; the cylindrical part, which is covered by a hemisphere, adjoins the room. The natural lighting of this part of the temple is provided by four semicircular windows. The apse with the temple part is connected by an arch, in front of which an iconostasis is planned.
The temple part of the cathedral has a square shape with northern and southern aisles. Each aisle has its own apse and iconostases. In the western part of the temple there is an arched opening, over which, at the level of the second floor, choirs are arranged. A large light drum provides illumination of the center of the cathedral.
In the basement of the temple there is a baptismal room, the entrance to which is possible near the main entrance. It is possible to go to the lower and upper floors by spiral staircases located in the side vestibules of the church. Also in the basement there are storage rooms, a room for employees and staff, a room for the publicized.
You can get to the bell tower by the stairs, starting from the level of the second floor. The architectural style of the Novokuznetsk Memorial Church was chosen symbiosis, which combined historical eclecticism and pseudo-Russian style. The type of temple is a ship with nine chapters, a bell tower and two aisles. Nativity of Christ Cathedral (Novokuznetsk) was consecrated on August 25, 2013, the service was performed by the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church - Cyril.
Administrative building
The complex of the cathedral includes an administrative building, which includes utility rooms. It is part of the seminary, and it houses the assembly hall, library, offices of the administration of the institution, classrooms, the refectory, the hotel and the garage. The dining room is designed for 80 people, the dining room covers an area of about 172 square meters. Nearby is the kitchen and other production halls.
The basement is given for household, technical and storage facilities. According to the plan, a library for 25 thousand books, hotel rooms of several categories, classrooms and administrative rooms will be located on the second floor. On the third floor there is an equipped assembly hall, which can accommodate up to 200 people, a museum exposition, an icon painting workshop.
The total area of the building is more than 4200 square meters. The new seminary building was consecrated by Patriarch Kirill on August 25 in 2013.
The temple not only performs a direct function, but also serves as a memorial to all the dead miners of Kuzbass. Their names are forever imprinted in the memorial list, located on a special funeral table. Today it contains 15.5 thousand names, the list of victims is counted from 1920.
Seminary
The Kuzbass seminary appeared in Novokuznetsk in 1994 and occupied a modest room on the ground floor of a standard residential building in the city center. In the educational institution, young people studied at the pastoral department for two years, and the girls received the education of regents for three academic years. Liturgical practice was carried out in the Transfiguration Cathedral (Novokuznetsk).
Since 2004, pastoral education has switched to a three-year course of study, the number of people who want to receive it has constantly increased, and the seminary was relocated to a new large four-story building. Since 2000, next to the educational institution, the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of Christ began to be built, subsequently the temple and the seminary were combined into a single architectural complex.
Today, KDS is one of the best higher education institutions in its segment with modern technical equipment, an extensive scientific, theological and educational base. Students not only receive education here, but also engage in sports, social and educational activities, and creativity. An icon-painting workshop and a choir work in the university.
Helpful information
Many historical and memorable places can be seen when taking walks in Novokuznetsk. The Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ since its consecration has become one of the local attractions and the center of the spiritual life of the whole Kuzbass.
Services on weekdays are held daily in the morning hours from 07:00, in the evening, services begin at 17:00. On holidays and Sundays, morning services begin at 07:00 with the early Liturgy, after which a moleben is held. The second Liturgy begins at 09:00, after it - a requiem. Service in the evenings - 17:00.
Contacts (Cathedral of the Nativity): phone in the cathedral - (3843) 601 530 or (3843) 993 773. Hotel phone (3843) 601 533, 8-923-464-15-33. Address: st. Zyryanovskaya, building 97a.