The Virgin Mary-Irkutsk Church is a testament to the talent of the Trans-Ural masters who created a real work of art. Built in the Russian-Byzantine style, the temple decorates Irkutsk.
The Kazan Church, like other religious buildings of the post-Soviet space, survived many tribulations, but was reborn. In beauty and grandeur, it is not inferior to the leading cathedrals of the world. In the Irkutsk and Angarsk diocese, the church performs the function of a cathedral.
How the temple appeared
At the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th centuries, the first settlements appeared on Siberian soil near the Ushakovka River. The visitors were Orthodox, felt the need for fellowship with God. Since 1803, parishioners have visited the Boris-Gleb Church, but soon it became cramped for everyone to pray and repent for sins. Then the famous gold producer, honorary citizen of Irkutsk, Alexander Sibiryakov donated money for the construction of a new church. The necessary funds were also allocated by Dmitry Demidov and Alexander Trapeznikov, who want to transform their native Irkutsk. Kazan Church was built on the donations of caring people.
Construction
Before the start of construction work, a special committee was created. It was originally planned to consecrate the church in honor of St. Nicholas, but later decided to build the Church of Our Lady of Kazan - the intercessor of the Russian people.
At that time, Irkutsk land was rich in skilled craftsmen: carvers, icon painters, gilders, etc. All of them took part in the design of the temple with pleasure. The name of Vladimir Fedorovich Karataev, who made the choirs and iconostases for the chapels of the church, has survived to this day. The composition "Evangelists" was written by a graduate of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts Maxim Zyazin, who came to work in Irkutsk. Kazan Church was not the only place of work of the artist. M.I. Zyazin taught painting at the Irkutsk Teachers' Seminary and Technical School.
The early opening of the church was facilitated by parishioners who brought money, candles, icons, books, covers, vestments for priests.
The newly built temple was consecrated in April 1892. So the Kazan Church appeared (Irkutsk).
History of the Kazan Church
After consecration, the clergy of the church of Boris and Gleb were identified in the church. The first services were held by priest Fyodor Kholmovsky and deacon Alexander Blagoobrazov. The headman was appointed tradesman Ivan Yakovlev.
The territory of the church was fenced with iron bars and gates. The land plots belonging to the temple were leased, and the proceeds and donations went to the needs of the temple. In 1914, the parish was 1,618 men and 1,811 women. Among the parishioners were tradesmen, guilds, peasants, and lower-ranking officers.
The Church of Our Lady of Kazan (Irkutsk) remained operational until the 1917 revolution and another 18 years. In 1936, the church was closed for worship, and a bookstore base was placed in the church building. Later, film mechanics were trained here, Siberian souvenirs were made. Each new owner sought to remodel the interior in his own way, thereby accelerating the destruction of the church. At the same time, the presence in the building of people allowed to preserve the temple.
In 1975, the building was recognized as a cultural monument of local importance, and thirteen years later it was transferred to the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Monuments of History and Culture.
Funds for the restoration of the church were collected by selling lottery tickets, organizing community work days, attracting sponsors. In honor of the 100th anniversary of the church in Irkutsk, a procession was held for the first time after the closure of the churches. The restoration work was led by the leading architect Larisa Ivanovna Gurova.
In 1994, the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God (Irkutsk) was returned to the diocese.
The modern appearance and decoration of the temple
The Kazan Church building differs from other religious buildings in the city by its volumetric and spatial composition and the symmetry of the centric structure. On the western side, the extension of the bell tower breaks the symmetry.
The compact but roomy Kazan Church is divided into subordinate volumes grouped around the central pillar. On top are a twelve-sided drum and a dome. At low limits, the apse and bell tower are octagonal drums resembling arbors. The diagonal cores of the additional turrets end with tents. Crowning the dome design. The facade of the building is decorated with modulons, kokoshniks, paired columns and panels.
Through the efforts of the ministers of the church in 2011, a new iconostasis 12 meters high and weighing 70 tons was installed in the church, all of Irkutsk comes to admire it. The Kazan Church, which used to be beautiful, was transformed. Over the construction of red-coffee granite, Chinese craftsmen worked, and unusual material was delivered from India. The authors of the project are icon painter Nikolai Natyaganov, architects Victoria Yakovleva and Denis Dresvyakin.
Kazan Church is famous for its bells, especially five-ton. The heaviest bell is famous for the loudest ringing.
Virgin of Kazan
The icon of the Mother of God, in honor of which the cathedral was consecrated, was famous for its miracles. The first miracle happened in Kazan. Once in a city there was a fire. The fire destroyed the Orthodox Church, which made local residents doubt the faith. The Mother of God came to the rescue. Virgin Mary dreamed of the daughter of the archer, Matryone, and ordered a miraculous icon to be pulled out from under the ground. Parents did not believe her daughter, but the dream was repeated. When the Virgin Mary dreamed for the third time, adults decided to check whether the girl was really telling the truth. It turned out that the image of the Mother of God was indeed underground. The icon was probably kept there since the time of early Christianity.
The appearance of the image of the Mother of God of Kazan became a real miracle, people again believed in Christ. Later, an icon belonging to the type of Hodegetria (Guidebooks) more than once helped the Russian troops in military campaigns. The lists of the image stored in the churches of Russia have a miraculous effect.
The Irkutsk-Kazan icon of the Mother of God is located in the Epiphany Cathedral. The image helps to grow a good harvest.
Kazan Church (Irkutsk): address
One of the most beautiful religious buildings in the world is located in Irkutsk, on 34/1 Barrikad Street. You can get to the place by buses No. 42, 43, 67, 21.56, 480 and minibuses No. 99, 3, 20, 9, 377.