St. Catherine's Cathedral (Krasnodar). History and our days

In October 1888, near Kharkov, near the station of Borki, there was a catastrophe with the train of the emperor, which caused many human casualties. But God's Grace, and the monarch himself and his family were unharmed. A year later in Ekaterinodar (now Krasnodar), a decision was made to build a cathedral in memory of the miraculous rescue of the august family. About him and there will be a speech.

The construction of the temple

The decision to build the cathedral was promoted by the fact that shortly before the catastrophe the tsar visited the city, and the residents had fresh memories of his visit, which undoubtedly warmed up their loyal subjects. It was supposed to erect a monumental structure with seven thrones, the main one of which was to be consecrated in honor of the Great Martyr Catherine. It was in memory of this saint that the Catherine's Cathedral (Krasnodar) got its name. The rest of the temple's altars were dedicated to the heavenly patrons of the Romanov family: Mary, Nicholas, George, Michael and Olga.

Creation of the temple project and development of technical documentation was entrusted to Yekaterinodar resident - architect IK Malgerba. A place for future construction was chosen on Ekaterininskaya Square, where at that time stood a dilapidated wooden church, built in 1818. For various reasons (both technical and political) work was delayed and was finally completed only before the outbreak of the First World War. The St. Catherine's Cathedral (Krasnodar) was solemnly consecrated on March 24, 1914.

At the mercy of heretical renovationists

After the October Revolution, the Russian Orthodox Church underwent severe trials not only as a result of the coming to power of an atheistic government, but also as a consequence of the then internal church schism, called "Renovationism". The adherents of this complete heresy of the current declared their unconditional support for the new government and all its transformations.

In response to their loyalty, the schismatics enjoyed a certain patronage from the new authorities. At that time many temples and monasteries were transferred to their disposal. Their fate was shared by the Ekaterininsky Cathedral (Krasnodar). Since 1922, he was in the hands of the Renovationists. But never any transactions with the Antichrist did not end with good - in the same year the patrons disgraced the cathedral in the guise of helping the starving.

Closure of the church and the termination of worship

In the thirties, the Catherine's Cathedral (Krasnodar) was on the verge of destruction. City authorities needed for their current needs building materials in a significant amount. Without thinking twice, they decided to blow up the cathedral on bricks. The explosives had already been laid, and only at the last moment the architect Ivan Malherb managed to convince the authorities of the technical inexpediency of the conceived.

The temple was saved, but soon the services in it ceased, and this time not through the fault of the Communists - the diocesan leadership of the Renovationists refused it. In 1934, local authorities received a statement from them about the dissolution of the parish community due to its small number. The cathedral was closed and the bells were melted down. In the future, the former shrine was used as a warehouse.

Revival of religious life within the walls of the temple

As we know, during the war many previously closed churches resumed work in the territories temporarily occupied by the Germans. The Catherine's Cathedral was also opened. Krasnodar in those years was in occupation, and for the city's residents attending worship was an indispensable moral support, despite the fact that it was necessary to pray in a room still used as a warehouse.

When in 1944 the city was liberated from the Nazis, the decision of the authorities returned the temple to believers with a single demand - to rename its limits, reminiscent of the names of members of the royal family. Since then, there are thrones in the reborn cathedral: Uspensky, Blagoveshchensky, Voskresensky, Sergievsky and Varvarinskiy. Its former name was preserved only by the main limit, the throne of which is consecrated in honor of St. Catherine the Great Martyr.

The life of the temple in times of democratic change

In 1988, when the whole country celebrated the millennium of the baptism of Rus, St. Catherine's Cathedral (Krasnodar) was restored, and from its belfry for the first time in many years there was a bell bells. In full measure, the original appearance was returned to him in 2011 - the domes of the temple once again shone with gold leaf. Statistics show that today the most visited in all Kuban region is the Catherine's Cathedral.

Krasnodar has long had deep traditions of spiritual life, and therefore its inhabitants are so fond of this monument of temple architecture. Today, when you come to the cathedral, you can bow to the relics stored in it. This is the miraculous image of the Kazan Mother of God, and the particles of the relics of the great martyrs Catherine, and Barbara, and the holy apostle Jacob - brother in the flesh of Jesus Christ. It is gratifying to realize that the process of religious revival of the country is becoming more and more perceptible.