At the entrance to Gatchina along the Kiev highway from the side of St. Petersburg, a view of the famous Pokrovsky Cathedral, revived by the work of parishioners after half a century of desolation, opens. Today, as in previous years, it occupies one of the leading places among the spiritual centers of the St. Petersburg diocese and is considered to be its decoration.
Gift of the pious merchant Karpov
The history of the Intercession Cathedral in Gatchina begins with the idea that in the mid-90s of the 19th century the leadership of the St. Petersburg diocese had the idea of giving independent status to the Pyatogorsk Bogoroditsky women's monastery, which was previously part of the Vohonovsky Mariinsky monastery.
One of the stages in the implementation of this undertaking was the creation in Gatchina of the courtyard adopted in such cases, the premises for which were donated by the merchant of the third guild Kuzma Karpov. He donated to the diocese a wooden house (the photo of which is presented above), which was soon converted into a temporary church. One of its limits was consecrated in honor of the Protection of the Mother of God, and the second - of Alexander Nevsky, honoring the memory of Emperor Alexander III, who died two years earlier.
From the wooden church to the future cathedral
According to preserved archival materials, the consecration of this temporary wooden church was performed on August 7, 1896. She became the forerunner of the now-existing Pokrovsky Cathedral in Gatchina (address: Gatchina, Krasnaya ul., 1 A). At the end of the XIX century, 30 sisters were the inhabitants of the newly formed compound.
Since the house donated by the merchant Karpov was only a temporary church, the diocesan authorities soon became concerned about the creation of the capital stone Pokrovsky Cathedral. Gatchina at that time was the center of local deanery (units of church-administrative division), and therefore the necessary coordination passed without serious problems. In 1905, immediately after obtaining the appropriate permission, Petersburg architects L. L. Baryshnikov and L. M. Kharlamov created a project for the future church, the construction of which was started immediately.
Completion of major construction work
From the same archival documents it is known that the Intercession Cathedral in Gatchina was built, as they say, by the whole world. Many city dwellers considered it their duty to take part in this charitable work: who donated, and who personally participated in the work. It is characteristic that at the stage of finishing work a significant contribution to the common cause was made by the sisters of the Pokrovsky Mother of God Monastery. Their hands were gilded iconostases and other church supplies, as well as crosses crowning the cathedral domes. They wrote most of the icons.
The bulk of the construction work was completed in 1914 and, as is clear from the documents, cost 200 thousand rubles. According to the architectural design, the Intercession Cathedral in Gatchina has three chapels, the main of which was consecrated on October 7 of the same year. A day later, the southern aisle dedicated to the holy Prince Alexander Nevsky was consecrated, and in December the northern aisle, erected in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Interrupted Work
The outbreak of the First World War that year and the subsequent Bolshevik coup forced the builders to interrupt the unfinished decoration of the facades, and as a result, the building remained unplastered outside until 2011. Contrary to the anti-church policy pursued by the new authorities in the autumn of 1918, another aisle was consecrated in the basement of the Gatchina Pokrovsky Cathedral, this time in honor of John the Baptist. The rector of the church at that time was the priest Father Sevastyan (Voskresensky), who was shot in 1938 and already today canonized in the face of martyrs.
The period of hard times and the subsequent rebirth of the temple
A year later, by order of the Leningrad Executive Committee, the Intercession Cathedral was also closed, thus sharing the fate of many temple buildings in Russia. However, unlike thousands of his brothers, he was not destroyed, and for many years was used as a warehouse. Shortly before the start of perestroika, the city authorities planned to create a cultural and exhibition center in it, but their plans were not destined to be realized. In 1990, when there was a movement throughout the country aimed at returning the church property that was illegally taken from her, Pokrovsky Cathedral again became the property of believers.
As once the construction of the temple, and its restoration attracted many residents of Gatchina and other areas of the region. Again, donations began to come to a good cause, and people began to come, who wanted to personally take part in the work. Thanks to them, the temple, which had been systematically collapsing for almost half a century, was restored in just 10 months, and already in 1991 to celebrate the first service in it.
Pokrovsky Cathedral (Gatchina) schedule of services
In 1990, after the return of the cathedral to the ownership of the Church, Archpriest Father Michael (Yurimsky) was appointed its rector. It was thanks to his tireless work that the dilapidated building was restored in a short time and again became one of the centers of Orthodoxy. For such outstanding services, the pastor was awarded many church awards, including the order of the Holy Prince Vladimir, Miter, a cross with ornament and a number of others.
Currently, the clergyman led by him performs daily services in the Intercession Cathedral of Gatchina. Their schedule can be seen both on the bulletin board and on the corresponding Internet sites. On weekdays, they start at 9:00 and are held in accordance with the church calendar. On Sundays and public holidays, the doors of the cathedral open at 7:00 for the early liturgy, followed by the later at 9:40. Evening services begin at 17:00. Additional services performed on the occasion of certain calendar dates are announced additionally. Everyone who wants to receive more detailed information can find out the phone number of the Intercession Cathedral in Gatchina on the website.