The main temple of the Don Cossacks. Novocherkassk. Patriarchal Cathedral of the Ascension of the Lord Novocherkassk Cathedral what is the largest

This cathedral is one of the most important for Russian Orthodoxy. The temple ranks third in size and capacity. It is second only to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and St. Isaac's Cathedral. Today the temple attracts many pilgrims from all over the country. But the history of its construction was far from cloudless.

Architectural monument

Novocherkassk Cathedral is one of the most important monuments of the Don Cossacks. Its history is quite complex and even a little mystical. The foundation of the building was first laid in 1805. Another name for the Novocherkassk temple is the Ascension Cathedral. The first building appeared on this site many decades later, in 1863. The building acquired its current architecture in 1904. They planned to make the temple building the largest in the entire territory of Russia - then today’s “main competitors” of the Novocherkassk Cathedral were not even in the project.

"The Leaning Tower" of the Don Cossacks

In 1902, construction was coming to an end. A commission arrived from St. Petersburg and declared the work completed. The temple, which collapsed twice during construction, was finally built. The cathedral has become one of the monuments of domestic long-term construction, and according to this indicator it can be put on a par with many church buildings in Europe. But with one small difference: during its construction, it gained an unpleasant reputation as a “leaning tower.”

During construction, the Novocherkassk Cathedral collapsed twice. And the entire time it was being built, the building was in disrepair. On May 18, 1805, the grand opening of the cathedral finally took place. The dream of military ataman Matvey Platov came true: a large number of people gathered, and the cathedral was consecrated in full view of everyone. The foundation of the capital of the Don Cossacks - the city of New Cherkassk - was also laid. The Resurrection Cathedral remained the same in the capital. And now its glory was to be eclipsed by the new building.

Why was the wrong location chosen?

Researchers believe that the choice of place to build the city was completely unsuccessful. It was supposed to be located only nine miles from Cherkassk, on a mountain that was blown by cold winds from all sides. The only waterway nearby is the small Asai River. This arrangement was apparently convenient only for Matvey Platov himself, because his own estate in Maly Mishkin was located next door. It is interesting that simultaneously with the founding of the new capital of the Don Cossacks, a project arose to move it again. Historians believe that this was supposedly the village of Aksai, which had a much more convenient location - on the Don.

This was impossible under Platov, but after his death the Cossacks turned to the sovereign with a request to move the capital. Nicholas I listened to them and went to inspect the new capital. But suffering from toothache and shaking through potholes, the king was completely exhausted. On one of the potholes, the ruler simply fell into the road mud, and out of anger burst into abuse: “Down with your resettlement! It’s like exchanging a lousy one for a lousy one.”

Start of construction

The Novocherkassk Cathedral itself was shrouded in bad fame. The first architect who worked on the temple was not some academician or just an educated person, but the most ordinary peasant Dmitry Petrov. He built a wooden chapel, which was lined with boards inside with an attached altar. The chapel was erected three days before the founding of the city itself. And the stone temple was founded on October 1, 1811 - the most inopportune moment, on the eve of Napoleon's invasion. Even earlier, excavation work was carried out in the city to level the avenue, which was supposed to run from the temple square to the projected Moskovskaya Street.

The first architects of the cathedral

The name of the building was given in honor of Alexander Nevsky - the ataman knew well how to flatter the emperor. Its design was made by the Italian architect Aloysius Rusco, who erected many buildings in St. Petersburg. And the work was headed by the architect’s brother Hieronymus Rusco until his dismissal in 1818. After he resigned, for two years the Novocherkassk Military Cathedral was not built at all.

In 1820, work was resumed again - now under the leadership of Mikhail Amvrosimov. The construction of the temple was considered durable, and it was decided to replace the soft seaside stone with a hard one, the so-called “Grushevsky”. By 1822, the height of the temple was already 7 fathoms (15 m) out of the estimated 26. Just in case, instead of wooden frames in the lower part of the temple, the builders decided to install iron ones. It seems that the construction was going according to plan, but under Ataman A. Ilovaisky, all the money disappeared somewhere. No one could clearly answer where. There were rumors that they ended up in the pockets of contractors and office workers. "Grushevsky" stone was much cheaper than soft limestone.

First disaster

6 years after construction was stopped again, a crack was discovered under one of the windows. Architect Fomin assessed it as not dangerous - in his opinion, construction could continue. But the vigilant ataman decided to double-check the condition of the temple, and instructed the architect Kolodin to do this. He made his conclusion: it is necessary to dismantle the four pillars and the already erected walls down to the foundation. Otherwise, the building is in great danger.

The building committee agreed with this conclusion and ordered an estimate to be drawn up for the demolition of the building. However, the office did not want the 900 thousand rubles already invested in the construction of the Novocherkassk Cathedral to go to waste. In 1832, an examination of the building was again carried out by Fomin and Kolodin, as well as some other specialists invited from outside. Opinions were divided. And also the question was raised again that it would be nice to move the capital of the Cossacks to a more convenient place.

Continued construction

Emperor Nicholas I ordered construction to continue. The history of the construction of the Novocherkassk Cathedral continued. But government orders in those days were carried out just as quickly as now - after numerous orders from the capital, after 6 years, work on the temple was finally continued. Now - under the leadership of I. Valprede, a close ataman of M. Khomutov. The gossip did not end there: they said that the architect had a young mistress, and wasted money allocated for construction right and left.

Another accident

There was very little left to complete - finishing the vaults of the domes - when suddenly at 9 o'clock in the evening on August 26, 1846, a small catastrophe happened - the almost erected temple collapsed. The history of the Novocherkassk Cathedral continued with another failure. The commission recognized that this could have happened due to possible settlement of the foundation, as well as due to the fact that the heaviness of the cathedral was not taken into account. The cheap “Grushevsky” stone used for the construction of the temple collapsed, which provoked the collapse of the dome. About half of the entire foundation turned out to be made of the same type of stone. It was then that everyone remembered the vigilant chieftain, who did not want to continue the construction of a dangerous building. 35 years of construction were in vain.

Further work

The next plan of the Novocherkassk Cathedral was drawn up by Konstantin Ton (architect of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior). Now the walls were planned to be built from baked bricks. The estimate of 1 million rubles did not make the Tsar very happy. It was decided to make the project more modest. The projected height was now 39 fathoms, and the estimate dropped to 640 thousand rubles.

Construction began only in 1852. The work was carried out by retired second lieutenant Sadomtsev, and the supply of bricks was carried out by Lieutenant Colonel Rubashkin. Less than a year had passed before doubts arose again about the strength of the temple under construction - the already laid brick, supplied by Rubashkin, was far from being of the best quality. Another commission met, during which only one of its members, foreman Zheltonozhkin, reported the fragility of the foundation and that the building might not withstand its own weight. But he was quickly ordered out the door. Construction was now headed by Ataman Khomutov - he planned to complete the construction of the temple by his 50th anniversary. The temple was built haphazardly.

Natural collapse

On July 11, 1863, the main dome collapsed. He carried away part of the small dome, as well as five vaults. Valprede began to justify himself by saying that he “did not show due courage in suppressing the ataman’s attempts to complete the construction of the temple as soon as possible.” Meanwhile, gossip began to spread throughout Novocherkassk about the “curse” hanging over the cathedral. The new chieftain M. Chertkov decided to remove Valprede and transfer the construction to a new architect. Cossack N. Limarev agreed to dismantle the cathedral within two years. By early October 1882, the previous version of the temple was demolished.

Theft

The third architect was A. Yashchenko. The old foundation was excavated and deepened. It was also decided to complete the construction of a water supply system in order to meet the needs of the construction site itself. Suddenly the architect died and was replaced by a new one - I. Zlobin. In 1896, the commission discovered 600 thousand pieces of brick, which should have long been laid in the foundation of the temple. As a result of the inspection, it became known that the brickwork of the base was made in much smaller sizes than Yashchenko intended to do. The thieving architect Zlobin was kicked out.

In 1897, construction continued again. In 1900, the laying of the main dome began, which lasted 36 hours without a single minute of downtime. On May 6, 1905, the Novocherkassk Cathedral was inaugurated. The last option cost 2 million rubles.

Temple in the era of the USSR

During the era of the Soviet Union, no one thought about reconstructing the temple - residents of Novocherkassk thought with horror that they could survive the “third fall” of the building. In the early 90s, a professional examination led by Yu. Murzenko was carried out, on the basis of which a technical passport of the building was drawn up. Research has shown that the cathedral stands on “clay quicksand”, and if it dries out, this will inevitably lead to another subsidence of the foundation. There was no money for reconstruction, and the building continued to exist in disrepair.

Modern Novocherkassk Cathedral and schedule of services

Today the temple is called the “Second Sun of the Don”. It received this poetic name for its golden domes and crystal cross. The photos of the Novocherkassk Cathedral presented in this article will appeal to both religious people and lovers of art and architecture. As a rule, services in the cathedral are held every day at 9:00 and 16:00. On Sundays, the evening service and Divine Liturgy begins an hour earlier - at 15:00. On Saturday, after the evening service, the all-night vigil begins.

In 2005, residents of Novocherkassk celebrated a double anniversary - the bicentenary of the city and the foundation of a temple in it. The completion of work on the restoration of the cathedral façade 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 up is the installation of crystal inlay, so famous in previous years.

“The Second Sun of the Don”, the Holy Ascension Military Cathedral in Novocherkassk on Ermak Square - the main temple of the Don Cossacks. It is rightfully considered one of the most majestic and beautiful cathedrals in Russia and the third largest after the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow and St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

The cathedral is visible for many kilometers around, including from the Aksai and Tuzlov rivers, washing the hill on which Novocherkassk stands. The height of its bell tower reaches 74.7 m, and it ranks seventh in Russia in terms of dome height. The cross that crowns the main dome is inlaid with 80 diamond-cut rock crystal monoliths. Refracting on them, the light shines so brightly that the cathedral began to be called “the second sun of the Don.” The interior of the temple amazes with its splendor. The floors and iconostasis are decorated with French and Italian marble, the walls are painted with frescoes, and the choirs are decorated with paintings telling the history of the local Cossacks. Here are their stories: “Ermak’s preparations for the campaign to Siberia”, “Grant of the Tsar’s banner under Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich in 1614”, “Azov seat in 1641”, “Peter the Great’s preparations for Azov in 1696”, “Laying of the cathedral and the city Novocherkassk by Ataman Platov in 1805”, “Meeting of Ataman Platov in 1814 near Novocherkassk”, “Presentation of the first prize on May 6, 1887 to the Heir to the Throne Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich”.

To construct a building of this size, it was necessary to build a brick factory, a power plant and a water supply line for its needs. In order to avoid the risk of collapse, a special laboratory was created in which all building materials were tested for strength.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Novocherkassk Cathedral 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 environment was created inside the temple, but also, which is very important, the preservation of the painting of the iconostasis and wall frescoes was ensured. Unfortunately, it is now lost.

In addition, the Novocherkassk Cathedral was famous for its interior decoration. Its floor was covered with marble slabs specially made in France and Italy.

In the lower church-tomb, consecrated in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, there are sarcophagi made of French and Italian marble. Here lie the remains of the founder of the capital of the Don Cossacks, “Whirlwind Ataman” Matvey Ivanovich Platov (count and cavalry general), the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812, generals Vasily Vasilyevich Orlov-Denisov, Ivan Efremovich Efremov and Pyotr Yakovlevich Baklanov, as well as the ashes of Archbishop John of Don and Novocherkassk (Dobrozrakova). Here, as a symbol of man’s eternal meeting with God, there is a spacious baptismal sanctuary. From the basement, 15 m deep, an underground passage leads to the Officers' House (former bishop's house).

The cathedral did not immediately become a majestic monument of history and architecture. It was founded and consecrated on the feast of the Ascension of Christ back in 1805, at the founding of the city. First they built a wooden church. The construction of the stone cathedral Temple of the Don Army in 1811 was carried out according to the design of the Italian architect Aloysius (Luigi) Rusca, who at that time was building many buildings in St. Petersburg. He started work at the request of Matvey Platov. The construction work was first supervised by the architect's brother. Then, after the war with Napoleon, the work of the Ruska brothers was continued by the provincial architect Amvrosimov and military architects Joseph Valpreda and Fomin. And finally, the architect from Simferopol Kolodin, invited by the appointed ataman Kuteynikov through the Ministry of Internal Affairs to investigate the crack that formed under one of the temple windows in 1828.

However, the military chancellery found the amount indicated by Kolodin to demolish the walls unaffordable, because by that time 900,000 rubles had already been spent on the construction of the cathedral. Everything was left as is. Therefore, it is not surprising that twice (in 1846 and 1863) when the main dome of the temple was being brought down, the main part of the building collapsed. Moreover, the construction plan drawn up in 1847 by the architect Konstantin Andreevich Ton (the author of the project for the Cathedral of Christ the Savior) also failed. And only in 1900 the cathedral was built, although so far only “in rough form” - according to the project of the architect Yashchenko, finalized in 1891, and approved by the highest in 1893. In the summer of 1904, wooden and artistic work was completed, and a marble iconostasis was installed. But due to the fact that Nicholas II did not come to the consecration of the cathedral, only the Intercession Church was opened. The Holy Ascension Military Cathedral opened for services only on May 6, 1905. And, as it turned out, not for long

.

Soon the time of unrest and revolution came, and the temple was closed. In the turbulent 1930s, the gilded copper sheets were removed from the domes, turning the cathedral into a storage facility for fuel and lubricants. During the German occupation (in August 1942), the temple was opened for worship. And after the end of World War II, grain, flour, beer malt, sugar and other food were stored in the spacious basements of the temple. But services were occasionally held in the upper church. The year 1953 became a saving year for the gradually collapsing building of the Holy Ascension Cathedral. After Stalin's death, the temple came to the attention of historians. Renovation work began here, both internal and façade. In 1974, the building was awarded the title of an architectural monument of local significance, and in 1995 - federal. Large-scale restoration has been ongoing since 2001 to this day. But one way or another, almost a century later, the cathedral is again open for worship, services and visits. Everyone can come here, feel the beauty and scale of this unique temple, whose fate was as difficult as the fate of our country at the turn of the era.

Cathedral Church of the Don Army

May 18 (30), 1805 A celebration took place of the consecration of the site and the foundation of the city of Novocherkassk, as well as a temporary wooden cathedral church in honor of the Ascension of the Lord. Fate decreed that the Donskoy troops began construction of the stone cathedral church only in October 1811. And before this, large earthworks were carried out in the new city to level the main avenue (later it would be called Platovsky). From the future square, where the cathedral church was founded, to the future street. The avenue was aligned with Moskovskaya. “In fact, a canal was dug to the width of the roadway from the sidewalk on one side to the sidewalk on the other side,” wrote architect K. Kulikov. (“Banner of the Commune”, No. 174 of September 10, 1988). If you look closely, you can still see high sidewalk slopes near the Museum of the History of the Don Cossacks, near the Military Institute of Communications, next to the Tanais cinema, etc.

The first version of the cathedral (1811-1846)

On October 1, 1811, the ceremonial laying of the stone Military Cathedral took place, but not in honor of the Ascension of the Lord, as it was laid and consecrated during the foundation of Novocherkassk on May 18 (30), 1805, but in the name of St. blessed Alexander Nevsky. In this historical incident, the mistake that was made in St. Petersburg played a role, when the construction of the Alexander Church, and not the cathedral, was put in first place. On the other hand, the mercy and generosity of Emperor Alexander I to the Don Army obliged the Cossacks to build a worthy stone temple in honor of Alexander. Be that as it may, the ceremony of laying the foundation of the Alexander Cathedral Church was performed. ("Don Church Antiquity", part 1, p. 81, Novocherkassk, 1906). Then history will put everything in its place and the cathedral will regain its name Ascension. The first design of the stone Ascension Cathedral, at the request of the famous Don Ataman M.I. Platov, was made by the court architect from St. Petersburg Aloysius (Luigi) Ivanovich Russko (Ruska). The work on the construction of the cathedral was headed by the brother of the famous architect Jerome Ivanovich Russko (Ruska) until his retirement in 1818. The actual work on the construction of the cathedral was carried out mainly in 1816 and 1817, since at other times the Cossacks devoted all their forces (universal militia on the Don) and funds to the fight against Napoleon in the Patriotic War of 1812, including in the foreign campaigns of 1813 -1814. The basis of the cathedral church under construction was a cube with sides 34x34 m. The main dome was framed by four small domes. The main entrances are decorated with six-column porticoes with pediments. In general, this version of the cathedral was in many ways reminiscent of the architectural motif of the largest cathedral in the world, St. Peter's in Rome. In 1818 and 1819 The cathedral was not built due to a lack of building materials.

In 1820, work on the construction of the cathedral resumed. With the departure of I.I. The Russian building of the cathedral was examined by a commission consisting of: assessor of the military chancellery Zolotarev, Colonel Miller, engineer-lieutenant colonel Peyker, retired architect Beltrami and architect of the city of Taganrog Mollo. The construction of the cathedral was considered durable and predictions were made that with the replacement of soft seaside stone with hard “Grushevsky” stone (which was supplied under contract by the merchant Fomin from 1815), the “strength of the cathedral” would increase even more. Military architect K.S. Amvrosimov also made his contribution to the strengthening of the cathedral, replacing the contractor for the construction of the cathedral, I.I. Russian. According to his suggestions, the master contractor Sheikin, in 1820, replaced the simple wooden frames in the windows and doors of the cathedral with iron bars. But this did not save the cathedral from destruction in the future. In 1822, work stopped again, but now for 22 years, i.e. until 1844. By this time, the cathedral building had been erected to a height of 7 fathoms (about 15 m). According to the design, the cathedral was supposed to have a height of 26 fathoms, i.e. more than 50 meters. In 1828, a crack was noticed in the church under the window. The ordered Ataman D.E. Kuteynikov instructed the military architect Fomin to investigate the reasons that led to the crack. Fomin concluded that the crack is not dangerous and construction can continue. Not satisfied with the answer, Ataman instructed the military office to give its opinion on the crack. But the office was slow to respond. Then D.E. Kuteynikov invited Kolodin, an architect from Simferopol, through the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In 1830, Kolodin reported that in order to continue the construction of the cathedral, it was necessary to dismantle the four dome pillars and the already built walls down to the burial foundation. Otherwise, the building is in “great danger.” The Construction Committee, established under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, agreed with the opinion of the architect Kolodin and invited him to draw up an estimate for demolishing the walls. But the military chancellery regretted the 900 thousand rubles already invested in the construction of the cathedral, and requested a re-examination of the cathedral.

In 1832 The cathedral was again inspected by the architects Fomin and Kolodin with members of the military chancellery, as well as with “outsiders who know architecture”: Kurnakov, Tatsyn, Sebryakov, Luizov, Mashlykin, Zheltonozhkin and others. Opinions were divided. Moreover, members of the military chancellery Kirsanov and Konkov raised the question of...moving Novocherkassk to a more convenient location. But since this was within the competence of only Emperor Nicholas I, the resolution of the issue was postponed. Several attempts to resolve the issue of moving the capital to another place were finally stopped by Nicholas I in 1837, during his visit to Novocherkassk. But he ordered the construction of the cathedral to continue no later than next year. But the Highest command was never carried out either in 1838 or in the next 5 years due to a number of reasons (various checks, drawing up new estimates, etc.). Only in the fall of 1843, when the Monarch’s reminder and command to hasten with the completion of the construction of the Novocherkassk Cathedral followed, work continued. A Special Commission of seven members was created under the chairmanship of the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General M.G. Khomutova. The commission began its activities on April 27, 1844. The architect of the cathedral was now I.O. Valpred. The commission initially began removing the time-damaged upper portions of the wall masonry and then continued construction. More than 1 thousand workers took part in these works under the supervision of the architect Radomsky, not counting the Cossack labor regiment, which prepared the stone and transported it to the site of construction of the cathedral. Over two years of work, the cathedral building was erected 52 arshins from the surface of the earth. Only two arshins remained to be completed, i.e. to finish the vaults of the cathedral domes, when suddenly at 9 o'clock in the evening on August 29, 1846, the cathedral building collapsed. The next day, on the table of the Punished Ataman, the troops of Donskoy M.G. Vlasov put the “Report” of the commission, Highly approved for the completion of the construction of the cathedral, signed by: Lieutenant General Khomutov, military engineer Efimov, architect Radomsky, cathedral archpriest Savelyev and attorney of the Chairman of the Commercial Court Kovalev. The "Report" reported the fact of the collapse of the cathedral. The commission consoled Ataman only with the fact that during the collapse, none of the workers building the cathedral were injured, since all of them, after finishing work, ate food in the neighboring barracks. Two Cossacks, Mikhail Chernomorov and Kazma Kuznetsov, who were guarding the construction site of the cathedral that day, were not injured (they managed to escape). A special police investigation and interviews with workers showed that “the workers do not suspect anyone of malicious intent.” Soon M.G. Vlasov was allowed to “use the workers hired to build the temple in Novocherkassk for clearing and sorting the material.”

August 31 Punished Ataman General of the Cavalry M.G. Vlasov reported to Emperor Nicholas I: “The large cathedral church under construction in Novocherkassk, the construction of which the Don army was awaiting with such impatience and so soon hoped to bring prayers to the Almighty in it, on the 29th of this month, at 9 o’clock in the evening, suddenly collapsed; surrounded by my compatriots with “by my most worthy and inconsolable colleague, Lieutenant General Khomutov, I indulge in deep sorrow, seeing our hopes and many years of work and costs due to the inscrutable destinies of the Almighty, together with this building, in one minute thrown into the dust.” ("Don Diocesan Gazette", No. 15 of May 21, 1905, pp. 332-333). About the same thing was reported to the Minister of War with a simultaneous request to quickly send to the Don the head of the V District Engineers of Military Settlements, Colonel Rerberg, with an architect “to inspect the collapsed temple, so that after that it would be possible to begin clearing the collapsed forest and stones and, before the commission arrives, to open the way to the building itself, in which the causes of destruction should be investigated, without which the commission would have to wait for a long time in inaction for the completion of this very significant work..." (Military History Museum, f. 1., op. 1, d. 162227, l .6., copy from the archive of V.K. On the same day, a notice about the collapse of the Novocherkassk Cathedral was sent to the Holy Synod, signed by the secretary of the Don Spiritual Consistory, Platon Dubrovny. Having received a report about the collapse of the stone cathedral under construction, the Sovereign Emperor ordered the appointment of a commission to study the causes of the collapse and allowed the creation of a new design for the cathedral. The commission included Academician of Architecture I.O. Valpred, Major Generals Lavrov and Orlov-Denisov. To make a final decision on the spot, they decided to send the Vice-Director of the Engineering Department, Adjutant General Feldman, to Novocherkassk. The reasons for the collapse of the cathedral were recognized as: possible settlement of the foundation and the uncalculated weight of the cathedral, which broke the northern retaining arches. Porous local limestone (“Grushevsky”), used to reduce the cost of construction, collapsed, shrank and caused the collapse of the dome under the strong pressure of the total mass of the erected cathedral. About 50% of the foundation, when checked, also turned out to be made of “grushevsky stone”. Nicholas I, having become acquainted with the results of the commission’s investigations, imposed a resolution: “To break it down in winter, if possible; after disassembling the material from the collapse, sort it into usable and unusable, and now draw up a new project in the Byzantine style, entrusting the architect Ton. "("Don Diocesan Gazette", No. 15 of May 21, 1905, pp. 333-334). This is how the story of the 35-year-old construction of the first version of the Military Cathedral in Novocherkassk sadly ended. Residents of the city were extremely upset by this fact, since for Cossacks, the cathedral church under construction in Novocherkassk was presented as the “new Jerusalem of the Donets.” In the first version of the cathedral, designed by the architect L.I. Russko in the style of the best Roman architectural tradition, it was planned not only to consecrate the military banners of the Donets and their deeds pleasing to God, the Tsar and the Fatherland. , but also to place: military regalia to remind descendants of the glorious deeds of their ancestors. Instead of the fence, it was planned to place 10 cannons captured by the Don Cossacks from the French in the Patriotic War of 1812 and granted to the Don army. A family crypt-tomb was built next to the cathedral. ashes of the founder of Novocherkassk and the cathedral, Military Ataman, count and cavalier M.I. Platov.

Second version of the cathedral. (1850-1863)

The new plan of the cathedral, drawn up by the famous architect K.A. Ton, was approved by the Highest on January 4, 1847. The walls of the new cathedral were supposed to be built from well-burnt and processed bricks. According to Ton's plan, military architect I.O. Valpred drew up an estimate for the construction of the cathedral. The costs of creating a military temple turned out to be so significant (more than 1 million rubles) that the Tsar did not approve the presented estimate and demanded to design a temple smaller in size and cost, which would be “affordable” to the Don Army. Following these requirements, military architect I.O. Valpred designed a cathedral with five chapels, 38.5 fathoms long (more than 82 m) and 33 fathoms high. (more than 70 m). The bell tower according to the project was supposed to reach 84 m (39.33 fathoms). The cost of the new version of the cathedral was estimated at 640 thousand rubles, which was slightly more than half the cost proposed by K.A. Ton’s project. The new project envisaged a three-part structure, the main components of which were to be the church, the vestibule and the bell tower. The main dome was supposed to have, as in the first version, a bulbous shape, and the bell tower was designed to be tent-shaped. Project I.O. Valpreda was approved by the Highest on April 16, 1850. Project by K.A. The tone was used in the construction of a large temple in Rostov-on-Don - the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. In 1850, construction began on a new version of the Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk. The laying of the 2nd version of the cathedral was attended by the Heir Tsarevich, August Ataman of all Cossack troops, Alexander Nikolaevich, who arrived early in the morning of October 31, 1850 in the Don land, and in the evening in Novocherkassk. On November 1, the future Emperor Alexander II (since 1855) took part in the traditional Military Circle. On the Circle, surrounded by banners and military regalia with a golden feather in his hand (a symbol of Ataman power), with a huge gathering of Cossack troops and Don residents, the young heir thanked the Donets for their faithful service. In the evening, the August Ataman took part in a ball held in the newly built building of the Noble Assembly (corner of Platovsky Prospekt and Cathedral Square). The next day, i.e. On November 2, 1850, the Tsarevich took part in the celebrations marking the foundation stone of the new stone Military Ascension Cathedral. The rite of consecration of the cathedral construction site was performed by Archbishop of Don and Novocherkassk John. His Highness deigned to personally place in a special case at the base of the foundation of the cathedral a memorial plaque with the words: “In the summer of Christ, November 1850, 2 days and in the twenty-fifth year of the prosperous reign of the Great Sovereign Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich, Autocrat of All Russia, and His Wife Empress Alexandra Feodorovna , during the succession to the throne of the Sovereign Tsarevich Grand Duke Alexander Nikolaevich and His Wife Tsesarevna Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, to the command of the Don Army Nakaznago Ataman Lieutenant General Mikhail Grigorievich Khomutov and to the management of the Don Diocese of Archbishop of Don and Novocherkassk John, His Imperial You Sovereign Heir Tsarevich, Ataman all the Cossack troops, having honored the city of Novocherkassk with a visit, deigned to lay this cathedral in the name of the Ascension of the Lord according to the design of the builder of the onago, Academician Valpred, during the tenure of the Nakaznago Ataman, members of all public places and Christ-loving Don warriors and the Nobility. "("Don Church Antiquity", part 3, section 1., p. 72).

In 1851 The estimate for the construction of the 2nd version of the cathedral was approved, but work began only in 1852. Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai Rubashkin supplied the bricks under the contract, and the work, according to the contract, was carried out by retired lieutenant Sadomtsev. Due to the fact that the brick supplied by N. Rubashkin turned out to be of low quality, later the contract for the supply of brick and stone was given to the same Sadomtsev. He brought stone from Belaya Kalitva and from the shore of the Sea of ​​Azov, where it was mined “using the methods of the working regiment.” The contract for the supply of lime prepared from stone on the Kundryuchya River was given to the Cossack Dmitry Epifanov. In 1853 Doubts arose about the strength of the cathedral under construction due to the insufficient quality of the bricks already supplied by N. Rubashkin and laid in the foundation and walls of the cathedral. By order of the Highest, the constructed part of the cathedral was inspected by a commission headed by engineer Lieutenant General Jarmerstedt. The commission found no cause for concern and work continued. But the problem of brick quality remained. In the fall of 1853, the cathedral was examined by another commission consisting of Major General de Witte and Lieutenant Colonel Sedov. In 1854, on the instructions of Ataman M.G. Khomutov, the cathedral under construction was again examined by a commission, now consisting of architects Lieutenant Colonels Sedov and Voloshinov, as well as engineer-cathedral Rodionov. The commission recognized the work performed as high quality. But military sergeant Zheltonozhkin, on his own initiative, made a special statement that the foundation of the cathedral was fragile and would not withstand the load of the entire mass of the cathedral. Because of this, work was suspended for 2 years. Engineer Major General Rerberg, sent by the Department of Military Settlements to Novocherkassk, concluded that the work on the construction of the foundation was done correctly and efficiently. Therefore, in 1857, work on the construction of the cathedral was continued by the same Sadomtsev under the supervision of the architect O.I. Valpreda. According to the contract with the contractor Sadomtsev, they wanted to complete the creation of the cathedral by October 1, 1861, i.e. on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the stone temple. The work proceeded slowly and Sadomtsev insisted on a new completion date - July 1, 1863.

The work was almost completed when, according to a report from the cathedral-building commission submitted to Military Ataman M.G. Khomutov: “In the newly built Novocherkassk Cathedral, the main dome, which ended with construction, collapsed at 12 o’clock at night, from the 10th to the 11th of this July 1863 into the interior of the cathedral and carried with him another part of one of the small domes and 5 side vaults." At the same time, the commission noted that no obvious preliminary violations or damage were noticed. Thus, another attempt at construction, now the second version of the Military Cathedral in Novocherkassk, ended sadly. Novocherkassk residents and many residents of the Don were in shock. The cathedral, founded with the participation of the current Emperor of Russia Alexander II, collapsed. Naturally, all the rules of decency required a dignified way out of this piquant situation. Therefore, many attempts were made to complete the 2nd version of the cathedral, especially since there was the Highest permission for this. Many years of attempts to complete the cathedral did not lead to anything good. It is interesting to note the fact that she arrived in Novocherkassk in August 1863, i.e. Immediately after the collapse, a commission consisting of Major General Gottman - 2nd, military engineer Colonel Vitkovsky and the adjutant wing of Colonel Count Keller admitted, having examined the cathedral building in September, that “the work was carried out carefully, skillfully and prudently.” The commission found the only reason for the collapse to be the hasty construction of the drum of the main dome of the cathedral. The commission's conclusion is that the cathedral can be completed. The military leadership found itself in a difficult situation. The cathedral was laid in due time by the Heir, i.e. the current Emperor, and it is a matter of honor for the Don people to complete the cathedral he founded. The Gottman Commission came to the same opinion, but for technical reasons. Moreover, the Military Council decided “the cause of the collapse of the dome is not to be blamed on the builder and the matter will be left without further prosecution.” Architect O.I. Valpred was tasked with completing the cathedral with a new dome in two years. Perhaps such a lenient decision by the Military Council was facilitated by persistent rumors that the architect I.O. was not to blame for the collapse of the cathedral dome. Valpreda, and Military Punished Ataman M.G. Khomutov, who insisted that the builder of the cathedral finish it by the summer of 1862 (and in August 1862 Ataman would turn 50). Valpred admitted that he did not show due courage in suppressing Ataman’s claims to hasty construction.
During these two years, the cathedral's scaffolding, which had been swept away by the collapsed dome, was restored and a temporary wooden roof was installed. The garbage was removed and the work... stopped. They began to develop a new estimate for the completion. On January 15, 1866, tenders were announced for the completion of the cathedral building. But no one came to the auction. The second auction, scheduled for May 16, was not announced. Only in 1868, under the Military Ataman A.L. Potapov, the situation changed somewhat, and an estimate was developed that satisfied the Emperor. He signed it on August 1, 1868. According to the new estimate, sluggish work on the completion of the cathedral began in 1869 under the new Military Ataman M.I. Chertkov. The chieftain reported to the Military Council that some work was being carried out only on the bell tower (as there were no funds). He also proposed to abolish the commission for the completion of the cathedral, which was established back in 1844. The members of the commission, despite the fact that for many years after the collapse of the first and second cathedrals no construction work was carried out, nevertheless received an annual remuneration in the amount of 6,723 rubles. Ataman proposed transferring the functions of the abolished commission to the newly established Committee for the Organization of the City. He also proposed to fire the architect Valpreda and give another architect the opportunity to complete the construction of the cathedral. The Military Council accepted these proposals from Ataman.

In the spring of 1872, M.I. Chertkov appointed a commission to inspect the cathedral. The commission generally recognized the condition of the cathedral as good and considered it possible to resume its completion. But commission members Gavronsky, Major Generals Ulyanov and Bokov did not agree with the commission’s conclusion and expressed a dissenting opinion, which stated that the quality of the materials used in the construction of the cathedral was low, which means this could lead to a new misfortune. The conclusions of the commission and a special opinion were sent to the Military Council in 1873, which only two years later (in 1875) decided to send a special commission from the engineering department and one architect to the Don, who became A.A. Yashchenko. The commission that arrived in Novocherkassk included: professor of architecture Bernhardt, his student at the Gau Academy of Arts and engineer-captain Limantov. The commission inspected the cathedral building, and the architect A.A. Yashchenko developed his project for completing the construction of the second version of the cathedral. On April 20, 1877, this project was sent for approval to the department of irregular troops. But the engineering committee, having listened to the arguments of Bernhardt and professor of the Nikolaev Engineering Academy, Lieutenant General Pauker, about the plan for the completion of the cathedral drawn up by the architect A.A. Yashchenko, recognized in the summer of 1878 it was possible to “leave the presented project without consequences and, instead of the proposed completion of the cathedral, build a new one in Novocherkassk the cathedral 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" ("Don Church Antiquity", part 111, department 1, 1911, p. 89). Despite this decision, another attempt was made to complete the second version of the cathedral. It was undertaken by the Honorary Citizen of Novocherkassk, merchant Cossack (miner) Semyon Nikolaevich Koshkin. On January 4, 1879, he submitted a memo to Military Ataman N.A. Krasnokutsky with a proposal to complete the construction of the cathedral at his own expense. But the architect A.A. Yashchenko criticized his proposal to build a light wooden dome over the cathedral, since it was impractical and sinful to erect a temporary dome over a building on which about 3.5 million rubles had already been spent. In order not to take responsibility for the unpopular decision on himself, Ataman sent a note to the Minister of War to S.N. Koshkin, and the objection of A.A. Yashchenko. On February 14, 1880, a request was sent to Ataman asking how much money was needed to complete the construction of the cathedral, how much it would cost to demolish the same cathedral, and what the possible cost of a new version of the cathedral would be. ON THE. Krasnokutsky answered questions and sent the minister A’s new project. A. Yashchenko, which was estimated at 624 thousand rubles, and the dismantling of the former cathedral - at 100 thousand rubles. In this regard, the Military Council decided: “1) to dismantle the stone cathedral that collapsed in Novocherkassk in 1863; 2) to allocate 106 thousand rubles from the military capital of the Don Army for this dismantling, dividing this amount into two years, into 1880 and 1881. "("Don Church Antiquity", 1911, part 111, department 1, p. 92). Emperor Alexander II approved this decision on May 17, 1880. August 27, 1880 In Novocherkassk, an open auction was held for the right to dismantle the previous version of the cathedral. The competition was won by the merchant Cossack Nikolai Ivanovich Limarev, who undertook to dismantle the cathedral under a contract for 70 thousand rubles. in two years. By October 1882, the second version of the building of the stone Military Ascension Cathedral was dismantled.

Third version of the cathedral (1893-1904)

The project of the third version of the cathedral was entrusted to the regional architect, academician of architecture A.A. Yashchenko. On March 24, 1891, the project was highly approved. At the same time, a Cathedral Construction Commission was established and approved by the Highest, which “opened its operations” on May 22. The Military Council decided: “1) The construction of the cathedral should be carried out within ten years and for the costs of this construction, super-budget loans should now be allocated from the total military capital: a) for the construction of the cathedral, 156,620 rubles, and b) for the maintenance of the cathedral-building Commission, on account of the annual amount , 13,000 rubles." This decision allowed 169,620 rubles to be allocated annually for the construction of the cathedral, which were made up of 156,620 rubles. + 13,000 rubles (“Collection of government orders on Cossack troops”, volume XXX, for 1894. St. Petersburg, 1895, p. 491). The same decree approved the salaries of the architect - builder of the cathedral at 6,000 rubles. and his assistant - 2,000 rubles. In August 1891, under the supervision of the first builder of the cathedral, architect A.A. Yashchenko began work on the foundation. To do this, we first dismantled the old foundation and deepened the pit for a new foundation. Hundreds of cubic meters of excavated earth were transported to fill numerous ravines that intersected the streets of Novocherkassk in many places. At the same time, the necessary auxiliary buildings were erected nearby on the cathedral square. “On May 27 of this year (1892), on the site of the military cathedral being built in Novocherkassk, an ancient crypt was discovered and in it a coffin, upholstered in silk, with an image of a cross and Adam’s head on the lid, made of silver galloon.” As it was established, the coffin belonged to the “outstanding clergyman” Archpriest Alexei Oridovsky. It was he who stood at the origins of the consecration of the site of New Cherkassk and the military Ascension Cathedral, which was founded in 1805. Archpriest A. Oridovsky oversaw the construction of the first wooden chapel in the still planned Novocherkassk, in which the consecration of the site for the cathedral and the city of Novocherkassk itself took place. Archpriest A. Oridovsky died, according to the testimony of his contemporaries Pyotr Chebotarev and Archpriest Vasily Rubashkin, in 1812. According to the written testimony of the latter, Archpriest A. Oridovsky “was buried on the 13th (March 1812) in Novocherkassk, behind the cathedral altar of the stone church.” (D.E.V., 1892, unofficial department No. 14, p. 591) . It was this burial that took place during the construction of the first version of the stone Ascension Cathedral, which had been under construction since 1811. according to Russko's design and was opened by the builders of the third version of the cathedral in 1892. The first and most active clergyman of Novocherkassk, Archpriest A. Oridovsky, was reburied with honors in the city cemetery on May 30, 1892. In 1892, the foundation pit was prepared. For its device, 4.665 cubic meters were taken out. soot, i.e. about 10 thousand cubic meters. m. of soil. In the same year, they decided to build a water supply system specifically for the construction of the cathedral, stretching up to 2 versts from the Aksaya River, lifting up to 20 thousand buckets of water per day and costing up to 16 thousand rubles. A mechanical laboratory was immediately created on the site near the cathedral under construction to test the supplied bricks. The cathedral-building commission made the decision to create it on August 24, 1891. Having the bitter experience of the collapse of two versions of the cathedral, she was rightly wary of starting construction of a third version of the cathedral. Therefore, a mechanical laboratory was created to test building materials and ensure their strength.

The first tests in the mechanical laboratory were carried out on August 22, 1892. In particular, the quality of cement from the Black Sea plant was assessed. Since there was not enough equipment for a complete analysis, some of the materials were sent for research to a mechanical workshop in St. Petersburg. Experience has shown that effective research requires abs. Therefore, the cathedral-building commission asked Professor Nikolai Appolonovich Belelyubsky (son of the famous designer and builder of the Novocherkassk water supply system A.V. Belelyubsky) to select and recommend the necessary press for testing the strength of locally made bricks. N.A. Belelyubsky proposed to purchase an Amsler press in Switzerland (pressure up to 33 tons) and a Kleb cement pile driver. Initially, these machines were tested in a mechanical workshop in St. Petersburg, and then transported and installed in Novocherkassk. Their purchase and delivery cost the Don Army 20 thousand rubles. The mechanical laboratory worked most intensively in 1897, which was the peak of construction work. The results of physical and mechanical tests of materials are placed in the “Laboratory Book of the Cathedral Construction Commission” and in annual reports on the progress of work on the construction of the cathedral. (Melliorator, No. 9 dated November 5, 1994).

The following year, 1893. The architect A.A. Yashchenko died suddenly and his place as the builder of the Ascension Cathedral was taken by the military architect Ilya Petrovich Zlobin. Under him, work continued in the pit, and a machine building was built to supply water from the cistern for the construction of the cathedral. In the same year, the procurement of bricks, cement and other building materials began. On October 17, 1893, on the day of the traditional military holiday, “with a large gathering of people,” bells ringing and cannon firing, the ceremonial laying of a new version of the cathedral took place. “On the day of laying, a stone was embedded at the base of the altar wall with a recess carved into it in the form of a cross; another stone was placed next to it, which was intended to cover the first stone. In both corners there were holes for fastening them with thick iron rods. The rods are made in such a way that when hammered, their ends bifurcate by themselves, and then it is completely impossible to lift the top stone. In addition to these stones, the cathedral-building commission made bricks from gray stone with inscriptions from the people who were supposed to lay them in the foundation of the cathedral, a silver tablet with a detailed inscription on it of the time of the founding of the temple. and coins minted in 1893. Seven bricks: for the Military Nakaznago Ataman V.D., chief of the military headquarters, assistant to the Military Nakaznago Ataman for civil affairs, Archbishop of Don Macarius, Bishop of Aksay Ioann, regional leader of the nobility and architect I. Zlobin, now supervising the construction Cathedral" ("Don Diocesan Gazette", No. 21 of November 1, 1893, neof. dept., pp. 990-991).

On the foundation board, walled up in a special stone case in the foundation, the following inscription was made: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. This Cathedral Temple was founded in honor and memory of the Ascension of the Lord, under the power of the Most Pious Autocratic, our Great Sovereign Emperor Alexander Alexandrovich, wife to His Empress Maria Feodorovna and His Heir, Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich; in the administration of the Don Military Ataman General-Adjutant, General of the Cavalry, Prince Nikolai Ivanovich Svyatopolk-Mirskogo, under the sanctity of His Eminence Macarius, Archbishop of Donsk and Novo. Cherkassy, ​​according to the project of Academician Architects Yashchenko, in the presence of the Military Commander Ataman of the Don Army, the Archbishop of the Don, members of the Cathedral-Building Commission, members of all public places of the Don Army, the Nobility and Christ-loving Don Warriors in the year 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."("Military Cathedral Temple in the mountains. Novocherkassk", K. Limarenko, ed. Cathedral Construction Commission, Kyiv, 1904, pp. 10-11). A Military Circle was held on the square near the cathedral under construction. At the end of the prayer service, the Military Circle headed to the building of the Regional Administration (now the communications school) , where the participants of the Circle were presented with “military bread and salt.” A telegram was sent to Emperor Alexander III about the foundation of the military cathedral. On the same day, a telegram arrived in Novocherkassk: “Adjutant General Prince Svyatopolk-Mirsky. We sincerely thank the Don Army; I am glad that the foundation stone of the military temple, which is so lacking in Novocherkassk, has finally taken place. Alexander. October 17, 1893 Gatchino." ("Don Diocesan Gazette", No. 21 of November 1, 1893, unofficial department, p. 993).

In 1894-1895 The foundation and two lower basements of the cathedral were being laid. It should be noted here that the underground part of the cathedral was designed according to the “floating foundation” principle, when the weight of the cathedral building was planned to be equal to the weight of the soil removed from the foundation pit. Those. the weight of the cathedral had to balance the weight of the selected soil. These conditions required the laying of a foundation slab at a depth of 13.4 to 15 m. To produce bricks for the construction of the cathedral, by decision of the Military Council of April 28, 1894, it was decided to build a special brick factory by auction (i.e., contract) or by economic means , for which 36,198 rubles were allocated. from the amounts allocated for the construction of the cathedral. Annual operating costs for the plant were determined to be 1,500 rubles. The management of the military brick factory built an additional water supply and built 10 sheds for drying raw materials. According to the requirements of the mechanical commission, the brick had to have a resistance of at least 40 poods per 1 sq. inch, which corresponds to the modern brand of brick M-125. And sandstone - 160 poods per 1 sq. inch. The best cement was brought from a number of Russian cities (Odessa, Novorossiysk, Moscow, Kerch, etc.), as well as from England. The same mechanical commission examined building materials during the construction of the buildings of the Novocherkassk Cossack (junker) school on Platovsky Prospect (now the art school building), the Novocherkassk real school (now school No. 1), Cossack barracks in the city, etc. But in 1896. The commission discovered 600 thousand bricks on the cathedral square, which, according to the project, should have already been laid into the foundation. Previous experience of the collapse of two versions of the cathedral suggested that it was necessary to conduct a detailed examination of this fact and find the reason why more than half a million bricks were unused. A preliminary inspection showed that the rubble and brickwork of the foundation were made in sizes smaller than those envisaged by Yashchenko’s project. Architect Zlobin was forced to give written explanations to the Main Engineering Directorate under the Minister of War, under whose supervision the Military Cathedral was built in Novocherkassk. The department sent its representative, engineer-colonel K.Kh., to Novocherkassk. Limarenko, who had just completed the construction of the cathedral in the Kovno Fortress.

Professor, Doctor of Technical Sciences from NSTU Yu. Murzenko, who put a lot of effort and time into studying the documentation and condition of the Ascension Cathedral today, wrote: “K.Kh. Limarenko carefully examined the erected part and the soil foundation. Errors were discovered in the dimensions and in the plan , in the depth of laying the foundations and all this - not in the safety margin! At the suggestion of K.Kh. Limarenko, adjustments were then made to the design. The laying of the foundations, walls and supports was subject to reconstruction, the above-ground part was lightened by about 1/10 of its weight. "("Novocherkassk Voznesensky", "Banner of the Commune" 1992, December). K.H. Limarenko, having made holes at different points of the foundation, discovered that the difference in the plane of the foundation from east to west reaches almost 1 meter. This means that if a cathedral weighing 8.5 million poods (i.e. 156.8 thousand tons) is placed on such a multi-planar foundation, it will tear the foundation and a new collapse of the cathedral will occur. According to the report of engineer-colonel K.Kh. Limarenko The Minister of War decided to entrust him with revising the project and leading the construction of the cathedral in Novocherkassk. In connection with this order, K.Kh. Limarenko redesigned the cathedral (without disturbing the external appearance proposed by the architect A.A. Yashchenko), and also reduced its weight by 1 million. 300 thousand poods, i.e. by 20.8 thousand tons. Thus, the Ascension Cathedral, which is being built according to the design of K.Kh. Limarenko began to weigh 136 (instead of 156.8) thousand tons. To reduce the load, the architect-builder proposed replacing brick vaults with reinforced concrete ones according to the Monier system (first used on the Don). Assistants to the builder of the cathedral K.H. Limarenko was appointed civil engineer-architect S.I. Boldyrev, and later civil engineer G.M. Salnikov.

In 1897 Work on the construction of the cathedral continued. In 1898-1899 brick walls were being 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 minute of downtime, so that the main domed vault with a diameter of more than 18 m did not collapse. The upper part of the main drum was made of hollow brick, which was manufactured to special order at the pottery factory of the Toretsky Society of the Ekaterinoslav province . The cement for their binding was prepared by the French-Russian Soyuz plant, located near Rostov-on-Don. The dead weight of the concrete vault, created using the Monier system (without the weight of the main cross), amounted to more than 182 tons. The main dome and five others were covered with sheet copper in a checkered pattern, and the remaining half-domes were covered with iron. Subsequently, when decorating the interior paintings of the cathedral with gold leaf, the main dome and 5 domes around it will be covered with the same gold. On July 23, 1900, 9 bells were raised 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 the new church. Soon they began to lift them through a specially left hole made in the vault. In addition to the four previous bells, five new ones, manufactured at the Finlyandsky plant, were raised. After a prayer service performed by the Most Reverend John and the city clergy, as well as the sprinkling of the bells with holy water by the priest Titus Clement, they began to climb to the roof of the cathedral. The largest and most melodious was an ancient bell weighing 700 pounds (according to other sources - 750 pounds, i.e. 11.2 tons - 12 tons), cast on October 20, 1744 for the Resurrection Cathedral in Cherkassk by master Mikhail Shatorin, and "with the diligence (i.e., the concerns) of the military chieftain Daniil Efremov." Another bell weighed 300 poods (i.e. 4.8 tons) and was cast in 1864 under the Nakazny Ataman P.Kh. Grabbe by Moscow master M.A. Olkhovsky at the Kharkov plant N.T. Ryzhova. It was this bell that was raised first. The third bell weighed 154 poods 5 pounds (i.e. about 1.5 tons). It was made during the time of the Military Ataman N.V. Krasnokutsky (1874-1881) “from the zeal of the family of the merchant Danil Kharlamov and other benefactors...” The fourth bell, without an inscription, was cast in Stavropol-Caucasian. The fifth bell, weighing 26 pounds 28 pounds (i.e. 420 kg), was accidentally broken and therefore was not raised to the bell tower of the new cathedral, although it was cast in Kazan back in 1810 “under the military ataman, Lieutenant General Matvey Ivanovich Platov. .." In the celebration of raising the bells, along with the townspeople, the second-ranking Cossacks of the villages: Starocherkasskaya, Grushevskaya and Krivyanskaya took part ("Don Diocesan Gazette", 1900, No. 22, unofficial department, pp. 503-504., No. 32 , neof. p.726).

The company of Semyon Abrosimov from St. Petersburg for 44,324 rubles. completed work on gilding 6 domes of the cathedral being built, and in Bohemia (Czechoslovakia) they made the largest cross for the main dome, weighing 80 pounds, i.e. 1,280 kg and 16 feet high, i.e. 4.9 m. 80 rock crystal monoliths, cut to resemble a diamond edge and each set in a silver-plated copper frame, were inserted into its crosshairs. This gave a huge lighting effect when the sun's rays hit the golden cross with a common crystal inserted. The brilliance of the natural sun was reflected in the artificial gilding and crystal multifaceted monolith. In addition, the effect was given by the five gilded domes framing the main dome. The play of sunlight in gold and crystal created a kind of luminous ball, the illusion of a second sun. Therefore, since (September 3, 1900) the ceremonial installation of iron gilded eight-pointed crosses on 5 domes and the altar semi-dome, as well as the cross on the main dome of the cathedral, the Military Church has been called the “second sun of the Don.” And since the cathedral (74.7 m high) stands on an elevated place in Novocherkassk and is visible in clear weather up to 30 versts, you can imagine what the view was like in sunny weather on the whole city and the Military Cathedral, for example, from the zaimishche or the village of Krivyanskaya . From afar, the cathedral with a sparkling cross could appear as the famous “Monomakh’s hat.” In the same year, the bells were raised to the bell tower and all the windows were glazed, incl. colored cathedral glass with ornaments was installed in 16 windows and with biblical motifs in 7 windows. The work was carried out by the Northern Glass Society.

In 1901, plastering and sculptural work was completed, and iron frames were installed in all 136 windows of the cathedral. The Rostov company "Siegel" and its representative office in Novocherkassk performed all the heating and ventilation work. In the same year, three granite porches were installed only on the western side (in order to eliminate drafts). There were 16 granite steps at the main entrance. The foundation for the main granite porch was made back in 1899 and a temporary load weighing 20 thousand pounds (i.e. 320 thousand kg) was placed on it in order to check the possible settlement of the main steps of the cathedral within two years. In the basement of the cathedral, 5 special doors were installed (to the altar, to the malt pan, to the utility part, etc.). In 1902 We prepared marble slabs for floors and internal steps, as well as marble for the iconostasis. White marble from Italy for the floors and iconostasis was supplied by the Rostov company of the Italian Sylvester Tonitto, and pink marble (for the columns) was brought from France. Marble workshops built on the cathedral square produced slabs for flooring. A total of 5,600 pieces of marble slabs were laid in four colors: gray, white, pink and green. The frieze was made of white marble. The floors in the choir were made from Metlakh tiles from the Kharkov Bergenheim plant. All concrete work was carried out by Torletsky's Novocherkassk company. In the same year, the Novocherkassk company Fertig and Bogatyrev installed electric lighting in the cathedral (initially temporary to carry out artistic work, and then permanent to illuminate the cathedral). A sidewalk of Metlakh colored tiles on a concrete base, about 3 meters wide and about 300 m long, was built around the cathedral (not preserved).

In 1902, the Altschwager company installed a clock with a diameter of about 2 meters on the facade of the cathedral with a clock mechanism inside the cathedral, for the maintenance of which a mechanic was later added to the cathedral staff with a salary of 70 rubles. per annum. Nearby were exhibited two images by the Novocherkassk artist Elisey Grigoryevich Cherepakhin, “The Don Mother of God” and “Blessing Christ.” They are made on gilded copper under glass, measuring over 2 square meters each. Under his leadership, all the church furniture and many wooden works were made in the cathedral. In 1902, when the cathedral was roughly built, a commission headed by Lieutenant General Vedenyapin, a professor at the Engineering Academy, arrived from St. Petersburg. The commission recognized the work performed as correct and signed an act of acceptance of the cathedral building. In the same year, an all-Russian competition was announced for the best pictorial design of the Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk. Of the several projects proposed to the Holy Synod, project No. 2 with the motto “Circle”, made by artists Staborovsky and Gruzhevsky from the Society of Russian Artists, won. The Commission at the Holy Synod reviewed this project and approved it on May 27, 1902 with minor changes. The Military Council magazine of June 6 of the same year authorized the conclusion of a contract with the Society of Russian Artists to carry out artistic and design work in the Novocherkassk Cathedral. In 1903, they began to install a marble iconostasis, distinguished by its magnificent lace work. The work on its design and painting was awarded through a competition to Professor A.V. Pryakhov.

The actual sketch project for the design of the cathedral was carried out by the artist Gryaznov. In St. Petersburg, a group of Russian artists’ societies was contracted, incl. from Moscow and sent to Novocherkassk. In a large group of painters we can highlight: Ivan Fedorovich Popov, Vladimir Mikhailovich Lopatin, Nikolai Georgievich Maslennikov, Apollo Vasilyevich Troitsky, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Poyarkov, Dmitry Nikolaevich Kardovsky, Ivan Fedorovich Porfirov, Veniamin Nikolaevich Popov, Alexander Mikhailovich Grushin, and G. V. Belashchenko , A.V. Troitsky, A.P. Khotulev, G. Myasoedov, V.A. Ivashchenko, A.S. Petukhov, V.A. Plotnikov, T.K. Petrusevich, T.P. Shinkarenko, M.E. .Vatutin, F.S. Kazachinsky, S.E. Devyatkin. The artists completed all the paintings for 100 thousand rubles, not counting the cost of the gold leaf used for 17 thousand rubles. The total number of artistic works in the cathedral (including icons in the iconostasis) is up to 200. The largest painting in the Novocherkassk Cathedral is “The Last Judgment”. It occupies an area of ​​more than 35 square fathoms, i.e. about 75 sq. m. Naturally, the cathedral has paintings depicting the essence of all 12 main Orthodox holidays. On the central dome we see a huge chest-to-chest image of Christ the Savior (characteristic of the design of early Russian churches), Pantocrator, Pantocrator, King of Kings, made by the artist I.F. Porfirov. From the floor to the dome, with a diameter of more than 18 m, on which Jesus Christ is depicted, is more than 50 m. The fact that this is quite high is convinced by the fact that there is exactly one meter between the eyes of the image of Jesus Christ. Above the altar, on a golden hemisphere, the artist M.E. Vatutin, based on a sketch by I.F. Popov, painted the “Holy Trinity”. Below it in the altar part of the open royal doors you can see a huge 13-meter painting by the artist Veniamin Popov “The Last Supper”, made according to a sketch by the artist I.F. Popov. Ivan Fedorovich Popov himself, who remained to live in Novocherkassk after painting the cathedral, painted four paintings in the narthex of the cathedral: “The Healing of the Canaanite Daughter,” “The Parable of the Prodigal Son,” “The Child Jesus in the Temple,” and “The Blessing of the Children.” On the choirs, located on the second floor of the bell tower, historical paintings are hung, which reflect the main milestones in the formation and development of the Don Cossacks. Here are the paintings: “Ermak’s preparations for the campaign to Siberia” in 1580. artist F.S. Kazachinsky, "Grant of the Royal Banner under Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich in 1614" by artist D.N. Kardovsky, "Azov Sitting in 1641" by artist Petrusevich, "Peter the Great's gathering near Azov in 1696 " by artist Maksimov based on a sketch by D.N. Kardovsky, " Laying the foundation of the cathedral and the city of Novocherkassk by Ataman Platov in 1805 " by artist I. F. Popov, " Meeting of Ataman Platov in 1814 near Novocherkassk " by artist Petukhov, " Presentation of the first prize on May 6, 1887 "To the Heir to the Throne, Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich, artist D.N. Kardovsky.

In 1904 carpentry work was carried out by the Novocherkassk company of Zheltikov and partly by the company of the artist E.G. Cherepakhin. In the same year, the area around the cathedral was paved and public gardens were installed. In the spring of 1904, all decorative and marble work was completed. Church utensils were made by the Moscow workshop of A.M. Postnikov, in particular, the cathedral shroud worth 5 thousand rubles. The same company produced “three royal gates” and 6 side doors for iconostasis. The gates and doors are made of cast chased bronze. All front parts are gilded, and the back parts are silver plated. The Cathedral Construction Commission paid great attention to the planning and design of Cathedral Square. Paved entirely with stone, it had three squares with paths and electric lighting on poles. A notable detail of the square was the cast-iron, carved fountain, which covered the former water reservoir, built together with the cathedral water supply to provide water for the construction. The fountain was used not only as a decoration for Cathedral Square, but also for blessing water and watering small public gardens located in the corners of Cathedral Square. Built by the spring of 1904, the Military Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk, accommodating up to 5,000 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 technical characteristics 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, the width outside is 62 m, the diameter of the dome inside is 18 m, and outside - 21.5 m. The cathedral has two basements - lower and upper with a total depth of about 15 m. The lower basement is used for storing candles, lamp oil, etc., and the top one was adapted for a fireproof military archive in the northern wing, and in the center - for the tomb of the great people of the Don, consisting of 24 marble sarcophagi. Nearby, the single-altar Church of the Intercession was built, which symbolized the first wooden churches on the Don. Two cast-iron staircases lead to the premises of the lower basement: one spiral with 70 steps and 3 landings, the other with 51 steps and 5 flights. A cast-iron staircase with 9 flights of 62 steps and 9 landings leads to the choir. And to the bell tower there is a staircase of 4 flights with 48 steps and 5 landings, and then a spiral staircase with 56 steps. In total, up to 200 steps lead to the bell tower.

To heat and force-ventilate the cathedral, a “steam building” was built nearby on the cathedral square, connected to the cathedral by a special tunnel about 30 m long. A steam-air heater heating system was provided, when clean air heated by 4 steam heaters is supplied inside the cathedral and maintained regardless of external changes temperature 11 degrees average annual temperature. It was this figure that provided the necessary microclimate inside the cathedral, both for holding services that could accommodate several thousand people, and the required temperature for the preservation of church and historical paintings. At the beginning of 1903, the Cathedral Construction Commission determined the staff of the cathedral: 1 caretaker (720 rubles per year), 1 driver (540 rubles), 1 fireman (140 rubles for 7 winter months), 9 watchmen for 180 rubles each. and 1 watchman for placing boilers (192 rubles). In total, the amount of 3,212 rubles was approved for the maintenance of employees at the cathedral. in year. The Military Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk was built in the New Byzantine style. Its external sculptural design, based on the sketches of the artist Gryaznov, was made by the sculptor Voznitsky. The cathedral is decorated with many sacred inscriptions, which testifies to its closeness to the ancient architectural art of the church, dating back to the period of the first Christian churches built in the catacombs. The Novocherkassk Ascension Cathedral is decorated with the following inscriptions, which once shone with gold in the sun: “My house, the house of prayer is”, “I will go into your house, I will bow to your holy temple”, “The Lord is in His holy courtyard”, “I will give the prayers of May to the Lord before by all His people." The connection with the early Christian catacomb church is also symbolized by the sarcophagi in the tomb in the upper basement of the cathedral. The Ascension Cathedral is not only an Orthodox church, but also a temple-monument to glorious deeds and the best representatives of the Don Cossacks. At different times, people heard various legends about the many secret underground passages from the cathedral: to the hut. Maly Mishkin, to the building of the Regional Administration, to the railway station, to the river. Tuzlov, etc. But in reality there is only one passage from the southern subtartal part of the temple to the former building of the Bishop's House (now the House of Officers), so that the Don Archpastors could, if necessary (in the event of a large crowd of people in the cathedral square, as well as troops) easily go directly to the altar part temple, as well as a tunnel to the boiler room.

On May 9, 1904, on the day coinciding with the feast of St. Nicholas, the consecration of the lower church in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos took place in Novocherkassk in the new, not yet opened stone Ascension Cathedral. On May 8, an all-night vigil was served in the new church and the necessary preparations were made for the consecration of the temple. At 9 o'clock in the morning, His Eminence Athanasius, Archbishop of Don and Novocherkassk and His Eminence John, Bishop of Aksai arrived. The consecration of the lower Intercession Church has begun. Two choirs sang: the bishop's and the military. Present were the Military Command Ataman, Lieutenant General K.K. Maksimovich, Chief of the Military Staff, Lieutenant General P.A. Pleve, generals, regional leaders, honorary persons, etc., incl. Abbess Innocent of the Starocherkassk Efremov Convent. The magnificent wall paintings, with good electric lighting, amazed with their originality (partially preserved). The general appearance brought everyone present back to the times of early Christianity, to the catacomb churches. The new temple, according to contemporaries, “will serve as a historical monument of the Don army in the continuation of future times” (Don Diocesan Gazette, 1904, No. 15, unofficial department, p. 460). June 25, 1904, an ordinary everyday working day turned out to be a solemn and churchly joyful day for the residents of Novocherkassk. On this day at 13:00 in the Ascension Cathedral, a prayer service of thanks to the Lord God was held on the occasion of the complete completion of the construction and decoration of the new cathedral. Representatives of local authorities and institutions, headed by Military Ataman, Lieutenant General K.K. Maksimovich, arrived at the prayer service. The prayer service was performed by His Eminence Athanasius, co-served by His Eminence John, the rector of the Don Theological Seminary, Archpriest M. Simashkevich, and the clergy of the city churches. Before the start of the prayer service, Archbishop of Don and Novocherkassk Afanasy emphasized the idea that in the temple of God, as in a granary, “the seed of the word of God, the grace of God, is sown, preserved and returned, to the Lord, in the souls of those praying” (“Don Diocesan Gazette”, 1904. , No. 20, neof. dept., p. 597). At the end of the thanksgiving prayer, a hymn interspersed with the singing of singers of either the bishop's choir or the military choir, the protodeacon proclaimed many years to the Sovereign Emperor and the entire Reigning House, the Holy Synod, the Archpastor, the Military Ataman, the builders of the cathedral and all residents of Novocherkassk and the “Don country.”

May 6, 1905, i.e. Almost a hundred years after its foundation, on May 18, 1805, the stone Military Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk was solemnly consecrated and opened. The consecration was awaited by the arrival of Emperor Nicholas II, who in August 1904, when seeing off the 4th Cossack division from the assembly point in the Persianovka camps to the Russo-Japanese War, promised to come to the celebrations of the opening of the Military Cathedral. In particular, it was expected at the beginning of 1905. Documents about this have been preserved. On February 4, 1905, the pedagogical council of the Novocherkassk men's gymnasium "with the greatest regret listened to the message of the Military Headquarters of the Don Army dated January 24 of this year that the visit of the Sovereign Emperor to the Don was canceled until May 1905." But the tsar did not come in May, even though the new day of consecration of the cathedral was timed to coincide with his birthday (May 6). This explains why the newly built temple was not consecrated for so long). On May 7, in response to a telegram from Novocherkassk with congratulations in honor of his birthday and a message about the celebrations on the occasion of the consecration of the newly built Ascension Cathedral, the Emperor sent his telegram: “I heartily thank the glorious Don army for the congratulations. I am glad to hear that today the consecration of the new Military Cathedral Nikolai, Tsarskoe Selo, May 7, 1905." ("Don Church Antiquity", part 1, 1906, p. 116).

The construction of the third version of the Military Ascension Cathedral, which upon consecration was called the “monument of religious zeal” of the Donets, cost the Cossacks 2 million rubles, which turned out to be twice as expensive as the construction of the famous Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. The celebrations began on the evening of May 5 in the cathedral filled with worshipers in the presence of the Military Ataman, members of the Cathedral Construction Commission, the generals, and others. The all-night vigil was begun by the Rector of the Theological Seminary, Archimandrite Mitrofan (the future Archbishop of Don and Novocherkassk), with the appearance of His Eminence Athanasius, Archbishop of Don and Novocherkassk, at the litany. His Eminence John, Bishop of Aksai, also took part in the celebration of the temple holiday, the Ascension of the Lord. The two best choirs in Novocherkassk - the bishop's and the military - sang during the service. Solemn announcement at 8 o'clock. 30 min. on the morning of May 6, 1905, he notified the residents of Novocherkassk and the representatives of all the Cossack villages of the Don gathered for the celebration about the beginning of the long-awaited consecration of the cathedral. At 9 o'clock in the morning Archbishop Athanasius arrived and met the Military Circle in front of the temple. When the Circle participants took their places on the cathedral square, the consecration of the throne began. Then the clergy carried it to the altar of the cathedral. The walls of the newly built cathedral were sprinkled by St. with water Archimandrite Mitrofan. During the censing of the temple by Archbishop Athanasius, the cathedral's sacristan anointed St. peace all four walls of the temple. The holy relics were brought from the Church of the Cross, located in the Archbishop's House (now the House of Officers) by Bishop John, with the participation of the entire city clergy in the procession. Near the curtain they were met by Archbishop Athanasius, concelebrating with 12 clergy. Archpastor. He read prayers and overshadowed the worshipers on the 4 sides of St. cross, and Bishop John sprinkled them with St. water. During the sacramental verse, one of the most respected priests in the city, Tikhon Donetsk, uttered a word befitting this celebration ("Don Church Antiquity" part 1, 1906, pp. 120-127). After the Divine Liturgy, the Archpastors, co-served by 30 priests, performed a prayer service of thanks to the Lord God with the pronouncement of many years, during which the military regalia were sprinkled with holy water. Before the prayer service, they read the “Highest Charter” granted to the Donskoy army on May 6, 1887, during the stay of Emperor Alexander III and his Heir Nikolai Alexandrovich, the current Emperor Nicholas II, in Novocherkassk. The consecration of the chapel in the name of the Resurrection of Christ was performed by Archbishop Athanasius in the concelebration of the cathedral brethren on May 22, 1905. The consecration of the chapel in the name of the icon of the Mother of God, called Hodegetria, was performed on June 12, 1905.

In memory of the consecration and opening of the Novocherkassk Military Cathedral, on October 24, 1903, work began on the production of appropriate medals. On February 19, 1904, the Commission for the construction of the cathedral church sent a request to the head of the Mint in St. Petersburg to make medals in memory of the consecration of the Novocherkassk Ascension Cathedral with a diameter of 1.75 inches, i.e. about 8 cm. Ordered medals: 2 pcs. gold, 100 pcs. silver, 500 pcs. bronze, and there are 102 cases and 500 boxes for them. A sketch of the medals was attached to a petition signed by the chairman of the cathedral construction commission, Lieutenant General Grekov, the builder of the cathedral, engineer-colonel Limarenko, and an indispensable member of the military foreman Dubin (GARO, F.354, op.1, d.782, p.15). The original medals are in some family archives of Novocherkassk residents. Thus, a silver medal is in the home archive of L.S. Larina (great-granddaughter of Archpriest Titus Klimentov, keymaster of the Ascension Cathedral), and a bronze medal is in the family of K.K. Kulikov (son of the famous architect K.I. Kulikov). In memory of this, the former Cathedral Construction Commission, in accordance with the resolution of the Military Council of October 3, 1904, ordered 500 copies of an illustrated description of the Novocherkassk Cathedral, prepared in the form of a report on the construction of the temple by engineer-colonel K.Kh. Limarenko. Of this number, 2 copies were prepared for the royal family, 28 copies “gold-edged in leather bindings,” 70 copies on thick paper in red embossed bindings and 400 copies on ordinary paper, also in embossed but blue bindings. 10 copies were sent to the Censorship Committee, 2 copies to the royal family, etc. The bulk of the books were kept in the Don Museum. There were proposals to send one copy (130 pieces) to all the villages of the Don Army Region, in particular, to libraries at schools and colleges. 100 copies were sent for free sale at 7 rubles. for the book (GARO, F.354, op.1, d.782, p. 63). Based on the results of their work, 12 artists and one decorator were highly awarded orders: V.M. Lopatin, architect-artist - the Order of St. Anna 3rd degree, and artists: N.G. Maslennikov, A.V. Troitsky, V.A. Poyarkov, D.M. Kardovsky, I.F. Porfirov, E.I. Gruzhevsky, I.F. Popov , V.N.Popov, A.M.Grushin, V.A.Plotnikov and M.E.Vatutin - orders of St. Stanislav 3rd degree. Decorator Eliseev was awarded a silver breast medal (GARO, F. 354, op. 1, d. 779, p. 13). The builder of the cathedral, the real author of its project along with the architect A.A. Yashchenko, engineer-colonel K. Kh. Limarenko received another rank of major general and settled in Novocherkassk. Recently appointed to the Don See, Archbishop of Don and Novocherkassk Vladimir, when examining the Ascension Cathedral, noted the presence in it of such shrines and antiquities as: the icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God with holy relics, given to the Don Army by Metropolitan Platon of Kyiv, former Archbishop of Don and Novocherkassk (1867-1877). ), a gospel from the time of Peter the Great, weighing more than a pound, a silver dish presented by the Don nobility to the first Don Archpastor, His Eminence Athanasius in 1843, crosses, Gospels and vessels donated to the Ascension Cathedral at different times by the Troop Atamans Platov, Ilovaisky, Vlasov, as well as others pious parishioners.

The almost 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.

Preparing to meet with dignity the approaching 100th anniversary of the “defeat of Napoleon”, i.e. victory over the French in the Patriotic War of 1812, a special commission was created on the Don under the chairmanship of Lieutenant General A.A. Smagin. This commission recommended that some events be carried out in connection with the anniversary and, in particular, such as: “1) to build a house in Novocherkassk for 25 disabled people of the Don Army (lower ranks). 2) To place the names of the holders of the order on marble slabs in the Novocherkassk Cathedral St. George, awarded for distinction in the battles of 1812-1814 and the names of generals and officers who fell in these battles...5) Rename some streets of Novocherkassk, naming them after the names of the most distinguished generals" ("Don Church Antiquity", issue 1V, 1915, department 11, p. 108). In particular, the former Trinity Avenue was renamed Baklanovsky in 1909. It was also proposed to erect a monument in honor of the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812, but “we have neither the money nor the desire to collect this money” (ibid., p. 111). The first point was fulfilled and on the corner of the current Troitskaya and B. Khmelnitsky streets they built an “Invalid House” with columns, now belonging to NSTU, on the facade of which the numbers “1812” and “1912” are still visible.

The memory of the heroes of the Don began to excite not only the minds of the public, but also the military authorities. In particular, on June 23, 1909, from the Military Ataman Baron von F.F. Taube, the Main Directorate of Cossack Troops at the Ministry of War received a request to clarify to the Military Government whether or not it has the right “at its discretion to place in a burial vault available at the military cathedral.” ashes of the heroes of the Don Army? The problem arose due to the fact that the first attempt of the Military Government (back in the spring of 1907) to make a decision to place the ashes of the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, General Efremov, in this tomb, Archbishop Vladimir of Don and Novocherkassk refused. The objection was motivated by the fact that during the construction of 24 marble sarcophagi under the Ascension Cathedral in the lower basement, it was planned to bury in them not past heroes of the Don, but current and future ones. The diocesan authorities especially emphasized that if the remains of the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, Lieutenant General Efremov, as a hero of past years, are allowed to be reburied in the tomb of the cathedral from the Staro-Baklanovsky farm of the Baklanovskaya village, then there will be many such heroes on the Don and the tomb will quickly fill up, and then there will be nowhere to bury the heroes of the present and especially the future.

Correspondence on this issue gradually migrated from the War Ministry to the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod, and then to the Holy Synod itself. At the beginning, they supported the decision of the Don Archpastor to prohibit the burial of General Efremov in the Novocherkassk Cathedral, as a hero of past years. But gradually the Military Government increased its persistence and proposed to bury in the tomb of the cathedral, along with the ashes of General Efremov, the remains of the hero of the Caucasian Wars, General Baklanov, taking into account the 100th anniversary of his birth in 1809. But Archbishop of Don and Novocherkassk Vladimir, and with him The Holy Synod responded to this proposal with a refusal. However, in 1910, Military Ataman Baron von Taube again appealed to the War Ministry, and through the appropriate channels to the Holy Synod, with a request to resolve the issue of burying now three heroes in the tomb of the cathedral: General Efremov, General Baklanov and General Orlov- Denisov (also a hero of the Patriotic War of 1812). And, finally, permission was received: “The Holy Synod, for its part, does not encounter any obstacles to permission to transfer the ashes of the heroes of the Don Army to the tomb located at the Novocherkassk Cathedral: Lieutenant General Efremov, Adjutant General Count Orlov-Denisov and Lieutenant General Baklanov. .." (determination of the Holy Synod No. 6340 of August 14-24, 1910). Thus, by the end of 1910, permission was received to rebury the ashes of the indicated heroes of the Don in the tomb of the cathedral. But the reader may have already noticed that this list does not yet include the most famous hero of the Don - Military Ataman M.I. Platov. This is true. Strange as it may seem for us to note this today, the issue of the reburial of the heroes of the Don was resolved precisely in the same temporal and historical sequence as we have outlined, and on the other hand, M.I. Platov was really not on the list of heroes. Only on February 17, 1911, the Leader of the Nobility of the Don Army A.P. Leonov addressed the Holy Synod with a proposal “to transport the remains of the Military Ataman of the Don Army, Count Platov, to the tomb of the Novocherkassk Cathedral.” This proposal was formulated by Colonel Kakurin at the Extraordinary Regional Army of the Don Noble Assembly on January 30, 1911. The Holy Synod, by its determination No. 1681 of March 3-10, 1911, initially rejected this petition, but by its determination of August 17-19 of the same 1911 allowed the reburial of M.'s ashes into the tomb of the Novocherkassk Cathedral. I. Platova. Finally, all obstacles were overcome in order to rebury the ashes of the heroes of the Don in the tomb of the military Ascension Cathedral.

On October 4, 1911, as part of the ongoing preparations for the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812 and the participation of the Don Cossacks in it, the solemn reburial of the remains of 4 heroes of the Don took place in the tomb of the Ascension Cathedral: Troop Ataman, cavalry general, holder of domestic and foreign orders, count, founder of the city of Novocherkassk M.I. Platov, adjutant general V.V. Orlova-Denisova, Lieutenant General I.E. Efremov and Lieutenant General Ya.P. Baklanov, as well as the ashes of the Archbishop of Don and Novocherkassk John, especially beloved by the townspeople. The next day, on the south side of the cathedral, in front of a huge crowd of people, a monument to the hero of the Caucasian Wars, General Ya.P. Baklanov, was unveiled. The composition of the monuments to the three heroes of the Don was completed, standing on three sides of the military Ascension Cathedral: Ermak, Platov and Baklanov (For more details on the solemn reburial ceremony, see P.Kh. Popov “Heroes of the Don”, Novocherkassk, 1911).

Unfortunately, due to financial difficulties and then the outbreak of the 1st World War, another event was not implemented, which they wanted to coincide with the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812. In the Military Ascension Cathedral, marble stones were to be installed on the walls plates with the names of the Knights of the Order of St. George, as well as Cossack generals and officers who died in the Patriotic War of 1812. In the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, this problem was partially solved earlier by writing on the walls the names of some heroes - Cossacks from the Don. But in the capital of the Don Cossacks it was never possible to implement it (Don Regional Gazette, No. 15, 1914). The decision made in 1915 to perpetuate the memory of cavalry general A.V. was also not implemented. Samsonov, the former Military Ataman (1907-1909), who committed suicide after an unsuccessful military operation (by the way, not through his fault, but through the fault of generals Ya.G. Zhilinsky and P.K. Rennenkampf) on the German front in 1914 year. After the Highest permitted collection of donations among the Don Cossack regiments, it was planned to place the image of Ataman and the ashes of the military general A.V. Samsonov in the tomb of the Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk next to the remains of the heroes of the Don - Platov, Orlov-Denisov, Efremov, Baklanov. But this decision was never practically implemented for reasons unknown to us.

On December 5, 1914, the next major event related to the cathedral took place. Emperor Nicholas II arrived in Novocherkassk. In the city, he visited several infirmaries and hospitals, where he awarded the soldiers wounded at the front and, with a large crowd of people on the cathedral square, visited the Military Church. All the “city clergy”, led by Archbishop Afanasy of Don and Novocherkassk, met the Monarch, who drove up to the porch in a car. This is how Emperor Nicholas II briefly described his visit to the capital of the Don in his diaries: “I arrived in Novocherkassk at 10 o’clock. Straight to the new huge cathedral and then to the ataman’s house, where there was an honorary guard of the local team and the last graduation of warrant officers from the school. Visited two hospitals and had breakfast on the train. Visited the hospitals and then visited the officers’ meeting for a cup of tea. I saw the wounded Don officers. I was in the cadet corps, the institute and the shelter. At 7 o’clock I left Novocherkassk” (“Novocherkassk and the Platov Gymnasium in Memoirs and Documents.” , issue 3, M., 1997, p. 61).

The 1st World War, which began on July 20, 1914, raised the Don Cossacks to defend the Fatherland from the Austro-Germans. Services were often held in the cathedral with requests to God to grant victory to Russian weapons and health to Russian soldiers. From here, from the cathedral square, many Cossack units left for the front after the prayer service. The bodies of many Cossacks who gave their lives for Russia were returned here to the cathedral. Here the last words were spoken over their ashes, from here they were sent in coffins to the city cemeteries (the “old” in the city and the “new” in Khutunka). Gradually, the World War for Russia, and then for Germany, turned into a revolution and civil war. The Don began to split into whites and reds, into those who continued to go to meet God in the cathedral and those who began to bypass him. It was in the Military Cathedral that the first elected Ataman Alexei Maksimovich Kaledin received a blessing to work for the benefit of the Don Cossacks in the summer of 1917, and it was he who held the funeral service in the cathedral after his fatal shot on January 29, 1918, which ended his earthly life. Following him, the second elected Ataman Alexei Mikhailovich Nazarov, who was destined to be shot a few weeks later by the Red Guards who occupied Novocherkassk, received a blessing in the cathedral. According to the memoirs of the Baltic sailor Mikhail Pantyukhov: “On one of the five gilded domes (of the cathedral) there is either a hole or a patch. This was made in 1918 by a sailor train using a six-inch gun” (Mikhail Pantyukhov “Red Line”, 1973, p. 208 ). Soon after the capture of the city, Red Guards appeared in the cathedral demanding to see the bell tower, on which, according to their information, the Cossacks allegedly hid a machine gun. Not finding a machine gun, the Red Guards “in hats, with guns at their advantage... entered the temple, entered the altar, tore vestments from the main altars and in the first aisle with bayonets, lifted and damaged the marble plaque of the main altar: “they were looking for the Cossacks...” ( Don Region", No. 18 dated May 11 (24), 1918).

In the summer of 1918, on the square near the Ascension Cathedral, a review of the combat units of the young Don Army, formed by Ataman Krasnov to fight the Bolsheviks, takes place. Here on September 16, 1918, after a prayer service in the Donskoy Cathedral, Ataman P.N. Krasnov will take an oath of allegiance to serve the Great Don Army. In the cathedral at the beginning of February 1919, prayers of thanks were said in honor of the new Don Ataman A.P. Bogaevsky. In February-March and April 1919, funeral services were held in the cathedral for many famous people of Don and Novocherkassk who died from cholera. More than once the prayers of the cathedral clergy were offered for the granting of victory to the Don Army over the Red Army advancing on Novocherkassk. In the early days of 1920, units of the Red Army began to approach Novocherkassk. On January 3-4, the Don Emperor Alexander III Cadet Corps, the Mariinsky Institute of Noble Maidens, and others began to evacuate from the city. Senior students of the Cadet Corps (1st hundred) lined up on Cathedral Square for the last time on the night of January 3-4, and then They left the city on foot, guarding a huge convoy with documents and money. January 7, 1920, i.e. On Christmas Day, Novocherkassk is abandoned to Cossack units of the Don Army. The city, like the Military Council, entered a new, previously unknown stage of Soviet development, an atheistic stage, anti-God in its essence.

In the first years of Soviet power, outwardly everything remained the same. The cathedral was working, the cathedral clergy, together with Archbishop of Don and Novocherkassk Mitrofan, served services, and believers visited the temple. But the situation around the cathedral has changed significantly. The new city authorities declared the cathedral a tool of hostile White Cossack propaganda, a focus of “priestly obscurantism,” and ballast on the path of socialist construction. Everyone who visited the cathedral fell under suspicion and the ideological assessment of a “church henchman.” Thus, the newspaper “Red Don” published a “revelatory” article entitled “The Mysterious Archimandrite,” which negatively described the activities of Archimandrite Boris (Rukin), a friend of the Archbishop of Don and Novocherkassk Mitrofan. The new authorities ignored only the elderly townspeople, to whom it was useless to talk about the prospects of a godless future. 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 from the temple of icons, church utensils and jewelry worth more than 2 million rubles. Naturally, the kidnappers were not found. But the cathedral could not find funds to compensate for the damage. The financial situation of the cathedral deteriorated sharply. Soon an order appeared in the Cherkassy district that all clergy remaining after the civil war must register. The authorities took control not only of the clergy, but also of clergy. Most of them, especially those who came out in at least some form with condemnation of the new government in its attitude towards religion and the church, were arrested and kept in the basements of the District and city Cheka on Aleksandrovskaya Street. (now the old educational building of the food industry technical school). A large group of Novocherkassk clergy, including the former cathedral archpriest Zakharia Lobov, were exiled to Solovki, where many of them ended their earthly lives.

With the increase in anti-religious and atheistic propaganda and the creation of a branch of the “Union of Atheists” in the city, the cathedral is increasingly becoming a kind of “eyesore.” And when the process of collecting non-ferrous and precious metals for the needs of collectivization and industrialization of the country began, a note appeared in the local newspaper that “The roof of the former city cathedral is being removed to use copper and other non-ferrous metals, the new roof will be made of iron” ( "Banner of the Commune", No. 72 of May 22, 1934). The note is written vaguely, since the domes were not copper, but gilded copper, and the iron crosses were also gilded, and the central cross contained the famous crystal from Bohemia. Naturally, the gold leaf (12-15 microns thick), which had lain on the roof of the Ascension Cathedral since 1905. to 1934 had already lost its quality and required replacement. But, nevertheless, the sheets of gilded copper were removed, and in return: iron sheets were not installed for several years for various reasons. The cathedral was closed. For a long time it was exposed to natural elements - it was flooded with rain, covered with snow, scorched by the scorching sun, etc. In addition, the cathedral's basements were also used. First they began to store kerosene, and then grain for the malt (brewery) plant. In the same infamous 1930s, another event occurred, characteristic of a time of political violence and lawlessness. Security authorities arrested, convicted and shot Iulian Mitrofanovich Simashkevich, Bishop of Novocherkassk, son of the last Archbishop of Don and Novocherkassk Mitrofan (Simashkevich).

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. Along with the townspeople, people in Cossack uniforms reappeared there. These were the Cossacks who recognized the power of the occupying forces, those who joined the Cossack detachments of Colonel S.V. Pavlov, who was elected as the Marching Ataman of the newly resurgent Don Cossack army. 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, and other products and materials were stored in the basements, and church services were held upstairs, gathering different numbers of believers and non-believers in different years and on different holidays. In 1950, the fountain on Cathedral Square, in which the water was blessed, was dismantled. In the 50s, with great difficulty, it was possible to carry out pictorial restoration work with the help of Leningrad artists. Due to the lack of sufficient funds, bronze paint replaced the former decorative gold leaf. In the 60s, the threat of closing the cathedral again loomed due to increased anti-religious propaganda and demands for building an atheistic and communist society already in the early 80s. How was it possible to enter 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 both external reasons and internal strife. Among the clergy of the cathedral, various kinds of complaints arose more than once in the 70s and 80s about the improper actions of individual priests, deacons, and elders of the cathedral. And quite a few of the latter have changed. The city authorities, where these complaints fell, tried to consider them, but in most cases they brushed them aside, considering them an internal matter of the cathedral community, hoping that the more discord, the closer to the closure of the cathedral.

At the end of the 70s, steps were taken towards the external restoration of the cathedral. But there were clearly not enough funds and it was possible to plaster and paint only the “front” part of the western façade with orange-yellowish paint. The work was carried out by “shabai”, and not by restoration workshops, which required large amounts of money for their high-quality work, i.e. “masters” who turned up from the street. "Shabai" took less than the restorers, but they also did much worse than them. Attempts to at least partially restore the crumbling interior painting, in particular in the choir, also gave sad results. The funds ran out, but the painting continued to crumble. There were also many problems with water, which constantly flooded the southern part of the cathedral’s basement and the underground passage to the former Bishop’s House (now the House of Officers). Many attempts to pump it out did not produce serious results, and according to authoritative scientists, it is better not to touch the existing water balance, and not to pump out the water, since in its absence, destructive processes in the lower part of the cathedral can become irreversible and destructive. The appearance of subsoil water in the southern part of the cathedral's basement is caused by the fact that under Soviet rule the drainage system that drained subsoil water from the cathedral towards the railway station along the former Kreshchensky (now Krasny) descent was disrupted (voluntarily or involuntarily). That is why, in the 70-80s, Novocherkassk residents were often surprised that the asphalt on the Red Descent “floated” down to the station, and that deep landslides and gullies often appeared on the descent. Since the underground drainage system is broken, then the subsoil water has nowhere to go and it makes its way through a possible channel, including under asphalt, which, not having the multi-layer “cushion” required by technology, is lifted by water and “floats” with the flow, in this case down to the iron road. In the early 90s, a group of scientists led by Professor, Doctor of Technical Sciences Yu. Murzenko, as part of the Izyskatel cooperative, conducted a comprehensive survey of the condition of the Ascension Cathedral, on the basis of which a scientific and technical passport of the building was created. It reflects the results of research and recommendations on how to monitor his future situation. Research has shown that the cathedral stands today on "clay quicksand", dehydration of which can lead to settlement of the foundation and disruption of the overall stable position of the cathedral.

Since the autumn of 1990, little by little they began to repair and restore the lower basement of the cathedral (chief restorer N.D. Burdina), where the tomb of the great people of the Don is located. When examining the floors with collapsed concrete above 24 sarcophagi, it was decided to check the rumors that had been circulating for many years that these burials were discovered in the first years of Soviet power and desecrated. On March 1, 1992, a commission formed on the instructions of Don Ataman S.A. Meshcheryakov from representatives of the Cossacks, after performing the litiya, opened the ancient burials. The open sarcophagi presented a terrible sight. There were skulls, bones, construction debris, fragments of the iconostasis, etc. The Cossacks decided to put the Don shrines in order and solemnly rebury the remains of famous people of the Don. On May 15, 1993, in the Ascension Cathedral a ceremony was held for the solemn reburial of the remains of the great people of the Don: generals Platov, Orlov-Denisov, Efremov and Baklanov, as well as Archbishop John of Don and Novocherkassk in the cathedral tomb. And the next day, May 16, the clergy of the cathedral participated in the opening celebrations of the monument to the founder of the city, Military Ataman, holder of many orders, Count Matvey Ivanovich Platov, recreated and installed on the previous pedestal. With the process of revival of the Cossacks, which began on the Don in 1989, the Ascension Cathedral more than once participated in various kinds of military ceremonies, but it has not yet become a real military temple and not due to the fault of the clergy, but due to the fact that not all Cossacks are yet They do not find it possible or necessary to visit the cathedral not only on weekdays, but on holidays and solemn days. The rector of the Ascension Cathedral, Archpriest Alexander, rightly more than once complained that some atamans and Cossacks do not visit their own Military Cathedral Church.

In the mid-80s, when relations with the church thawed somewhat as a result of “perestroika,” the issue of possibly covering the domes and crosses of the Ascension Cathedral with gold leaf began to be discussed. In this regard, serious steps have been taken to update the coverage. Scientists have calculated (V.P. Kotilevsky) that to cover only the domes of the Ascension Cathedral with gold leaf, 15 kg will be required, incl. 5.2 kg - for the main dome, 4.6 kg - for two medium domes and 5.2 kg - for 4 small domes. For gilding and “highlighting” the crosses, 0.5 kg is required. gold leaf and 0.3 kg. crystal But the cathedral did not have such funds, does not have them, and is not yet in sight. Therefore, so far we have only managed to gild, and even then not all the outer crosses. External internal restoration of the cathedral building, gilding of its domes and crosses are waiting in the wings. At the end of August 1996, a commission of the Russian Ministry of Culture worked in Novocherkassk, which established that about 80 billion rubles were required to carry out priority measures to strengthen the Ascension Cathedral, which was beginning to tilt on the south side (already by 9 cm), and for complete volume of restoration work, incl. paintings and gilding - about 500 billion rubles. But so far no one has allocated such money, and therefore the cathedral lives in hopes of better times and that the established Fund for the Revival of the Ascension Cathedral will provide practical assistance.

At the end of 1991, the city library named after Ascension Cathedral provided all possible assistance to the Ascension Cathedral. A.S. Pushkin. She donated 1,539 books and 801 copies of religious magazines, as well as shelves, display cases, tables and chairs for the organization of the cathedral library. Personnel assistance was provided to the new library. Almost 195 years have passed since the foundation of the military Ascension Cathedral, during which it has absorbed the abyss of human destinies, joys and anxieties of residents and guests of Novocherkassk, the often tragic, but generally glorious history of the Don region. By Decree of the Mayor of Novocherkassk N.I. Prisyazhnyuk No. 166 dated February 4, 1997 “On registration of ownership of real estate for the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Rostov-on-Don Diocese of the Moscow Patriarchate” the building of the Holy Ascension Cathedral on the square. Ermak was assigned to his parish.

Based on materials from Novocherkassk historian and local historian E.I. Kirsanova. http://www.novocherkassk.ru

Four-altar Cathedral: The main altar in honor of the Ascension of the Lord, consecrated by the bishop in 1942. Side chapels: the right one in honor of the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Hodegetria”, consecrated by the bishop’s rank in 1948, the left in the name of St. Seraphim of Sarov, consecrated in 1948 by the bishop’s rank. Crypt temple-tomb in the name of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The throne is not consecrated.

With the departure of I. I. Russko, the building was examined by a commission, which recognized the construction as strong and made a prediction that with the replacement of soft seaside stone with hard “Grushevsky” stone, the strength of the cathedral would only increase. Military architect M.A. Amvrosimov made his contribution to the strengthening of the cathedral, replacing Russko as the designer of the work. At his suggestion, the master contractor, constable Sheikin, replaced the wooden frames in the windows and doors of the cathedral with iron bars. By the year the building had been erected to a height of 7 fathoms and work stopped again.

Meanwhile, in the nearby temporary wooden cathedral church-chapel, a wooden bell tower was built, to which the tower clock was moved from the Starocherkassky Resurrection (former military) Cathedral. The supporting pillars of the Ascension Church, due to their disrepair, were replaced with new ones this 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 at a cost of 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 from well-burnt and processed bricks. According to Ton's plan, military architect I. O. Valpreda drew up an estimate for more than a million rubles. The Emperor demanded to design a temple smaller in size and cost, which would be “affordable” to the Don Army. Then Valpreda designed a cathedral with five chapels, 38.5 fathoms long, 33 fathoms high, and with a bell tower 39.3 fathoms high. The cost was estimated at 640 thousand rubles. The new project assumed a three-part structure of the building - a temple, a vestibule and a bell tower. The main dome was supposed to have, as in the first version, a bulbous shape, and the bell tower was designed to be tent-shaped. Valpreda's project was approved by the Highest on April 16 of the year, and Ton's project was used in the construction of the Rostov-on-Don Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

In those same years, a major reconstruction of the temporary wooden cathedral was carried out. In the year the work began, and the rededication followed in the year. The new building of the temporary cathedral was covered with planks and covered with sheet iron, and a military clock was installed on the cathedral. In the renewed cathedral, as in the previous one, two altars were installed: the main one in honor of the Ascension of the Lord, consecrated on May 11 of the year by Archbishop John of Donskoy, 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 these years there were two wooden bell towers - one cut from beams, on which several small bells hung, and the other on pillars, where one large ancient bell hung. In the year, at the expense of the wife of the ataman, Ekaterina Mikhailovna Khomutova, and other benefactors, a third northern chapel in honor of the Resurrection of Christ was added to the wooden cathedral, 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, and Archbishop John of Donskoy performed the consecration of the construction site. The construction estimate was approved this year, and work began this year. Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai Rubashkin supplied the bricks under the contract, and the work, according to the contract, was carried out by retired lieutenant Sadomtsev. This year, doubts arose about the strength of the cathedral under construction due to the insufficient quality of the Rubashkin bricks 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 the stone from Belaya Kalitva and from the shore of the Sea of ​​Azov. Concerns about its strength prompted 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 from July 10 to 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 any obvious preliminary violations or damage, noting that “the work was carried out carefully, skillfully and prudently.” The only reason for the collapse was seen in the hasty installation of the drum of the main dome. The architect Valpreda was tasked with completing the cathedral with a new dome in two years.

The cathedral's scaffolding was restored, a temporary wooden roof was installed, and work stopped again. After developing the estimate, on January 15, 2010, tenders were announced for completion, but no one showed up. Only this year was an estimate developed that satisfied 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 it was carried out sluggishly, only on the bell tower. In August, both bell towers at the temporary wooden cathedral were dismantled, and the bells were moved to the permanent bell tower under construction. In those same years, at the initiative of the ataman, the expensive commission for the completion of the cathedral was abolished, and the architect Valpred was removed from the work. In subsequent years, the cathedral was again examined by commissions, and the architect A. A. Yashchenko developed his own project for completion. On April 20, this project was sent for approval to the directorate of irregular troops. However, the engineering committee recognized it as possible in the summer of the year " 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, merchant Cossack Semyon Nikolaevich Koshkin. On January 4 of the year, he submitted a memo to the ataman with a proposal to complete the construction of the cathedral at his own expense. But architect Yashchenko criticized his proposal to install a light temporary wooden dome over the building, on which about 3.5 million rubles had already been spent. After a request from the War Ministry, architect Yashchenko submitted a new design for the cathedral, which was estimated at 624 thousand rubles, and dismantling 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 of the year 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 on maintaining a temporary wooden military cathedral nearby was revived. This year, 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, chapels and vestibules were significantly expanded, and the southern chapel 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 Aksai. During these years, the wooden cathedral was covered with sheet iron painted green. The temple had six exits. Seven domes with iron six-pointed crosses rose above the cathedral. The crosses and domes were gilded. The walls of the cathedral are painted with “blanch paint” (i.e. flesh-colored). Inside, the Ascension Church, except for the eastern part, the main altar, the vestibule, chapels and the sacristy, was lined with planks, covered with canvas, and painted with blue and white paint. Four oak pillars supported the dome of the cathedral. Choirs were built above the western gates. But the wooden cathedral quickly deteriorated, was small in space, and did not have a church fence.

Work on the third project

The project of the third version of the cathedral, drawn up 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 established, and the Military Council decided to finance the construction of the cathedral from the general military capital with extra-budgetary loans. In August of the same year, under the supervision of the first builder, architect Yashchenko, work began on laying the foundation, for which the old one was dismantled and the foundation pit was deepened. At the same time, auxiliary buildings were erected on the cathedral square.

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 elected atamans of the Don Army, Alexey Maksimovich Kaledin and Alexey Mikhailovich Nazarov, received blessings for their labors in the cathedral. That year, revolutionaries shot through the dome of the cathedral from a sailor train. Soon after the Reds captured the city, Red Guards appeared in the cathedral demanding to see the bell tower, where, according to their information, the Cossacks allegedly hid a machine gun. The Red Guards did not find the machine gun in hats, with guns at their advantage... they entered the temple, entered the altar, with bayonets they tore off the vestments from the thrones of the main altar and in the first aisle, lifted and damaged the marble plaque of the main altar: “they were looking for the Cossacks”...". In the summer of the year, on the square near the cathedral there was a review of the combat units of the young Don Army, formed by Ataman P. N. Krasnov to fight the Bolsheviks. 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 In the cathedral at the beginning of February of the year, prayers of gratitude were said in honor of the new Don Ataman A.P. Bogaevsky. In February-March and April of that year, many people who died from cholera were buried in the cathedral; prayers were offered more than once for the granting of victory to 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 functioned as before, but the new city authorities declared the cathedral an instrument of hostile White Cossack propaganda, a center of “priestly obscurantism,” and ballast on the path of socialist construction; active propaganda was carried out to denigrate those attending 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 from the temple of icons, church utensils and jewelry worth more than 2 million rubles. The thieves were not found, and the cathedral could not find funds to compensate for the damage. Soon, most of the cathedral's priests and clergy 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, holy martyr Zakharia Lobov - were exiled to Solovki, where many ended their earthly life.

When the process of collecting non-ferrous and precious metals for the needs of collectivization and industrialization began, a note appeared in the local newspaper that year that " roof b. city ​​cathedral is being removed to use copper and other non-ferrous metals, the new roof will be made of iron". The sheets of gilded copper were removed, but the iron sheets were not installed for several years for various reasons. The cathedral was closed. For a long time it was exposed to the elements of nature - it was flooded with rain, covered with snow, scorched by the scorching sun, etc. At first, kerosene was stored in the basements of the cathedral, and then grain for the malt (brewery) plant. Probably during this period, and possibly earlier, the sarcophagi in the cathedral tomb 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, and other products and materials were stored in the basements of the cathedral, but church services were held upstairs. This year, the fountain in the cathedral square, in which water had previously been blessed, was dismantled. In the 1950s, with great difficulty, it was possible to carry out pictorial restoration work with the help of Leningrad artists. Due to the lack of sufficient funds, bronze paint replaced the former decorative gold leaf.

In the 1960s, the threat of closing the cathedral again loomed due to increased anti-religious propaganda, but the cathedral survived. Among the clergy of the cathedral in the 1970s and 80s, various kinds of complaints arose more than once about the incorrect actions of individual priests, deacons, and elders - quite a few of the latter were replaced. At the end of the 1970s, steps were taken towards 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 "masters" who turned up from the street - "shabai" - and not by expensive restoration workshops, so attempts to at least partially restore the crumbling interior painting yielded sad results.

Under Soviet rule, the drainage system that drained subsoil water from the cathedral towards the railway station along the former Kreshchensky (then Krasny) descent was disrupted, so the southern part of the cathedral’s basement began to be flooded. Many attempts to pump it out did not produce 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.

Revival in modern times

Since the mid-1980s, the issue of possibly covering the domes and crosses of the cathedral with gold leaf began to be discussed. In this regard, serious steps were taken to update the coverage, but since... There were no funds for gilding; only some external crosses were gilded.

With the process of 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 autumn 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 opening of the desecrated remains on March 1 of the year, the tomb was put in order, after which a ceremonial reburial followed on May 15 of the year. 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 previous pedestal near the cathedral.

In 2005, the city of Novocherkassk celebrated a double anniversary - two hundred years since the founding of the city and the foundation of the main Cossack temple here. The Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk was restored especially for this date. The appearance was restored in accordance with the drawings and drawings of the early 20th century. The military cathedral of the Ascension is considered the third largest in Russia after the Moscow Christ the Savior and St. Isaac's Cathedral.

Ascension Cathedral (Novocherkassk)

The temple is visible from afar; it is clearly visible from the Tuzlov and Aksai rivers, which wash the hill where Novocherkassk is located. The bell tower rises 74.7 meters high. The height of the dome is in seventh place in Russia. The cross on the main dome is inlaid with rock crystal and cut with diamonds. The light, refracted in the diamond facets, shines like the sun, reflected in the golden domes.

The Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk is famous for its interior decoration. The iconostasis and floors are decorated with marble, specially ordered from France and Italy. The variety of frescoes is amazing. The depicted faces of saints, illuminated by candles, look out from the walls and columns. The choirs are decorated with paintings depicting the most significant events from the history of the Don Cossacks.

Temple-tomb

At the beginning of the last century, the Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk had a unique heating and ventilation system; in those years it was a huge breakthrough in a technical sense. Bold engineering developments made it possible to create a comfortable atmosphere inside the cathedral and ensure the complete preservation of paintings, frescoes, and iconostasis. Nowadays, unfortunately, this system has been lost.

The lower part of the temple is a tomb, consecrated in honor of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary. Here are sarcophagi made of Italian and French marble. They contain the remains of generals - heroes of the war of 1812: Efremov, Orlov-Denisov, Baklanov; the founder of the Don capital Platov, Archbishop John Dobrozrakov.

A baptismal sanctuary is also located here. The depth of the basement is 15 m, an underground passage from it leads to the House of Officers.

Story. First Temple

The city was founded in 1805, at the same time the Ascension Cathedral of Novocherkassk was founded. For some now unknown reasons, construction began only in 1811. The work was supervised by the author of the project himself - a staunch supporter of classicism - Italian architect Aloysius Rusca. The architect left Russia in 1818, the work was not yet completed, and our master Amvrosimov continued the work. Unfortunately, the construction did not end successfully.

In 1846, when work was underway on the construction of the dome, a large part of the facade collapsed. The magnificent construction site instantly became a pile of ruins. There was no one inside the building at that time; it was a holiday, so there were no casualties. At the same time, this was reported to the king. A commission was sent to the site, which revealed gross errors in the architectural design, as well as during construction. They caused the building to collapse. In addition, the building materials used were of very poor quality. Forty years of work went to waste.

Second try

After some time, work on the construction of the temple resumed. The construction was entrusted to the experienced architect Valpreda. The project was drawn up anew, it was accepted according to the most stringent technical criteria. But evil fate was inexorable this time too. At the same stage of work in 1863, a collapse occurred in exactly the same way as 17 years earlier. What is this? Omen or God's will? Remains a mystery. The next commission established the cause was excessive haste during construction. However, the architect himself was not blamed for this, because he repeatedly notified the government in writing about the rush in the work, which would affect the quality. He was simply forced to obey the orders of local authorities and Cossack atamans.

Start of construction

But how can the Cossacks live without the temple of God? Before the decision to build the temple was made, heated debates took place: should we restore the destroyed building or dismantle it completely and begin new construction? They decided to completely clear the place; this was done in 1882. In 1891, the Cossacks decided to build a new Ascension Military Cathedral (Novocherkassk).

The project was approved by Emperor Alexander II. The author of the third project of the Ascension Church was the Don architect of the Cossack army, Yashchenko. Shortly before this, he was awarded the title of academician. Unfortunately, he was not destined to see his brainchild. He died in 1893. The work at this time was at the foundation construction stage.

The new temple was built under special supervision. Past sad experiences have taught me a lot. The new manager, Zlobin, discovered serious violations while laying out the basement. Construction was suspended again, thorough checks were carried out, and work was supervised by higher authorities. No irresponsibility was allowed in construction.

Application of engineering technologies. Consecration of the temple

Engineer-Colonel Limarenko was called in to help with the construction, who just at that time had completed the construction of the cathedral in the Kovno fortress. He carried out reconnaissance of the basements, pointed out errors in the construction and was appointed construction manager. Here he first proposed the use of concrete and reinforced concrete structures. And this is not the only innovation that was used when the Ascension Cathedral was built; Novocherkassk had its own brick factory, where they produced 2 million bricks per year. A water pipeline was built to supply water from the river to the construction site. They also built their own power plant. It also built its own laboratory, where construction materials were tested for quality. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the construction of the temple was approached with all seriousness, which was supported by the innovations of technical progress.

In 1901, stucco and plastering work was completed. The Siegel company equipped the temple with a heating and ventilation system. So, after only ten years, a 75-meter religious building rose up from the basement work, which could accommodate 5 thousand worshipers. Construction costs then amounted to 2 million rubles. Nine bells were lifted manually by ropes. Every Novocherkassk resident could participate in this event.

In May 1905, a hundred years after the foundation of the first temple, the consecration of the Novocherkassk Cathedral took place. Cossacks came from all the villages for such a grandiose event. All their lives they remembered and told their descendants about the beautiful temple, which was named “The Second Sun of the Don”.

Years of atheism

During the years of atheistic madness under Soviet power, the Ascension Military Cathedral in Novocherkassk was not spared from troubles. In the thirties, the temple was closed, services stopped, and copper sheets and crosses were removed from the domes. In the most beautiful church in Russia, the Soviets set up a warehouse for flammable materials. In 1942, the temple was opened for services when the city was under occupation.

After World War II, food was stored in the cathedral's basements: flour, grain, sugar, beer malt. Services were sometimes held in the upper church on major church holidays. The year 1953 became a saving year for the Ascension Church in Novocherkassk. After the death of Joseph Stalin, the crumbling building, which has historical and architectural value, came to the attention of scientists. Having assessed the significance of the facility, the authorities gave the go-ahead for interior and façade repair work. In 1974, the temple became an architectural monument, first of local significance, and in 1995 - of federal significance.

Holy Ascension Cathedral, Novocherkassk: revival

The situation changed during perestroika and the associated democratic reforms. Believers throughout the country regained temples and monasteries lost during the period of atheism. Thousands of temple buildings became the property of the Church and found new life. The Novocherkassk authorities allocated funds for restoration work, which involved many specialists. In 2005, the city celebrated its anniversary, and by this date the original appearance of the temple was restored.

"Second Sun of the Don"

The Holy Ascension Cathedral of Novocherkassk shone like the sun again in 2010-2011. The domes were then covered with gold sheets, the cross was treated with rock crystal stones. In the spring of 2014, by Decree of Patriarch Kirill, the Church of the Ascension received the status of the Patriarchal Ascension Military All-Cossack Cathedral. Now this temple has become the second Patriarchal Cathedral in Russia. The first is the Assumption Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.

Anyone who visits the temple in the evening cannot take his eyes off the majestic beauty of the temple, which is enhanced by the lighting. An original modern lighting system projects biblical scenes onto the white walls of the building. General illumination gives the temple a more solemn and majestic appearance. Internal restoration work continues, the temple will soon regain its true original appearance.

Temple shrines

The Ascension Church is famous not only for its architectural perfection and the richness of its interior paintings. The history of Novocherkassk is connected with the Don Cossacks; the city has always remained a true believer and preserves the glory of miracle-working icons and the relics of holy saints. The metrical books of the Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk can reveal many secrets about the past generation.

Everyone who finds themselves in the temple can venerate the prayed images, which became famous for the manifestations of miracles. Such shrines include the icons of the Mother of God: “Aksai”, “Don”, “Seeking the Lost”, “Life-Giving Spring”.

In the Church of the Ascension there is a tomb where the ashes of St. John Dobrozrakov rest. Believers throughout the country know the power of prayer that is offered in these holy places.

The schedule of services in the Church of the Ascension is no different from many Russian churches. But the spirituality and solemnity that hovers here under the arches puts the cathedral in one of the first places in Russia. It belongs to him by right, and everyone who has been here will confirm this.