Zhytomyr Oblast. Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral, Zhytomyr Cathedral of the Transfiguration in Zhytomyr

Photo: Holy Transfiguration Cathedral

Photo and description

Zhytomyr Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral is a temple of the UOC in the city of Zhytomyr, located on Pobedy Street, 14. This cathedral is a real gem and pride of the city.

In June 1804, by decree of Alexander II, Zhytomyr was officially approved as the center of the Volyn province. The construction of the main temple of the Volyn province on Torgovitsa Square (now Victory Square) began at the direction of Emperor Alexander II. On the site of the temple being built, there were suburban shopping arcades and the Basilian Greek Catholic Church second half of the XVIII century.

The initial project of the temple was developed in 1844 in St. Petersburg with the inclusion of the remains of the Basilian Church, destroyed in 1771, in its walls. The construction of the cathedral began in 1851, and in 1853 the almost completed building unexpectedly collapsed.

For the second time, the construction of the cathedral began from 1866 to 1874. designed by the academician of architecture K. Rakhau, with the participation of Professor E. Zhiber and the famous St. Petersburg architect V. Shalamov. This time, a place was chosen for the construction of the temple on the square a little south of the previous one. In August 1874, a solemn consecration of the main altar of the cathedral was held.

In the 1930s The City General Plan planned to destroy the Transfiguration Cathedral and build the House of the Red Army in its place. But with the outbreak of World War II, this barbaric idea was not realized.

Zhytomyr Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior is made in the Russian-Byzantine style with the corresponding features of the ancient Russian architecture of the XI-XII centuries. The building of the temple was built of brick. The cathedral has a cross shape, three-nave, five-domed with a tent-like completion and a four-tiered bell tower. The height of the cathedral is 53 meters. On the bell tower rises the main bell weighing 500 pounds. Labradorites and granites from Zhytomyr and Volhynia were used to decorate the interior of the cathedral.

The cathedral was erected on the site of the Basilian Church destroyed in 1771 in the period from 1866 to 1874 by the architects K.K. Rochau, E. Zhiber and V.G. Shalamov. Due to the complexity of the construction, specialists who worked in 1818-1858 took part in the construction. St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg. The wall decorations and icons are painted by Academician of Arts Mikhail Vasiliev.

The cathedral is designed in the Russian-Byzantine style with characteristic features Old Russian architecture of the XI-XII centuries. The building is made of bricks. The temple is cross-shaped, three-nave, five-domed with tent-like completions. A four-tier bell tower adjoining the western façade. The height of the cathedral is 53 meters. The main bell weighing 500 pounds is installed on the bell tower. In the design of the interior of the temple, granites and labradorites from Volyn and Zhytomyr region were used.

Zhytomyr Holy Transfiguration Cathedral is an architectural monument and is protected by the state.

Monuments of urban planning and architecture of the Ukrainian SSR. Kyiv: Budivelnik, 1983-1986. Volume 2, p. 145.

Volyn Cathedral in the name of the Transfiguration of the Lord was built in 1874 at the expense of the state treasury. Stone, with the same bell tower. The building has the shape of a cross, with double rows of granite columns inside the temple, overlaid at the base with labrador polished slabs and the same belts and cornice. The external view of the temple is proportional, gradually rising to the middle masses of middle and corner ledges with pilasters, columns and portals, crowned with five domes. The architectural style of the cathedral is Russian-Byzantine.

The length of the cathedral with outer walls and a bell tower, without the main porch, is 25 sazhens, the height from the base to the main dome with a cross is 23 sazhens, and inside from the floor to the dome is 15 sazhens. The height of the bell tower with a cross is 28 sazhens. On a floor area of ​​251 sazhens. can accommodate more than 3,000 people. Three heating furnaces of the Krelevskaya system are arranged under the floor. Oak iconostasis. The main bell weighing 515 pounds. 8 lb. There are three thrones: the right aisle - in the name of led. book. Alexander Nevsky and the left aisle - in the name of St. equal to ap. led. Prince Vladimir.

The construction of the cathedral lasted 7 years, from 1867 to 1874. On August 30, 1874, Archbishop Agafangel of Volhynia consecrated the main altar in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord in the presence of the local Governor-General Prince Dondukov-Korsakov, Governor Gresser, Professor Architect Zhiber, Architect Shalamov. The next day they also consecrated the right aisle. The consecration of the left aisle was made on September 1 of the same year by Bishop of Ostrog, Vicar of Volyn Justin.

The sacristy is full of excellent utensils and church clothes, the icons are new, Byzantine style, painted by academician Vasiliev. Of the ancient icons are remarkable: the icons of St. Basil the Great, inherited from the oldest church in the city of Ovruch, the Vasilyevsky Church, and a copy of the Czestochowa Icon of the Mother of God. The land at the manor cathedral was up to 8 acres, but most of it was occupied by the highway, Cathedral Square and streets, the rest of it, with the exception of the one under the new cathedral and wooden church, the former temporary cathedral with the houses attached to it, is leased. At the cathedral itself: a stone house for their own servants and three wooden houses for two priests, a deacon and clergymen, and the cathedral archpriest and other clergymen receive an apartment allowance from the cathedral.

Priest: 1 archpriest, sacrist, 2 priests, 2 deacons, 1 protodeacon, 2 subdeacons, 2 psalm-readers, sexton, etc. church servant. Copies of parish registers have been kept since 1798, and confessional records since 1801. An inventory of church property has been available since 1845. There are 389 yards, 3,295 parishioners of both sexes.

Teodorovich N.I. "Historical and statistical description of churches and parishes of the Volyn diocese", volume 1, Pochaev, printing house of the Pochaev Lavra, 1888

Volyn Cathedral was built by the Highest order at the expense of the state treasury in 1877. The stone temple, in the style of Byzantine-Russian architecture, can accommodate more than 3,000 worshipers.

There are four thrones: the main one is in the name of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the right one is St. Alexander Nevsky, left - St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, and the fourth - in the name of St. torment. Anastasia of Rome is located in the lower cave Anastasievskaya church, where the imperishable head of St. teacher martyrs. In honor of St. teacher torment. Anastasia twice a year: on June 13 and October 29 solemn services are performed, with a huge gathering of people.

AT big temple Cathedral, near the right choir there is a shrine with particles of St. relics: Rev. Fedor, Prince Ostrozhsky, St. rights. Juliana, Princess Olshanskaya, and Rev. torment. Macarius Ovruchsky, in whose honor the festival was established on October 8. There is a fountain in the cathedral park, in which on August 1 and January 6, on the day of mid-Pentecost and every first day of the summer month, water is blessed.

Priest's premises are available for all members of the clergy, with the exception of the cathedral archpriest and the sacristan. The premises were arranged in 1911-12. at the expense of the cathedral capital, comfortable and roomy, the buildings are located in the cathedral park. In addition to living quarters for each member of the clergy, there is a cold building and a cellar in the basement of the house.

Around the cathedral there is a park, there is a garden. Manor land 3 acres 1250 sq. soot, haymaking 82 dec. 98 sq. soot of the whole earth 103 dec. 1348 sq. soot The composition of the clergy: a cathedral archpriest, a sacristan, 2 priests, a protodeacon, 2 deacons, 2 subdeacons, 2 psalmists and church servants. The number of souls in the parish is 1200, the deanery of the city.

"Reference book about the parishes and monasteries of the Volyn diocese" K. V. Pereverzev, Zhytomyr. M. Denenman Electric Printing House, 1914

Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral is the most outstanding cult landmark. The majestic building, erected in the Old Russian style, might not have survived to this day, because in the 20th century it was planned to be demolished. However, fortunately, this did not happen. Therefore, today the cathedral is an active Orthodox church, the bells of which are called for worship and are heard at a distance of up to 20 kilometers.

History of the Transfiguration Cathedral

The Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral in Zhytomyr rises on a place that has been prayed for for years, because earlier there were also churches there - the Greek Catholic Basilian, and then the Spaso-Preobrazhensky. The latter did not last long and collapsed. According to one version, the material from which it was built turned out to be of poor quality, according to another, it was impossible to build Orthodox church in place of the Greek Catholic.

The new Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral was built on the site of the destroyed one in 1851 according to the design of the famous architects of that time Karl Rochau, Ernest Gibert and Varlam Shalamov. Upon completion of the work, the cathedral became the main temple of Volhynia.

Cathedral in the 20th century

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Transfiguration Cathedral was included in the state register of architectural monuments, but this did not prevent the Soviet authorities in the 30s from issuing an order to demolish it and build a house for the Red Army on this site.

Fortunately, the plans could not be realized, this was prevented by the Second World War. The temple withstood the shelling and attacks and has survived to this day almost intact.

temple architecture

The Transfiguration Cathedral was built in the Russian-Byzantine style with expressive accents of Russian architecture of the 11th-12th centuries. The cathedral is cruciform in shape, has five domes and a four-tiered bell tower topped with a sharp spire. It has a large bell weighing 500 pounds (about 8 thousand kilograms), the sound of which is heard, according to local residents, for 20 kilometers.

Cathedral interior

Particularly striking is the interior of the temple, in the decoration of which granites and labradorites mined in the Zhytomyr region and Volyn are used. The eye is immediately attracted by three thrones: the Transfiguration of the Lord and in honor of the princes Vladimir and Alexander Nevsky. The real decoration of the cathedral are the icons painted by Mikhail Vasiliev.

It is known that the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior kept ancient image Saint Basil, which Prince Vladimir the Great brought from Byzantium after being baptized. But he disappeared without a trace in 1936.

How to get there

Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral is located in the center of Zhytomyr. You can get to it by trolleybuses No. 1, 3 and minibuses No. 11 and 58 from the railway station or minibuses No. 25 and 108 from the bus station.

Opening hours: morning services in the temple begin at 8:00, evening - at 17:00.

Zhytomyr Cathedral in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord, Cathedral of the Zhytomyr diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Even during the construction of the cathedral, in 1871, a decree was issued by the Volyn provincial government on the closure of the shopping malls on the square and on the creation of a city park around the cathedral under construction. At the same time, a new configuration of the square was determined, called the Cathedral, which was planned to be the main square of the city. The park was founded only in 1886. The configuration of the square has practically not changed at the present time, and a small square remains from the park.

On May 29, in the basement of the cathedral, the opening of the lower church of St. Anastasia the Roman Martyr took place. Here, in a silver shrine, was placed the head of St. Anastasia the Romans. In the 1860s, she arrived in Zhytomyr as a gift from Patriarch Hierofey of Antioch. In the Soviet years, St. Anastasius Church was closed. The relics of Anastasia disappeared. Until a year, the basement of the temple was used as a warehouse.

In the 1930s, the City General Plan planned to demolish the Transfiguration Cathedral and build the House of the Red Army in its place, despite the fact that even then the cathedral was included in the state register of architectural monuments. The implementation of this barbaric idea was prevented by the Second World War.

The height of the cathedral is 53 meters. This is a three-aisled, five-domed temple with a tent-like endings, a cross-shaped temple. A four-tiered bell tower adjoins the western facade. The weight of the main bell is 500 pounds. The interior of the temple is rich; granites and labradorites from Zhytomyr and Volhynia are used in its design. In general, the Russian-Byzantine style, traditional for ancient Russian churches of the XII centuries, can be traced in the architecture.

Recognized as a monument of architecture of the XIX century and is under state protection.

■ Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral Zhytomyr diocese of the UOC is the architectural dominant of Zhytomyr. A 60-meter bell tower rises above the main entrance to the temple, the southwestern corner of which serves as a “zero” coordinate point for accurate maps of the city. In the 1770s near this place began to build a stone Uniate Church of the Transfiguration. In 1793, Volhynia, including Zhytomyr, passed from Catholic Poland to the Orthodox Russian Empire and became the governorate of Izyaslav. In 1795, the governorship was renamed into Volyn. His administration was temporarily placed in Zhytomyr. For this reason, the newly built Church of the Transfiguration was consecrated in 1796 as Orthodox and received the status of a city cathedral. At the same time, the Volyn vicegerency was abolished, and in 1797 the Volyn province was established instead. In 1804, Zhytomyr, as a place of temporary residence of the provincial administration, acquired the status of a permanent center of the province. The Transfiguration Church, accommodating only about 200 parishioners, was cramped for the high rank of the cathedral. The need for expansion became even more obvious when in 1841 the residence of the archbishops of Volyn was transferred to Zhytomyr. In 1844, in St. Petersburg, a project was drawn up for the reconstruction of the temple, which included the inclusion of old walls in the new building. In 1851 construction work began. Due to the mistake of the architects, who did not take into account the weakness of the local brick, in 1853 the almost finished cathedral collapsed when its own bell tower fell on it. erect new temple decided elsewhere. In 1858, near the ruins, the wooden Church of the Transfiguration was consecrated, which temporarily served as a cathedral. In 1865 the ruins were dismantled, in 1866 a new cathedral was laid. It was built close to the foundations of the old temple according to the project Baron von Mikwitz . Designed by architects Karl Mayevsky , Ernest Gibert , Carl Rochau. The architects who worked on the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow were involved in the case. By project Vladimir Shalamov the iconostases of the cathedral were made Nikolai Murashko , but painted Mikhail Vasiliev . In the decoration of the temple, the wealth of Volyn was used - local granite and labrador. The consecration of the cathedral took place in 1874.

■ In the crypt under the temple, the Volyn Archbishops Agafangel (Solovyov, † 1876 ), Tikhon (Pokrovsky, † 1885 ), Modest (Strelbitsky , † 1902). Fulfilling the will of the deceased lord Modest, his successor Archbishop Anthony (Khrapovitsky) arranged in the crypt in 1902–1903. aisle prmts. Anastasia the Romans and transferred here the honest head of the ascetic: in the 1860s. it was transferred to Russia by Patriarch Hierofei of Antioch, and later Archbishop Modest became the custodian of this shrine (in Soviet times, the shrine disappeared from the church).

■ After the revolution, the cathedral witnessed the persecution of the Church. At this time, the diocese was served in turn by three hierarchs who suffered for their faith: ssmch. Thaddeus (Assumption) (since 1908 - vicar of the Volyn diocese in the rank of bishop of Vladimir-Volynsky, in 1919-1921 managed the affairs of the entire diocese, since 1922 - archbishop of Astrakhan, in 1937 - arrested as the ruling bishop of the Kostroma diocese, in 1938 . - shot), Bishop Averky (Kedrov) (since 1915 - vicar of the Volyn diocese in the rank of bishop of Ostrozh, since 1922 - bishop of Volyn and Zhytomyr, was arrested more than once, after his release he returned to the management of the diocese, since 1926 - archbishop, in 1930 - arrested again and in 1931 he was exiled to the north of Russia, in 1937 he was sentenced to death), Bishop Maxim (Ruberovsky) (since 1923 - vicar of the Volyn diocese in the rank of bishop of Polonsky, since 1930 - bishop of Volyn, in 1937 - shot).

■ In 1931, the Soviet authorities decided to close the cathedral and create a museum in it, but in the end they arranged a warehouse. At the same time, the graves of the archbishops were opened and devastated. Risking their lives, the believers secretly entered the temple and hid the remains of the lords in a secluded place. In 1932 the iconostases were destroyed. Since 1933, the cathedral has been used as an archive, in 1941 it was reopened for worship. In 1988, a monument in honor of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia . In 1993, the remains of the archbishops were discovered and reverently reburied in the cathedral.