The Holy Assumption Cathedral in Vitebsk is one of the unique architectural structures of Belarus. The Orthodox church is located on the banks of the Western Dvina on the Assumption Mountain. The cathedral got its name from her.
History
The Assumption Cathedral (Vitebsk) is very famous in Belarus and abroad. The history of this place dates back to the fifteenth century. The mountain itself, which was previously called Lysa, was used for the construction of religious buildings - sanctuaries for many centuries.
The first mention of a wooden church erected on a mountain dates back to the beginning of the fifteenth century. Then it was called the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the seventeenth century it was handed over to the Uniates. A few years later, the Uniate archbishop was killed, and the temple was destroyed by the townspeople. The church was dismantled by a court decision, and a little later the residents of Vitebsk restored it at their own expense.
According to some reports, the church burned down around the middle of the seventeenth century, and after some time a new wooden church was built in its place. Butthe building quickly lost its original appearance. Then a resident of Vitebsk, judge Adam Kisel, built a temple at his own expense and founded a Basilian monastery in it. But in the eighteenth century the city was burned along with the temple. Adam Kisel restored all buildings again.
Unfortunately, this was not the only fire in the history of the cathedral. It soon burned down again. The place remained deserted for about twenty years.
First stone temple
The Holy Assumption Cathedral in Vitebsk was in no hurry to restore. Only in 1743 it was decided to build a stone church. The project was developed by the Grodno architect Iosif Fontani. The temple was supposed to become a valuable building of the city's architecture, since it was believed that the author of the development took one of the temples of Rome as a basis and practically copied it. But construction stopped almost immediately, and only after the reunification of Vitebsk with the Russian Empire did the first shifts appear. Built in 1777, the church was only consecrated ten years later.
The temple was named Assumption Cathedral after the order of Paul I to transfer the monastery to the Orthodox department. But the difficulties on the path of the cathedral did not end. During the Patriotic War of 1812, a French infirmary was equipped in the temple, all valuables were destroyed. After the war, it was restored and became a bright landmark of the city.
In the middle of the twentieth century, Soviet power came to Vitebsk. The Assumption Cathedral was closed, and a few years later, in the early autumn morning, it was blown up.
A workshop of the plant formachine tools, but soon it was abandoned and demolished.
Restoration of the Holy Assumption Cathedral
In the early nineties of the twentieth century, Belarusian architects developed a plan for the restoration of the cathedral. In 1998, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II laid a capsule on the site of the destroyed church and consecrated the first stone.
Archaeologists managed to accurately determine the location of all parts of the temple. Also at this place were found human remains, which most likely belong to the victims of the NKVD or the German Gestapo. The remains are buried next to the cathedral. A commemorative plaque and a cross are installed on one of its walls.
The restoration of the temple began in the summer of 2000. Three years later, the first liturgy was held in the lower tier of the cathedral, which was being completed. In 2005, this tier was completed, and a year later the first floor was ready. By the end of 2007, the walls of the second floor and the bell tower were erected.
In the summer of 2008, ten bells were consecrated and installed on one of the towers, the largest weighing up to two tons. Domes and crosses were soon installed.
Later, work began inside the temple, decorative lighting appeared. Eleven bells were installed on another tower. Among them is the heaviest bell in Belarus, it weighs more than five tons. Great help in the restoration of the temple was provided by Russian patrons. During construction, the cathedral was visited by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill.
In 2011, the whole of Vitebsk celebrated. Assumption Cathedral was completely reconstructed. Solemnthe opening took place on the eve of the great holiday - the Annunciation.
Residents and tourists are always happy to come to the temple, because only here you can hear the ringing of more than 20 bells. Vitebsk is proud of its construction. The Cathedral of the Assumption was consecrated on September 30, 2011 by Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Slutsk, together with all the bishops of the Belarusian Orthodox Church.
Legends
There are many legends associated with the temple. One of them says that under the cathedral there is an underground passage that leads to the Western Dvina.
This is due to the fact that in the eighteenth century, during the construction of the temple, systems were created in order to divert the accumulated groundwater from the cellars into the river. The bends were so high that a person could walk through them to their full height. Over time, the drains were no longer cleared, so a fairly large amount of water accumulated in the basements.
Features of the architecture of the cathedral
The temple was originally built in the Baroque style. Due to the volume of the naves (elongated rooms, bounded on both sides by columns or pillars from neighboring ones), a three-dimensional structure of the cathedral was formed. The silhouette of the building was decorated with three lanterns: one was placed above the main dome, the other two - above the towers.
For the design of the facade used arches, niches, cornice belts. The composition was completely completed in the nineteenth century. The gallery is located on the second tier. The outer naves were divided into chapels. The total height of the cathedral reaches more than fifty meters.
Masterpiecearchitecture
Vitebsk surprises tourists with its architecture. The Assumption Cathedral is one of the unique Belarusian structures. This is the only temple in Vitebsk, the lower tier of which is located underground. Having survived many difficulties, the temple was nevertheless revived and became even more beautiful. Residents of Vitebsk highly appreciate this wonderful place.
One of the Soviet demolitionists of the temple, Pyotr Grigorenko, said that, seeing this miracle, many knelt down.
Modern Vitebsk is being transformed. The Assumption Cathedral is changing along with it. It attracts not only with its external solemnity, but also with its internal decoration, which creates a special atmosphere of warmth in the temple, blesses for good deeds.
Many local historians compare the Belarusian cathedral with Russian buildings and highly appreciate its beauty. Some call it a masterpiece of architecture.
