Ascension Cathedral (Novocherkassk). Novocherkassk Ascension Cathedral Novocherkassk Ascension Cathedral

Address of the object:
Rostov region, Novocherkassk, Ermaka square, 2.

Work carried out at the site:
a full range of measuring and measuring-fixing works

Historical reference:

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

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

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

In 1844 the architect of the cathedral was I.O. Valpred. 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, this was reported to the Order Ataman of the Don Army, cavalry general M.G. Vlasov, and on August 31 he reported this to the emperor. The Emperor immediately ordered a new project to be drawn up in the Byzantine style, entrusting this to the architect K.A. Ton, the author of the project for the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. The project was approved, but the estimate for its construction turned out to be “beyond the strength” of the Don Army. Therefore, on April 16, 1850, another project and estimate by the architect I.O. Valpreda. On November 2, 1850, the 2nd version of the cathedral was laid, and the future Emperor Alexander II, the heir to the Tsarevich, the August Ataman of all Cossack troops, Alexander Nikolaevich, was present at this event.

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

In the spring of 1872 Ataman M.I. Chertkov appointed a new commission to inspect the cathedral, which generally recognized the condition of the cathedral to be good and considered it possible to resume its completion. However, doubt remained about the quality of the materials and as a result, in 1875, a special commission from the engineering department and architect A.A. Yashchenko, who developed his own project for completing the construction of the second version of the cathedral, was sent to the construction, but the engineering committee recognized it as possible in the summer of 1878 “to leave the presented project without consequences and, instead of the proposed completion of the cathedral, to build a new cathedral in Novocherkassk according to a different project in a newly chosen place, and to adapt the unfinished building for any needs of the city or the Don Army.”

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

By October 1882, the second version of the building of the stone Military Ascension Cathedral was dismantled. The project of the third version of the cathedral was entrusted to the regional architect, academician of architecture A.A. Yashchenko; in August 1891, work began on laying the foundation: the old foundation was dismantled and the foundation pit was deepened for a new one . In 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.

October 17, 1893. On the day of the traditional military holiday, “with a large crowd of people”, bells ringing and cannon fire, the ceremonial laying of a new version of the cathedral took place. On the mortgage board, walled up in a special stone case in the foundation, the following inscription was written: "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, Great Sovereign of our Emperor Alexander Alexandrovich, His wife Empress Maria Feodorovna and His Heir Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich; in command of the army Don Military Ataman Adjutant General, General of the Cavalry, Prince Nikolai Ivanovich Svyatopolk-Mirsky, with the presence of the Most Reverend Macarius, Archbishop of Don and Novocherkassk, according to the project of Academician Architects Yashchenko, in the presence of the Military Ataman of the Don Army, Hibishop of Donskago, members of the Cathedral-Building Commission, members of all public places of the Region 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 17th day."

In 1894, reporting engineer-Colonel K.Kh. Limarenko redesigned the cathedral (without disturbing the external appearance proposed by the architect A.A. Yashchenko), and also reduced its weight by 20 thousand tons. In 1897 Work on the construction of the cathedral continued. In 1898-1899 brick walls were 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 single minute of downtime, so that the main domed vault with a diameter of more than 18 m would not collapse. The upper part of the main drum was made of hollow brick. 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.

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 old bells, five new ones were raised. The domes for the cathedral being built were gilded, and in Bohemia 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.
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.

In 1901 The plastering and sculptural work was completed, and iron frames were installed in all 136 windows of the cathedral. 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.

In 1902 We prepared marble slabs for floors and internal steps, as well as marble for the iconostasis. White marble for the floors and iconostasis was delivered from Italy, and pink marble (for the columns) was brought from France.
In 1902, a clock with a diameter of about 2 meters with a clock mechanism inside the cathedral was installed on the facade of the cathedral. Two images were displayed nearby - “The Don Mother of God” and “Blessing Christ”. They are made on gilded copper under glass, measuring over 2 square meters each.
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 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 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, more than 50 meters. That this is quite highly convincing is 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.”

In 1904 carpentry work was carried out. 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. The royal gates and doors are made of cast chased bronze. All front parts are gilded, and the back parts are silver plated.

3 projects of the Ascension Military Cathedral

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

Its technical characteristics were:
total height inside the temple is 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.,
outside width 62 m.,
the diameter of the dome inside is 18 m.,
The outside diameter of the dome is 21.5 m.

The cathedral has two basements - a lower and an upper with a total depth of about 15 m. The lower basement is used for storing candles, lamp oil, etc., and the upper 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 containing the remains of the Most Reverend Archbishop of Don and Novocherkassk John, the founder of the city, Ataman Matvey Ivanovich Platov, heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812 Vasily Vasilyevich Orlov-Denisov and Pyotr Yakovlevich Baklanov. Nearby, the single-altar Church of the Intercession was built, which symbolized the first wooden churches on the Don.

May 9, 1904, on the day that coincided with the feast of St. Nicholas, in Novocherkassk the consecration of the lower church in honor of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary took place 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.

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 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 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.

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

In 1934 Sheets of gilded copper were removed from the roof of the cathedral without replacing them with iron ones. The cathedral was closed and for a long time it was subject to natural destruction; first kerosene was stored in the cathedral basements, and then grain for the malt (brewery) factory.
In the first days of the occupation of Novocherkassk by the Nazi invaders in the summer of 1942, at the request of the city Cossacks, the Ascension Cathedral was opened for worship. With the expulsion of the Nazis and the departure of the pro-German Cossacks under the leadership of Ataman S.V. Pavlov, the cathedral in Novocherkassk continued to function.

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

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.

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.

Since autumn 1990 Little by little they began to repair and restore the lower basement of the cathedral, where the tomb of the great people of the Don is located. When 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, the commission opened ancient burials and discovered 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, the ceremony of the solemn reburial of the remains of the great people of the Don took place in the Ascension Cathedral.

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

In 2005, for the 200th anniversary of Novocherkassk and the 100th anniversary of the opening of the cathedral, the restoration of the building’s facade was successfully completed. A lighting system and projections of biblical scenes onto the façade are equipped.

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

Works performed by the company NPP “Photogrammetry”:

Drawing up measurement and recording documentation for the development of a restoration project for modern use
“The Ascension Military Cathedral is the burial vault of the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812: Matvey Ivanovich Platov (1753-1818), Vasily Vasilyevich Orlov-Denisov (1755-1843), Ivan Ufremovich Efremov (1774-1843).”

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

To record the state of the paintings in the temple, the technology of creating high-resolution orthophotomaps (developed by NPP Photogrammetry) was used. Data from three-dimensional laser scanning and digital photogrammetric surveys were used. Scanning was performed with an IMAGER 5006 laser scanning system (Z+F, Germany). Photogrammetric photography was carried out using a Hasselblad H3DII-39 camera (Sweden) on a tripod. At the same time, lighting was set for each frame using professional equipment from Broncolor (Switzerland). In total, about 1,400 photographs were taken. After calibrating the images and pre-processing the scanning results, color orthophotomaps of the walls were produced. The resolution of the resulting material ranges from 1.0 to 2.2 mm/pix. A total of 111 high-resolution orthophotos were produced.

The results of the work carried out in accordance with the technical specifications are issued in the following composition:
1. Detailed color orthophotomaps of walls and ceilings in electronic form in SPO (three-dimensional data), BMP (two-dimensional data) formats.

External and internal decoration of the temple.

Interior decoration of the Ascension Cathedral

The Novocherkassk military Ascension Cathedral with six domes was built in the New Byzantine style. Made of brick. The weight of the cathedral is 135 thousand tons, the height (with the central cross) is 74.7 m, the total height inside the temple is 51.2 m, the basement is 15 meters deep, an underground passage from which leads to the Bishop's House (now the House of Officers). Two cast-iron staircases lead to the premises of the lower basement: one 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.

The main altar of the cathedral is consecrated in honor of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, there are two more chapels: in the name of the Resurrection of Christ and the Hodegetria icon of the Mother of God. All three iconostases are made of superbly crafted tricolor marble based on sketches by Russian masters. All paintings and ornamental works were performed by the Society of Russian Artists. The rich ornamentation is a wonderful example of the decoration of the ancient churches of Byzantium, with its imagination rich in brightness and solemn harmony of colors. On the facade of the cathedral there is a striking clock with a diameter of about two meters. Above the clock in a small recess there is a copy of the image of the Don Icon of the Mother of God, and in the recess above the door wings of the main entrance there is an image of Christ Blessing.

The interior decoration 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."

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

History of the cathedral church.

The first version of the cathedral (1811-1846)

Second version of the cathedral (1850-1863)

Third version of the cathedral (1893-1904)

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

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

Temporary cathedral.

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.

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

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

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

History and modernity.

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. 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. 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.

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.

Ascension Cathedral before restoration

Under the shadow of the cathedral temple in the tombs,

The remains of the Don generals lie

And signatures modestly about valiant persons

Their faithful descendants of the Donets are told:

How honestly they served the Throne during their lifetime

The leaders-generals, how they fought in battles,

When, where and how did you close your eyes,

When their ashes are placed in this place.

On the contrary, lamps flicker before the Savior,

Peace spreads unshakably around,

And, feeling the charm of heavenly joy,

I stood silently with my head bowed.

Many 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. In 2001, large-scale restoration work began. In 2005, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Novocherkassk and the 100th anniversary of the opening of the cathedral, the restoration of the building's facade was successfully completed. The domes were also refinished, the area around the cathedral was arranged, and several monuments were installed. The architectural and artistic lighting of the Military Ascension Cathedral was switched on. The project provides for the use of lamps that create narrowly directed beams of light, as well as floodlights.

Thanks to the use of flood light in the project, specialists achieve the transfer of the overall volumetric-spatial form of the architectural structure. Narrowly directed beams of light allow you to highlight decorative elements. The lamps installed in the five bell towers will create the effect of a “lamp” - glowing from the inside. What makes this object unique is the projection on the façade of the cathedral, made using equipment from the Austrian company Pani. The automated slide changing module is designed for 32 pictures.

Projections on biblical themes, as well as the use of works by masters of Flemish painting (Paul Rubens' Ascension of Christ) create the impression of a divine presence. The inclusion of images is carried out on Christian holidays. Another feature of this equipment is that the projector can be installed at an angle to the surface on which it is projected. The projector power is 6 kW, which gives a fairly bright image even in the twilight period. A special optical correction system corrects keystone distortion, and the condenser lens system provides a clear and large image.

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

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 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 weight 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 the 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 that the foundation was fragile and that the building might not be able to 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.

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

Story

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

Peculiarities

During the construction of the Novocherkassk Ascension Cathedral, elite and expensive facing materials were used, some of which were delivered to Russia from abroad. Just look at the white marble from Italy that lines the floors and steps of the temple. Some of the columns here are also made of marble, but not white, but pink. It was delivered to Russia from France. If you believe history, then at the time of the construction of the cathedral, several large marble workshops were operating in the city, specializing in the manufacture of elements of temple architecture. At the same time, the architects brought their project to life in full accordance with the “high technologies” of those times. We are talking primarily about the Amosov heating system, installed in the basement and heating the cathedral in the cold season. It is noteworthy that in addition to the tomb with the relics of St. John, there are several other burials in the temple. Thus, Ataman M. Platov, Lieutenant General Y. Baklanov and I. Efremov found their last refuge here. These outstanding Cossack military leaders made a huge contribution to the strengthening of the Russian Empire, and it was not for nothing that their names were immortalized in the Novocherkassk Cathedral - the main spiritual center of the Don Cossacks.

How to get there

The Ascension Cathedral is located in the city of Novocherkassk, Rostov region, at the address: Ermak Square, 2. You can get here without any problems either by personal or public transport.

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

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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.