Novocherkassk Cathedral. Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk: history

With the departure of I. I. Russko, the building was examined by a commission, which recognized the building as solid and made a forecast that with the replacement of soft seaside stone with a hard "Grushevsky" fortress, the cathedral's fortress would only increase. The military architect M.A. Amvrosimov made his contribution to the strengthening of the cathedral, replacing Russko as a worker. At his suggestion, the foreman contractor Sheikin replaced the wooden frames in the windows and doors of the cathedral with iron bars. By the year the building was erected to a height of 7 sazhens, and work again stopped.

In the meantime, in the nearby temporary wooden cathedral church-chapel, a wooden bell tower was built in the year, to which the tower clock was transferred from the Starocherkassky Resurrection (former military) cathedral in the year. The supporting pillars of the Ascension Church, due to dilapidation, were replaced with new ones in the year, and the wooden roof was covered. In the same year, a wooden guardhouse was built at the wooden cathedral. In the same year, it was decided to repair the temple for 6.357 rubles. 90 kopecks, which was done.

Work on the second project

The new plan of the cathedral, drawn up by K. A. Ton, was approved by the Highest on January 4 of the year. The walls were supposed to be built of well-burnt and processed bricks. According to Ton's plan, the military architect I. O. Valpreda made an estimate of more than a million rubles. The sovereign demanded to design a temple smaller in size and cost, which would be “within the means” of the Don Cossacks. Then Valpreda designed a cathedral with five aisles, 38.5 fathoms long, 33 fathoms high, with a bell tower 39.3 fathoms high. The cost was estimated at 640 thousand rubles. The new project assumed a three-part composition of the building - a temple, a narthex and a bell tower. The main dome was supposed to have, as in the first version, an onion shape, and the bell tower was designed hipped. The project of Valpred was approved by the Highest on April 16 of the year, and the project of Ton was used in the construction of the Rostov-on-Don Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

In the same years, a major restructuring of the temporary wooden cathedral was carried out. In the year the works were started, and the re-consecration followed in the year. The new building of the temporary cathedral was sheathed with boards and covered with sheet iron, a military clock was installed on the cathedral. In the renovated cathedral, as in the previous one, two thrones were arranged: the main one in honor of the Ascension of the Lord, consecrated on May 11 of the year by Archbishop Donskoy John and the chapel in honor of the icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria, consecrated on June 12 of the same year by Archpriest S. Saltykov. At the wooden cathedral in those years there were two wooden bell towers - one chopped from beams, on which several small bells hung, and the other on poles, where one large old bell hung. In the year, at the expense of the wife of the ataman Ekaterina Mikhailovna Khomutova and other benefactors, a third northern chapel was added to the wooden cathedral in honor of the Resurrection of Christ, consecrated by Archbishop John of Donskoy on August 16 of the same year.

Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich took part in the re-laying of the stone cathedral on November 2, the rite of consecration of the construction site was performed by Archbishop John of the Don. The estimate for construction was approved in the same year, work began in the same year. The brick was supplied under the contract by Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai Rubashkin, and the work, according to the contract, was carried out by retired lieutenant Sadomtsev. In the year doubts arose about the strength of the cathedral under construction due to the insufficient quality of the Rubashkin brick laid in the foundation and walls. In this regard, the contract for the supply of bricks and stone was given to the same Sadomtsev, who brought stone from Belaya Kalitva and from the coast of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov. Anxiety about strength forced a series of surveys, after which work was suspended for up to a year. Then construction began again. The work was almost completed when at midnight on July 10-11, the main dome collapsed inside the cathedral and carried away part of one of the small domes and 5 side vaults.

The commission did not find obvious preliminary violations and damage, noting that "the work was done carefully, skillfully and circumspectly." The only reason for the collapse was seen in the hasty construction of the drum of the main dome. The architect Valpreda was instructed to complete the cathedral with a new dome in two years.

Scaffolding was restored in the cathedral, a temporary wooden roof was placed, and work stopped again. According to the development of estimates, on January 15, tenders for completion were announced, but no one showed up for them. Only in the year was an estimate worked out that suited the emperor, and he signed it on August 1 of that year. Work on the completion began in the year, but due to lack of funds, they were carried out sluggishly, only on the bell tower. In August, both bell towers at the temporary wooden cathedral were dismantled, and the bells were transferred to the permanent bell tower under construction. In those same years, at the initiative of the chieftain, the expensive commission for the completion of the cathedral was abolished, and the architect Valpred was removed from work. In subsequent years, the cathedral was again examined by commissions, and the architect A. A. Yashchenko developed his own completion project. On April 20, this project was sent for approval to the Directorate of Irregular Forces. However, the engineering committee recognized in the summer of the year as possible " leave the presented project without consequences and instead of the proposed completion of the cathedral, build a new cathedral in Novocherkassk according to a different project in a newly chosen place, and adapt the unfinished building for any needs of the city or the Don army" .

Despite this decision, another attempt was made to complete the second version of the cathedral. It was undertaken by the honorary citizen of Novocherkassk, the merchant Cossack Semyon Nikolaevich Koshkin. On January 4, he submitted a memorandum to the ataman with a proposal to complete the construction of the cathedral at his own expense. But the architect Yashchenko criticized his proposal to build a light temporary wooden dome over the building, which has already cost about 3.5 million rubles. After a request from the Ministry of War, the architect Yashchenko submitted a new project for the cathedral, which was estimated at 624 thousand rubles, and the dismantling of the old one - another 100 thousand rubles. In this regard, the Military Council decided to dismantle the cathedral at the expense of the military capital of the Don army, and Emperor Alexander III approved this decision on May 17 of the year. On August 27, the auction for dismantling in Novocherkassk was won by the merchant Cossack N. I. Limarev, who by October had dismantled the old cathedral for 70 thousand rubles.

During the years of unsuccessful attempts to resolve the issue of completing the second version of the stone cathedral, work was revived to maintain a temporary wooden military cathedral nearby. In 1997, a brick bell tower was built near the wooden cathedral, built from material from the collapsed 2nd version of the stone Ascension Cathedral. From year to year, the wooden cathedral building was rebuilt several times. The main altar, aisles and vestibules were significantly expanded, and the southern aisle was abolished and turned into a sacristy. However, in the year the southern chapel was restored and on August 15 it was consecrated by Bishop John of Aksay. During these years, wooden Cathedral covered with sheet iron, painted in green color. The temple had six exits. Seven domes with iron six-pointed crosses towered over the cathedral. The crosses and domes were gilded. The walls of the cathedral are painted with "blange paint" (i.e. skin color). Inside, the Ascension Church, except for the eastern part, the main altar, the vestibule, the aisles and the sacristy, was framed with a board, covered with canvas, painted with white and blue paint. Four oak pillars supported the dome of the cathedral. Choirs were arranged over the western gates. But the wooden cathedral quickly fell into disrepair, was of little space, and did not have a church fence.

Work on the third project

The project of the third version of the cathedral, compiled by the architect A. A. Yashchenko, was approved by the Highest on March 24 of the year. At the same time, a construction commission was also established, and the Military Council decided to finance the construction of the cathedral from the total military capital, extra-budgetary loans. In August of the same year, under the supervision of the first builder, architect Yashchenko, work began on the foundation, for which the old one was dismantled and the foundation pit was deepened. Ancillary buildings were erected on the cathedral square at the same time.

During the First World War, services were often held in the cathedral with requests to God to grant victory to Russian weapons and health to Russian soldiers; many Cossack units left the cathedral square for the front after the prayer service; the bodies of the fallen Cossacks were returned to the cathedral; from here they were sent in coffins to the city cemeteries.

During the civil war, the elective atamans of the Don Cossacks - Aleksey Maksimovich Kaledin and Aleksey Mikhailovich Nazarov received blessings for their work in the cathedral. In the year the revolutionaries shot through the dome of the cathedral from a sailor's train. Shortly after the capture of the city by the Reds, the Red Guards appeared in the cathedral demanding to show the bell tower, on which, according to their information, the Cossacks allegedly hid a machine gun. Not finding a machine gun of the Red Guards " in caps, with guns overweight ... entered the temple, entered the altar, with bayonets tore off the vestments from the thrones of the main and in the first aisle, lifted and damaged the marble plaque of the main throne: "they were looking for Cossacks" ...". In the summer of the year, on the square near the cathedral, a review of the combat units of the young Don Army, formed by ataman P. N. Krasnov to fight the Bolsheviks, was held. Here, on September 16 of that year, after a prayer service in the Donskoy Cathedral, ataman Krasnov took an oath of allegiance to the service of the Don Army. In cathedral at the beginning of February, the thanksgiving prayers and in honor of the new Don ataman A.P. Bogaevsky. In February-March and April of that year, many of those who died from cholera were buried in the cathedral; more than once prayers were offered for the granting of the victory of the Don army over the Red Army.

At the beginning of the year Novocherkassk was occupied by the Red Army. In the first years of Soviet power, the cathedral worked as before, but the new city authorities declared the cathedral an instrument of hostile White Cossack propaganda, the focus of "priestly obscurantism," ballast on the path of socialist construction; active propaganda was carried out to denigrate those who attended the cathedral and to separate the people from the Church. The number of visitors to the cathedral began to fall sharply, and problems with its maintenance began to increase sharply. A big blow for the cathedral was the theft of icons, church utensils and jewelry in the amount of more than 2 million rubles from the temple. The kidnappers were not found, and the cathedral could not find funds to compensate for the damage. Soon, most of the clergy and clergy of the cathedral who remained after the civil war were arrested and kept in the basements of the District and city Cheka on Aleksandrovskaya Street .; a large group - including the former cathedral archpriest, Hieromartyr Zakharia Lobov - were sent to Solovki, where many ended their earthly life.

When the processes of collecting non-ferrous and precious metals for the needs of collectivization and industrialization began, in the year a note appeared in the local newspaper that " roof b. the city cathedral is being removed to use copper and other non-ferrous metals, the new roof will be made of iron". Sheets of gilded copper were removed, and iron sheets were not installed for various reasons for several years. The cathedral was closed. For a long time it was exposed to natural disasters - it was flooded with rain, snowed in, burned by the scorching sun, etc. At first, kerosene was stored in the cellars of the cathedral, and then grain for the malt (brewery) factory Probably during this period, and possibly earlier, the sarcophagi in the tomb of the cathedral were opened and desecrated.

In the first days of the occupation of Novocherkassk by German invaders in the summer of the year, at the request of the city Cossacks, the cathedral was opened for worship. In the post-war years, grain, sugar, flour, other products and materials were stored in the cellars of the cathedral, but the top was church services. In the same year, the fountain on the cathedral square was dismantled, in which water had been blessed before. In the 1950s, with great difficulty, it was possible to carry out picturesque restoration work with the help of Leningrad artists. For lack of sufficient funds, bronze paint was laid down in place of the former decorating gold leaf.

In the 1960s, the threat of closing the cathedral again loomed due to the intensification of anti-religious propaganda, but the cathedral survived. In the 1970s and 1980s, among the clergy of the cathedral, various kinds of complaints arose more than once about the wrong actions of individual priests, deacons, and elders - the latter were replaced quite a lot. At the end of the 1970s, steps were taken towards the external restoration, but there were not enough funds and only the "front" part of the western facade was plastered and painted with orange-yellowish paint. The work was carried out by "craftsmen" who turned up from the street - "shabai" - and not by expensive restoration workshops, so attempts to at least partially restore the collapsing internal painting gave sad results.

Under the Soviet regime, the drainage system was disrupted, diverting underground water from the cathedral towards the railway station along the former Kreshchensky (then Red) descent, so the southern part of the basement of the cathedral began to flood water. Many attempts to pump it out did not give serious results, and according to authoritative scientists, it was better not to touch the existing water balance, and not to pump out the water, since in its absence, the destructive processes in the lower part of the cathedral could become irreversible.

Renaissance in the modern period

Since the mid-1980s, the issue of a possible coating of the domes and crosses of the cathedral with gold leaf has been discussed. In this regard, serious steps were taken to update the coverage, but since. There were no funds for gilding; only some of the outer crosses were gilded.

With the process of the revival of the Cossacks, which began on the Don in the year, the cathedral more than once became the focus of various kinds of military ceremonies. Since the fall of the year, little by little they began to restore the lower basement of the cathedral, where the tomb of the great people of the Don is located. After the desecrated remains were opened on March 1, the tomb was put in order, after which a solemn reburial followed on May 15. The next day, May 16, the clergy of the cathedral participated in the opening ceremony of the monument to the founder of the city, Ataman Matvey Ivanovich Platov, recreated and installed on the former pedestal near the cathedral.

The history of the Don Cossacks, who passed a difficult and dramatic path, was embodied in a majestic monument, which is the Novocherkassk Ascension Cathedral. It is rightfully considered one of the masterpieces of Russian temple architecture. Everything in it is unusual - both the history of its creation, and even the size by which it is second only to the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior and St. St. Isaac's Cathedral.

The temple is the same age as the city

The date of foundation of Novocherkassk is 1805. At the same time, the laying of the future cathedral took place, which was to become the pride of all the Cossacks. However, as often happens in Russia, the matter dragged on, and work began only after six years, in 1811. The author of the project was a talented Italian architect Aloysius Rusk, a staunch supporter of the classical style in architecture. But it so happened that, having become a victim of bureaucratic intrigues, he was forced to leave Russia, and our compatriot P.N. took his place. Amvrosimov.

Collapse of an almost finished building

The construction had been going on for thirty-five years and was nearing completion when the unexpected happened - when the dome was brought down, a significant part of the facade collapsed. By a lucky chance, there were no victims, as there was a misfortune on a day off, and there were no workers inside the temple, but the result of the accident was terrible - the almost finished Novocherkassk Cathedral turned into ruins.

A message was urgently sent to Petersburg about what had happened, and Nicholas I, who reigned at that time, sent a commission to Novocherkassk to identify those responsible for the incident.

Arriving at the site, the statesmen discovered the grossest violations committed during the construction work, as well as engineering errors in the project itself. A special place in their report was occupied by the unacceptably low quality of building materials. Apparently, there was a theft of funds released from the treasury, but the case was hushed up, and work was suspended for some time.

Another failure

When the Ascension Cathedral was being built in Novocherkassk, it seemed as if some kind of evil fate was preventing the success of the undertaking. The fact is that when, after several years after the accident, construction was resumed and in 1863 was already approaching its final phase, the story of seventeen years ago was repeated with amazing accuracy. Everything was going well, but at the moment when they began to bring the dome down, a deep crack suddenly appeared on the facade, and it collapsed. Again, as before, the building, close to completion, turned into a pile of construction debris.

Again a dispatch flew to the capital, and the investigation began again. The commission, which arrived from St. Petersburg, saw the main cause of the collapse as technological violations, which were the result of unacceptable haste during the work.

This time the construction was led by the architect I.O. Valprede is an experienced specialist and a very prudent person. He was not blamed for what had happened, since he presented the commission with copies of reports in which he repeatedly pointed out to the city authorities and Cossack chieftains the danger of an unreasonably fast pace of work.

Start of new construction

But the city of Novocherkassk could not live without the temple of God, and it is not for nothing that the Cossacks are known as stubborn people. The failures that pursued the construction of the cathedral did not diminish their determination to bring the matter to the end, and in 1889 the project of a new - third in a row - temple was approved in the capital. Its author was the Don military architect A.A. Yashchenko. Shortly before that, he became an academician, and this work was his debut in a new rank. However, even here it was not without the intervention of evil fate. When they started laying the foundation, the Don architect died suddenly, and the Novocherkassk Cathedral continued to be built without him.

The same fate played a cruel joke on the next work manager - A.P. Zlobin. He, like his predecessors, had to give evidence to the commission of inquiry. All the same violations of technological standards and suspiciously low quality of materials were found. This time only a miracle saved the builders from another collapse. Under fear of eternal torment in future life and the criminal court in this high city authorities took action, and the case finally entered the right track.

The end of the building epic

But everything comes to an end sooner or later. All long-term ordeals associated with the construction of the temple have also ended. Completion and consecration Novocherkassk Cathedral took place at the very beginning of the new XX century - in 1901. The size of this third largest cathedral in Russia is admirable. Its dome rose to a height of seventy-five meters, and the area was almost four and a half thousand square meters.

To build a building of this size, it was necessary to build a brick factory, a power plant and a water line for its needs. In order to avoid the risk of a new collapse, a special laboratory was created in which all building material was tested for strength. The amount spent on the work was also a record, it amounted to two million rubles.

The former splendor of the temple

Everyone who happened to see the Novocherkassk Cathedral noted the extraordinary beauty of its domes covered with main cross, which was decorated with crystal inlay made by Bohemian craftsmen.

Many memories of witnesses of its former splendor have been preserved. They paint a picture of how sunny days the bright radiance of the main cross, visible for many kilometers, served as a living beacon on the path to God.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Novocherkassk was equipped with a unique ventilation and heating system, which at that time was a real breakthrough in technical thought. Thanks to bold engineering developments, not only a comfortable atmosphere was created inside the temple, but also, which is very important, the iconostasis painting and wall frescoes were preserved. Unfortunately, it is now lost.

In addition, the Novocherkassk Cathedral was famous for its interior decoration. Its floor was covered with specially made in France and Italy. An original addition to the construction of the building was an underground passage connecting the temple with the bishop's house located nearby. Today, the House of Officers is located within its walls.

Years of total atheism

The Novocherkassk Cathedral, whose history is inextricably linked with all Russian events of the 20th century, fully shared the fate of most churches in our country. In the thirties the godless authorities it was closed and put an end to the services held in it.

Crosses were removed from such once magnificent domes and gilded copper sheets were barbarously torn off. The building itself - an architectural monument and a work of art - was used as a fuel and lubricants warehouse.

During the Great Patriotic War, the city of Novocherkassk was in the zone of temporary occupation. The Germans opened the temple, and divine services resumed in it. The inhabitants of the city in those years prayed for the granting of victory over the enemy and asked for God's blessing and intercession. When the Nazis were expelled, the Soviet authorities did not close the temple and did not interfere with the conduct of services, however, all the basement of the cathedral was still used as a warehouse.

Return to spiritual roots

When the time came for democratic changes in the country, and the people woke up from an atheistic delusion, many cathedrals and monasteries were returned to the church. It was a joyful, but very difficult period. Most of the temple buildings, after decades of their barbaric devastation, required restoration, or at least serious restoration. Among them was the Novocherkassk Cathedral. Patriarch of All Russia Alexy II blessed the work, and many leading restorers were invited to the funds allocated by the city authorities.

Resurrected Cathedral

In 2005, the inhabitants of Novocherkassk celebrated a double anniversary - the bicentennial of the city and the laying of a temple in it. The completion of works on the restoration of the cathedral facade was timed to coincide with these celebrations. Its appearance was restored in accordance with the drawings and drawings of the beginning of the last century. Next in line is the gilding of the domes and the installation of crystal inlay, which was so famous in previous years.

Service in the Novocherkassk Cathedral today is held with the same piety and observance church canons that in everything Orthodox world. The Annunciation of his bells again spreads far across the region and calls to prayer all whose hearts are open to God. In conclusion, information for those who would like to visit the Novocherkassk Cathedral. Address: Rostov region, Novocherkassk, pl. Ermaka, d. 2.

For a whole century, starting from the middle of the 19th century, the main spiritual stronghold of the Don Cossacks was the Novocherkassk Ascension Cathedral - one of the largest and most significant in the Rostov region. Today, this religious site still remains the beacon of Orthodoxy for hundreds of thousands of residents of the region and Russia as a whole. The majestic cathedral, by its very appearance, is able to lift the spirit and strengthen the faith of those who profess Christianity, and for ordinary tourists and travelers it has been and remains one of the most important religious attractions on the Don, which is difficult to ignore when getting acquainted with the local historical places. It is noteworthy that unique relics have been kept within the walls of the Novocherkassk Cathedral for a long time: the Aksai, Don and Seeking for the Dead icons, which today anyone can look at, regardless of nationality and religion.

Story

The history of the Ascension Cathedral begins in 1805, when its foundation was laid almost simultaneously with the founding of the city of Novocherkassk itself. Full-scale construction of the temple began only 6 years later, according to the project of well-known architects - the Ruski brothers, and later - under the guidance of their follower Amvrosimov. Unfortunately, during the construction of the cathedral, the builders suffered one setback after another. First, in 1846, when installing the dome, part of the load-bearing wall collapsed, and in 1863, the structure holding the ceiling beams could not withstand the load. The cathedral acquired its final appearance only in 1904, shortly before the Red Revolution. With the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, the temple was plundered and lost its gilded domes, and its interior began to be used as food warehouses. Paradoxically, the cathedral was reopened to parishioners during the occupation of Novocherkassk by German troops during World War II. Subsequently, the church diocese managed to defend the temple, and it continued its work already in the post-war years. A full-scale restoration, which returned the cathedral to its original appearance, was carried out between 2001 and 2005.

Peculiarities

During the construction of the Novocherkassk Ascension Cathedral, elite and expensive facing materials were used, some of which were delivered to Russia from abroad. What is worth only one white marble from Italy, with which the floors and steps of the temple are laid out. Some of the columns here are also made of marble, but not white, but pink. It was delivered to Russia from France. According to history, during the construction of the cathedral, several large marble workshops were operating in the city at once, specializing in the manufacture of elements of temple architecture. At the same time, the architects brought their project to life in full accordance with the "high technologies" of those times. First of all, we are talking about Amosov's heating system, installed in the basement and heating the cathedral in the cold season. It is noteworthy that in addition to the tomb with the relics of St. John, there are several other burial places in the church. So, ataman M. Platov, lieutenant generals Y. Baklanov and I. Efremov found their last refuge here. These outstanding Cossack commanders made a huge contribution to the strengthening of the Russian Empire, and it was not in vain that their names were immortalized in the Novocherkassk Cathedral - the main spiritual center Don Cossacks.

How to get there

The Ascension Cathedral Military Cathedral is located in the city of Novocherkassk, Rostov Region, at the address: Yermak Square, 2. You can get here without any problems both by personal and public transport.

External and internal decoration of the temple.

The interior of the Ascension Cathedral

The Novocherkassk Military Ascension Cathedral was built in the New Byzantine style. Made from brick. The weight of the cathedral is 135 thousand tons, the height (with a central cross) is 74.7 m, the total height inside the temple is 51.2 m, the basement is 15 meters deep, the underground passage from which leads to the Bishop's House (now the House of Officers). Two cast-iron staircases lead to the premises of the lower basement: one is a spiral staircase with 70 steps and 3 landings, the other with a 51st step and 5 marches. A cast-iron staircase leads to the choir, having 9 flights of 62 steps and 9 platforms. And to the bell tower - a staircase of 4 marches with 48 steps and 5 platforms, and then a spiral staircase with 56 steps. In total, up to 200 steps lead to the bell tower.

The main throne of the cathedral is consecrated in honor of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, there are two more chapels: in the name of the Resurrection of Christ and icons Mother of God"Hodegetria". All three iconostasis are made of tricolor marble of excellent work according to the sketches of Russian masters. All paintings and ornamental works are made by the Society of Russian Artists. The rich ornamentation is an excellent example of the decoration of the ancient churches of Byzantium, with its rich imagination and solemn harmony of colors. On the facade of the cathedral there is a clock with a strike with a diameter of about two meters. Above the clock in a small recess is a copy of the image of the Don Icon of the Mother of God, and in the recess above the door leaves of the main entrance is the image of Christ Blessing.

The interior of the temple is striking in its splendor. The floors and iconostasis are finished with French and Italian marble, the walls are painted with frescoes, and the choir stalls are decorated with picturesque canvases that tell the story of the local Cossacks. Here are their stories: “Yermak’s Gatherings for a Campaign to Siberia”, “Award of the Tsar’s Banner under Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich in 1614”, “Azov Sitting in 1641”, “Peter the Great’s Gatherings near Azov in 1696”, “Laying of the Cathedral and the City Novocherkassk by ataman Platov in 1805”, “Meeting of ataman Platov in 1814 near Novocherkassk”, “Presenting the perch on May 6, 1887 to the Heir to the Throne Tsesarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich”.

The temple can accommodate 5,000 people for one service. The cathedral had a unique heating system, which is now lost. The ventilation system was also very interesting, allowing to preserve the frescoes and iconostases in their original form. In the Temple-tomb - the so-called Lower Intercession Church - as well as in the upper one, divine services are regularly performed. And the priests, for the most part, consider the Lower Church to be warmer and more comfortable. A stunning and bewitching sight opens up to the guest of the Lower Church: marble sarcophagi containing the remains of the Most Reverend Archbishop of the Don and Novocherkassk John, the founder of the city, the famous "vortex-ataman" Matvey Ivanovich Platov, the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812 Vasily Vasilyevich Orlov-Denisov and Yakov Petrovich Baklanov. To the right of the tomb is a spacious and bright baptismal.

History of the cathedral church.

The first version of the cathedral (1811-1846)

The second version of the cathedral (1850-1863)

The third version of the cathedral (1893-1904)

The cathedral in Novocherkassk was founded in 1893, and consecrated and opened in 1905. As you know, the first cathedral, although purely symbolic, was still founded at the foundation of Novocherkassk in 1805. The author of the project for the first cathedral in Novocherkassk was Luigi Rusca. The grandiose cathedral was supposed to be built in the style of Russian classicism. The cathedral was to become the largest in the Russian Empire, since the larger ones - St. Isaac's in St. Petersburg and Christ the Savior in Moscow - would only be laid in 1818 and 1832. The construction of the cathedral went on with long interruptions until 1846. And so, on August 29 at 9 pm, as the Don ataman Vlasov reported to Emperor Nicholas I, "the cathedral suddenly collapsed and most of this magnificent building turned into ruins." The failure that befell the builders of the cathedral led the Don people to despair: 40 years of work went to waste. A new project of a military temple was urgently ordered. It was developed by the author of the project of the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior architect K.A.Ton. But due to the high estimated cost, his project was rejected. The next project worth 640 thousand rubles was developed by academician I.O. Valprede. The project of the second version was made in a mixed style: along with the elements inherent in Russian churches, the influence of pseudo-Gothic was also clearly visible. After the approval of this project in April 1850, a new version of the military church was laid in November of the same year. This time it was decided to build the cathedral not from "Grushevsky stone", the quality of which was one of the reasons for the collapse, but from brick. However, disagreements immediately began to arise about its quality. These doubts led to a five-year suspension of construction. However, the construction that began was again unlucky. The haste of the brickwork with its short drying eventually led to the fact that at midnight from July 10 to 11, 1863, the main dome of the temple collapsed into the structure. At the same time, he carried away a part of one of the small domes and five side vaults. Then there were many different proposals both for the completion of an existing structure, and for its demolition and construction of a new one. As a result, a decision was made: to dismantle the cathedral with the collapsed dome, and start building a new one in its place. This plan was approved on May 17, 1880 by Emperor Alexander II. As a result of the competition, the merchant Cossack N.I. Limarev received a contract for the demolition of the cathedral, the dismantling of which ended in October 1882.

The project of the third version of the cathedral was developed by the Don military architect A.A. Yashchenko, who shortly before became an academician of architecture. Alexander Alexandrovich proposed a project for a cathedral in the neo-Byzantine style. The project was accepted. But, since Yashchenko died suddenly in 1893, during his time they only managed to procure building materials, bring the excavation to the design depth and begin the construction of the foundation. The architect I.P. Zlobin was now in charge of the construction. In 1986, the inspection found a bunch of shortcomings in the construction, which, as it turned out, was heavily "saving". Construction was once again suspended and continued after the appointment of the head - engineer-colonel K. Kh. Limarenko, who had just completed construction Orthodox Cathedral in the fortress of the city of Kovno. In the course of construction, Likhmarenko proposed and implemented many original solutions. For example, he was the first in Russia to use concrete and reinforced concrete. By the end of 1900, the cathedral was outwardly finished. And in 1901, plastering and stucco work was completed. Thus, just 10 years after the start of work, a grandiose structure rose 75 meters above the buildings and structures of Novocherkassk, inferior in size only to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and St. Isaac's Cathedral. On May 6, 1905 (that is, almost 100 years after its laying on May 18, 1805), the newly opened military Ascension Cathedral was finally consecrated. The difficulties in his life did not stop there.

Temporary Cathedral.

Almost a century-old construction of the stone Military Ascension Cathedral would have become impossible if the TEMPORARY (for 99 years -!) Wooden Military Ascension Cathedral had not been working next to it all these years, day after day.

It was this wooden chapel-temple that began on May 18, 1805, i.e. after the consecration of a place in it for a new capital and a new cathedral church, the basis for a temporary wooden Ascension Cathedral. Before 1809 this chapel-temple was the only church(cathedral) throughout the capital city. But then there were wooden prayer houses Troitsky and Aleksandrovsky, as well as the wooden Dimitrievskaya (cemetery) church. On October 8 of the same 1809, the Ascension Church was again consecrated, since a "chapel in honor of the icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria" was built and consecrated in it. In 1811, not far from the wooden cathedral, the stone Military Ascension Cathedral began to be built, the construction of which dragged on until 1905, and therefore all the functions of the Military Cathedral had to be performed by a TEMPORARY wooden one.

In 1904, i.e. 99 years after its construction in the form of a chapel-temple, the wooden Military Ascension Cathedral was closed and dismantled, since the construction of the 3rd version of the stone Military Ascension Cathedral was already completed nearby. Having faithfully served the Cossacks for almost a hundred years, the TEMPORARY wooden Ascension Cathedral "was dismantled and transferred to the charitable institutions" of the city.

Almost a century-old dramatic history of the construction of three versions of the stone Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk has overshadowed in the minds of people the modest 99 years of daily service in the TEMPORARY WOODEN Military Ascension Cathedral. But the fate of a stone cathedral is unthinkable without the fate of a wooden cathedral, because the stone one rose to the top of the "Second Sun of the Don" precisely because a temporary wooden Ascension Cathedral worked nearby for all these almost 100 years of construction.

History and modernity.

In the postwar years, the Ascension Cathedral lived like this double life. In the cellars grain was stored, then sugar, then flour, then other products and materials, and upstairs there were church services that collected in different years and on different holidays different numbers of believers and non-believers. In 1950, the fountain on Cathedral Square was dismantled, in which water was blessed. In the 50s, with great difficulty, it was possible to carry out picturesque restoration work with the help of Leningrad artists. For lack of sufficient funds, bronze paint was laid down in place of the former decorating gold leaf. In the 60s, the threat of closing the cathedral again loomed due to the intensification of anti-religious propaganda and the demands for building an atheistic and communist society already in the early 80s. How could one enter into communism, declared by N.S. Khrushchev, with working churches and, in particular, a functioning cathedral? But life took its toll. Each such ideological company came and soon left. The cathedral survived. He continued to act, despite neither external reasons nor internal strife. In the late 70s, steps were taken towards the external restoration of the cathedral. But the funds were clearly not enough and it was possible to plaster and paint with orange-yellowish paint only the "front" part of the western facade. Attempts to at least partially restore the crumbling internal painting, in particular, in the choir stalls, also gave sad results. Funds left, and the painting continued to crumble.

On May 15, 1993, the solemn reburial ceremony of the remains of the great people of the Don took place in the Ascension Cathedral: Generals Platov, Orlov-Denisov, Efremov and Baklanov, as well as the Archbishop of the Don and Novocherkassk John in the tomb of the cathedral.

Ascension Cathedral before restoration

Under the shadow of the cathedral temple in the tombs,

The remains of the Don generals lie

And signatures modestly about valiant faces

Their faithful descendants, the Donets, are told:

How honestly they served the Throne during their lifetime

Leaders-generals, how they fought in battles,

When, where and how they closed their eyes,

When their ashes are placed in this place.

On the contrary, lamps flicker before the Savior,

All around unshakable calm stretched,

And, feeling the charm of heavenly joy,

I stood silently with my head bowed.

Many years have passed since the laying of the military Ascension Cathedral, for which he absorbed the abyss of human destinies, joys and anxieties of the inhabitants and guests of Novocherkassk, often tragic, but generally glorious history of the Don region. In 2001, large-scale restoration work began. In 2005, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Novocherkassk and the 100th anniversary of the opening of the cathedral, the restoration of the facade of the building was successfully completed. The domes were refinished, the square around the cathedral was arranged, and several monuments were erected. the inclusion of architectural and artistic illumination of the Military Ascension Cathedral took place. The project provides for the use of lamps that create narrow beams of light, as well as floodlights.

Thanks to the use of flood light in the project, specialists achieve the transfer of the overall volume-spatial form of an architectural structure. Narrow beams of light allow you to emphasize the decor elements. Lamps installed in five belfries will create the effect of a "lamp" - glowing from the inside. The uniqueness of this object is given by the projection on the facade of the cathedral, made using the equipment of the Austrian company Pani. The automated slide changer is designed for 32 pictures.

Projections on biblical themes, as well as the use of the works of the masters of Flemish painting (Paul Rubens "Ascension of Christ") creates the impression of a divine presence. Images are included on Christian holidays. Another feature of this equipment is that the projector can be installed at an angle to the surface on which the projection is made. The power of the projector is 6 kW, which gives a fairly bright image even in the twilight period. A special optical correction system corrects keystone distortion, and a condenser lens system produces a clear and large image.

You can be convinced of the uniqueness and splendor of the Ascension Cathedral by viewing the proposed

Address of the object:
Rostov region, Novocherkassk, Ermak sq., 2.

Works carried out at the facility:
a full range of measuring and measuring-fixation works

History reference:

Ascension Military Cathedral in the city of Novocherkassk was founded and consecrated on the feast of the Ascension of the Lord on the day of the founding of Novocherkassk on May 18 (30), 1805. Initially, the church was wooden; the construction of the stone cathedral church was started only in October 1811.

The first draft of the stone Ascension Cathedral was created by the court architect from St. Petersburg Aloysius (Luigi) Russko (Ruska) at the request of the famous Don ataman M.I. Platov. Work on the construction of the cathedral was headed (until his dismissal in 1818) by the brother of the famous architect - Jerome. Since the Don Cossacks devoted all their strength and means to the fight against Napoleon in the Patriotic War of 1812 and the foreign campaigns of 1813-1814, work on the construction of the cathedral was carried out mainly in 1816 and 1817. In the next 2 years, the temple was not built at all due to a lack of building materials. And only in 1820, work on the creation of the cathedral resumed.

After the dismissal of I. Russko, the building of the cathedral was examined by a commission, as a result of which a decision was made to strengthen the building, which was undertaken by the architect K.S. Amvrosimov. In 1822, work was again stopped until 1844, i.e. for 22 whole years. By this time, the cathedral building had been erected to a height of 7 fathoms out of 26 planned (about 15 meters out of more than 50 meters).

In 1844 the architect of the cathedral was I.O. Valpred. Only two arshins remained to be completed, i.e. to complete the arches of the domes of the cathedral, when suddenly at 9 pm on August 29, 1846, the cathedral building collapsed. The next day, this was reported to the Nakazny Ataman of the Don Cossacks, cavalry general M.G. Vlasov, and already on August 31, he reported this to the emperor. The sovereign ordered to draw up now a new project in the Byzantine style, entrusting this to the architect K.A. Ton, the author of the project of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. The project was approved, but the estimate for its construction was "beyond the strength" of the Don Cossacks. Therefore, on April 16, 1850, another project and estimate of the architect I.O. Valpreda. On November 2, 1850, the 2nd version of the cathedral was laid, at this event the future Emperor Alexander II, the heir to the Tsarevich, the August Ataman of all Cossack troops, Alexander Nikolayevich, was present.

Despite the fact that the estimate for the construction of the cathedral was approved in 1851, work on the site began only in 1852. And again, work was suspended for 2 years due to the poor quality of building materials. On the night of July 10-11, 1863, when the construction of the temple was almost completed, the main dome "collapsed into the interior of the cathedral and dragged along another part of one of the small domes and 5 side vaults." Thus ended another attempt to build, now the second version of the Military Cathedral in Novocherkassk.
The commission announced that there was no one to blame for what had happened and that the temple had to be completed. Over the next 2 years, scaffolding was restored, a temporary roof was installed, debris was removed and ... work stopped. There were no people willing to complete the construction of the temple, only in 1868 they drew up a new estimate for the completion of the cathedral, which was signed by the Emperor on August 1, 1868, the architect was fired and the commission was dismissed.

In the spring of 1872 Ataman M.I. Chertkov appointed a new commission to inspect the cathedral, which generally recognized the condition of the cathedral as good and found it possible to resume its completion. However, there was doubt about the quality of the materials, and as a result, in 1875, a special commission was sent for the construction from the engineering department and the architect A.A. Yashchenko, who developed his own project for completing the second version of the cathedral, but the engineering committee recognized it as possible "leave the presented project without consequences and instead of the proposed completion of the cathedral, build a new cathedral in Novocherkassk according to a different project in a newly chosen place, and adapt the unfinished building for any needs of the city or the Don army."

At the beginning of 1880 The duty Ataman N.A. Krasnokutsky sent the Minister of War a new project by A.A. Yashchenko, which was estimated at 624 thousand rubles, and the dismantling of the former cathedral - 100 thousand rubles. The Military Council therefore decided:
1) disassemble the stone cathedral that collapsed in 1863 in Novocherkassk;
2) to allocate 106 thousand rubles from the military capital of the Donskoy army for this disassembly, dividing this amount into two years, into 1880 and 1881.
Emperor Alexander II approved this decision on May 17, 1880.

By October 1882, the second version of the building of the stone Military Ascension Cathedral was dismantled. The project of the third version of the cathedral was entrusted to the regional architect, academician of architecture A.A. . In 1893 the architect A.A. Yashchenko died suddenly and his place as the builder of the Ascension Cathedral was taken by military architect Ilya Petrovich Zlobin.

October 17, 1893. on the day of the traditional military holiday "with a large gathering of people", bell ringing and cannon shooting, a solemn laying of a new version of the cathedral took place. The following inscription was inscribed on the mortgage board, immured in a special stone case in the foundation: "In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. This Cathedral Church was founded in honor and memory of the Ascension of the Lord, under the power of the Most Pious Autocratic, Great Sovereign of our Emperor Alexander Alexandrovich, His wife Empress Maria Feodorovna and His Heir Sovereign Tsesarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich; in command of the army Donskoy Commander Ataman Adjutant General, Cavalry General, Prince Nikolai Ivanovich Svyatopolk-Mirsky, under the hierarchship of His Eminence Macarius, Archbishop of Don and Novocherkassk, according to the project of Academician Architects Yaschenko, in the presence of the Troop Ataman Don Army, Archbishop, members of the Cathedral Construction Commissions, members of all government places of the Region of the Don Army, the Nobility and the Christ-loving Don Warriors in the summer from the creation of the world 7401, from the Nativity of Christ according to the flesh of God the Word of 1893 October 17 days.

In 1894, report engineer-colonel K.Kh. Limarenko redesigned the cathedral (without violating the appearance proposed by the architect A.A. Yashchenko), and also reduced its weight by 20 thousand tons. In 1897 work on the construction of the cathedral continued. In 1898-1899. brick walls were laid. In 1900, the masonry of the main dome was carried out. During its construction, continuous work was carried out for 36 hours, not allowing a single minute of downtime, so that the main domed arch with a diameter of more than 18 m would not collapse. The upper part of the main drum was made of hollow bricks. The main dome and five others were covered with sheet copper in checkered order, and the remaining half-domes were covered with iron. Subsequently, when finishing the interior paintings of the cathedral with gold leaf, the main dome and 5 domes around it will be covered with the same gold.

July 23, 1900 there was a raising of 9 bells on the cathedral under construction. The old bells were removed from the bell tower of the temporary wooden Ascension Cathedral and placed at the entrance to new temple. Soon they began to be lifted through a specially left hole made in the vault. In addition to the four old bells, five new ones were raised. The domes for the cathedral being built were gilded, and in Bohemia they made the largest cross on the main dome, weighing 80 pounds, i.e. 1.280 kg and 16 feet high, i.e. 4.9 m. 80 monoliths of rock crystal were inserted into its crosshair, cut to look like a diamond facet and each set in a silver-plated copper frame.
In the same year, the bells were raised to the bell tower and all windows were glazed, incl. in 16 windows they inserted colored cathedral glass with ornaments and in 7 windows - on biblical motifs.

In 1901 plastering and sculptural works were completed, and iron bindings were inserted in all 136 windows of the cathedral. In the same year, three granite porches were built only on the western side (in order to exclude drafts). 16 granite steps were arranged at the main entrance.

In 1902 produced marble slabs for floors and internal steps, as well as marble for the iconostasis. White marble for floors and iconostasis was brought from Italy, and pink marble (for columns) was brought from France.
In 1902, a clock with a diameter of about 2 meters was installed on the facade of the cathedral with a clockwork inside the cathedral. Two images were exhibited nearby - "The Mother of God of the Don" and "Blessing Christ". They are made on gilded copper under glass with a size of more than 2 square meters each.
In 1902, when the cathedral was built in rough outline, a commission arrived from St. Petersburg under the chairmanship of Lieutenant-General Vedenyapin, a professor at the Engineering Academy. The commission recognized the work performed as correct and signed an act of acceptance of the cathedral building. In 1903, they began to mount the marble iconostasis, which is distinguished by its magnificent lace pattern. Work on its arrangement and painting was given by competition to Professor A.V. Pryakhov.
The artists completed all the paintings for 100 thousand rubles, not counting the cost of used gold leaf for 17 thousand rubles. In total, there are up to 200 artistic works in the cathedral (including icons in iconostases).

The largest painting in the Novocherkassk Cathedral - " Last Judgment". It occupies an area of ​​​​more than 35 square sazhens, i.e. about 75 square meters. Naturally, there are paintings in the cathedral that reflect the essence of all 12 main Orthodox holidays. On the central dome we see a huge bust of Christ the Savior (characteristic for the design of early Russian churches), Pantocrator, the Almighty, the King of Kings, made by the artist I.F. Porfirov. From the floor to the dome, with a diameter of more than 18 meters, which depicts Jesus Christ, more than 50 meters. The fact that there is exactly one meter between the eyes of the image of Jesus Christ convinces that this is quite high. Above the altar, on a golden-colored hemisphere, the artist M.E. Vatutin, based on a sketch by I.F. Popov, painted the "Holy Trinity". Below it, in the altar part, through the open royal doors, you can see a huge 13-meter painting by the artist Veniamin Popov "The Last Supper", made according to the sketch of the artist I.F. Popov. Ivan Fedorovich Popov himself, who remained after the painting of the cathedral to live in Novocherkassk, painted four paintings in the porch of the cathedral: "The Healing of the Daughter of the Canaanite", "The Parable of prodigal son"," The Boy Jesus in the Temple" and "The Blessing of the Children".

In 1904 carpentry work was carried out. In the same year, the paving of the area around the cathedral and the arrangement of squares were carried out. In the spring of 1904, all decoration and marble work was completed. royal doors and the doors are made of cast chased bronze. All front parts are gilded, and the back parts are silver plated.

3 projects of the Ascension Military Cathedral

lined up by the spring of 1904 The military Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk, accommodating up to 5 thousand people for one service, was one of the most majestic church buildings in Russia, second in size only to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow (10 thousand people) and St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg (7 thousand people).

Its specifications were:
total height inside the temple - 51.2 m.,
total height outside with a cross - 74.7 m.,
length inside - 72.5 m.,
length outside - 76.8 m.,
width inside - 57.6 m.,
width outside 62 m.,
diameter of the dome inside - 18 m.,
diameter of the dome outside - 21.5 m.

The cathedral has two basements - the lower and the upper with a total depth of about 15 m. The lower basement is used to store candles, lamp oil, etc., and the upper one was adapted for a fireproof military archive in the northern wing, and in the center - under the tomb of the great people of the Don, consisting of 24 marble sarcophagi containing the remains of the Most Reverend Archbishop of the Don and Novocherkassk John, the founder of the city, ataman Matvey Ivanovich Platov, the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812 Vasily Vasilyevich Orlov-Denisov and Pyotr Yakovlevich Baklanov. A single-altar Church of the Intercession was built nearby, which symbolized the first wooden churches on the Don.

May 9, 1904, on the day that coincided with the feast of St. Nicholas, the consecration of the lower church in honor of the Intercession took place in Novocherkassk Holy Mother of God in the new, not yet opened stone Ascension Cathedral. May 8 at new church served all-night vigil and made the necessary preparations for the consecration of the temple.

May 6, 1905, i.e. almost a hundred years after its laying on May 18, 1805, the stone Military Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk was solemnly consecrated and opened.

The construction of the third version of the Military Ascension Cathedral, which at the consecration was called the "monument of religious zeal" of the Don, cost the Cossacks 2 million rubles, which turned out to be twice as expensive as the construction of the famous Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv.
Almost a century-long construction of the stone Military Ascension Cathedral would have become impossible if the TEMPORARY (for 99 years!) Wooden Military Ascension Cathedral had not been working next to it all these years, day after day.

In the first years of Soviet power, outwardly everything remained the same. The cathedral worked, divine services were performed, believers visited the temple, but everyone who visited the cathedral fell under the suspicion and ideological assessment of the "church henchman." As a result, the number of visitors to the cathedral began to fall sharply, and problems with its maintenance began to increase sharply. Icons, church utensils and jewelry worth more than 2 million rubles were stolen from the temple. A large group of Novocherkassk clergy, including the former cathedral archpriest Zakharia Lobov, who was already Bishop Chirkiy, vicar of the Don diocese, were sent to Solovki, where many of them ended their earthly life.

In 1934 sheets of gilded copper were removed from the roof of the cathedral, never replacing them with iron ones. The cathedral was closed and for a long time it was exposed to natural, in the basements of the cathedrals they began to store first kerosene, and then grain for the malt (brewery) plant.
In the first days of the occupation of Novocherkassk by the Nazi invaders in the summer of 1942, at the request of the city Cossacks, the Ascension Cathedral was opened for worship. With the expulsion of the Nazis and the departure of the pro-German Cossacks under the leadership of Ataman S.V. Pavlov, the cathedral in Novocherkassk continued to function.

In the post-war years, the Ascension Cathedral lived a double life. Grain, sugar, flour, other products and materials were stored in the cellars, and church services were going on upstairs.

In the 50s, with great difficulty, it was possible to carry out picturesque restoration work with the help of Leningrad artists. For lack of sufficient funds, bronze paint was laid down in place of the former decorating gold leaf.

In the late 70s, steps were taken towards the external restoration of the cathedral. But the funds were clearly not enough and it was possible to plaster and paint with orange-yellowish paint only the "front" part of the western facade.

Since autumn 1990 little by little they began to repair and restore the lower basement of the cathedral, where the tomb of the great people of the Don is located. When inspecting the floors with crumbling concrete over 24 sarcophagi, it was decided to check the rumors that had been circulating for many years that these burials were discovered and desecrated in the first years of Soviet power. On March 1, 1992, the commission opened the ancient burials and found skulls, bones, construction debris, fragments of the iconostasis, etc. The Cossacks decided to put the Don shrines in order and solemnly rebury the remains famous people Don. On May 15, 1993, a solemn reburial ceremony of the remains of the great people of the Don took place in the Ascension Cathedral.

In 2001 under the patronage of the regional and city administrations, large-scale restoration work has begun, the purpose of which is to return the Ascension Cathedral to its original grandeur and beauty.

In 2005, for the 200th anniversary of Novocherkassk and the 100th anniversary of the opening of the cathedral, the restoration of the facade of the building was successfully completed. Equipped with lighting and projection system biblical stories to the facade.

In 2010-2011 the domes were again covered with gold sheets, and a rock crystal stone was inserted into the cross.

Works performed by NPP "Photogrammetry":

Preparation of measurement and fixation documentation for the development of a restoration project for modern use
"Ascension Military Cathedral-tomb of the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812: Matvey Ivanovich Platov (1753-1818), Vasily Vasilyevich Orlov-Denisov (1755-1843), Ivan Ufremov Efremov (1774-1843)".

Photogrammetric fixation of the painting of the Ascension Cathedral was carried out by the specialists of LLC NPP PHOTOGRAMMETRIA in the period from November 2010 to April 2011 in order to prepare scientific and design documentation for the project of its restoration.

To fix the state of painting in the temple, the technology of creating high-resolution orthophotomaps was used (development by the NPP Photogrammetry). The data of three-dimensional laser scanning and digital photogrammetric survey were used. Scanning was performed with an IMAGER 5006 laser scanning system (Z+F, Germany). Photogrammetric survey was carried out on a Hasselblad H3DII-39 camera (Sweden) from a tripod. At the same time, lighting was set for each frame using professional equipment from Broncolor (Switzerland). In total, about 1400 photographs were taken. After calibrating the images and pre-processing the scan results, color orthophotomaps of the walls were made. The resolution of the obtained material is in the range from 1.0 to 2.2 mm/pix. A total of 111 high-resolution orthophotomaps were made.

The results of the work performed in accordance with the terms of reference are issued in the following composition:
1. Detailed color orthophotos of walls and plafonds in electronic form in SPO (three-dimensional data), BMP (two-dimensional data) formats.