St. Nicholas Cathedral in Omsk is the oldest church in the city. In addition, it is the only regimental temple that has survived in this village after the Great October Revolution.
This temple is also called St. Nicholas Cossack Cathedral. It was really built on funds raised by service people of Omsk. It is no coincidence that the square opposite the Cossack military school was chosen as the place for its construction. Today this institution is called the Omsk Cadet Corps.
Construction history
Cossacks, as you know, were the first patrons and explorers of Siberia. They were engaged in missionary activities among the indigenous peoples of this region. Therefore, it is not surprising that in Omsk there is a temple, which is popularly called in their honor (Cossack). Not a single local resident, even far from the Orthodox religion, can imagine his city without this magnificent building.
As for the Cossacks, they still honor St. Nicholas Cathedral, calling it their own. Not a single large official event held by the Omsk Cossacks can do without church service in it.
The very history of this Siberian military estate went hand in hand with the events associated with this temple.
St. Nicholas Cathedral opened in 1842, and five years later the Siberian Linear Cossack Army was created. An official ceremony on this occasion was opened by the church service in this temple.
Soviet time
The revolution was marked by a sad turn of events both for the Omsk Cossacks and for its main temple. In 1919, after a prayer service, an extraordinary circle (assembly) took place in this cathedral, at which the further fate of the glorious Siberian army was decided. For a long seven decades, the Omsk Cossacks ceased to exist. St. Nicholas Cathedral stood for the same amount without church services.
In the late twenties, the city authorities decided to transfer the building to the Ministry of Culture. The bell tower of the temple was destroyed, and the bells were sent for remelting. Over the next few years, it housed a cultural and recreational institution - the club "Builder". Then, within the walls of the temple was the department of culture. A children's music school and a cinema supplemented the list of organizations that were here in Soviet times. By the beginning of the sixties, the cathedral, for many years standing without repair, was in disrepair.
In 1960, the city authorities decided to demolish the temple. The church could comprehend the sad fate of many other religious buildings that were destroyed in Soviet times. So, the city council at one time ordered the liquidation of the Assumption Cathedral, which was considered the main thing in pre-revolutionary Omsk. It is known that it was restored only in 2007. Mercilessly destroyed not only churches, but also other buildings and architectural structures, which could rightly be classified as architectural monuments.
So, in the sixties the Tara Gate was demolished in Omsk. And only thanks to the caring people who saved the bricks from this building, one of the main attractions of the city was recreated after several decades.
But when the question arose about the demolition of St. Nicholas Cathedral, representatives of the city intelligentsia and other sectors of society expressed their protest. Their bold and decisive actions prevented the destruction of this integral part of the historical center of Omsk. The decree on the demolition of St. Nicholas Cathedral was canceled. But they did not begin restoration work in it. During the sixties and seventies of the twentieth century, the building was in ruins.
The long-awaited restoration
In the late seventies, the long-awaited repair of St. Nicholas Cathedral began.
After restoration, his building was given over to an organ hall. Here is a unique instrument, and today is considered one of the best in Russia.
The return of the church of the Orthodox Church
When Archbishop Theodosius ascended the Omsk patriarchal throne in the late eighties, Vladyka immediately drew attention to the magnificent cathedral in the very center of the city.
In 1992, the temple was transferred to the joint ownership of the Ministry of Culture and the Russian Orthodox Church. For the first time in many decades, divine services resumed in it. But at the same time, St. Nicholas Cathedral in Omsk continued to be used as an organ hall. And only in the mid-nineties another organ was found for the organ. He was transferred to the building of the former cinema "Artistic".
Omsk Cossacks were also revived in 1992. Its representatives today, as in the old days, consider this temple their own.
Description of St. Nicholas Cathedral in Omsk
The temple was built in the style of Russian Empire. There are three thrones in it, the main of which is dedicated to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker - one of the most revered saints in Russia.
At the services in the temple, a large mixed choir sings, that is, consisting of singers of both sexes. It was created in the nineties of the last century simultaneously with the return of the St. Nicholas Cossack Cathedral of the Orthodox Church. During this time, this musical collective has changed several leaders (regents).
For a large number of singers who have ever been participants in the large choir of St. Nicholas Cathedral in the city of Omsk, working in it has become not only a good school for vocal performance, but also a path to the Orthodox faith. It often happened that choristers, thinking about the meaning of the lyrics, came to a better understanding of them. And along with this, their faith in the Lord God was strengthened.
There is also another choir in the cathedral. He is called a small worker. This team serves to accompany the Omsk Metropolitan on his trips. His singing accompanies services held in orphanages, hospitals, schools and so on. It was created in the mid-nineties of the twentieth century by Bishop Theodosius, who himself taught the first participants to the art of church singing.
Information for parishioners
The temple to which this article is dedicated is located at: Omsk, st. Lenin, d. 27.
It is open every day to visit. Opening hours of St. Nicholas Cathedral in Omsk: from 8:00 to 19:00.