St. Michael's Cathedral (Izhevsk)
Encyclopedia
Saint Michael's Cathedral (Собор святого Архистратига Михаила) in Izhevsk
rivals the older Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
as the main Orthodox
church of Udmurtia
in Russia
.
Its Russian Revival design belongs to Ivan Charushin, a little-known 19th-century architect from Vyatka
. The red-brick church is capped with a tent-like roof
that rises to a height of 67 metres. It is encircled by several massive chapel
s with gilded bulbous domes and slender tent-like belfries. The porches have sharply pitched roofs in the manner of the Muscovite churches of the 17th century.
The Izhevsk arms factory owed its rise partly to the involvement of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, whose patron saint was Michael the Archangel. The factory's employees contributed one percent of their wages to a fund set up to finance the construction of a large church to this military saint
.
The cathedral was erected between 1897 and 1915, only to be demolished by the Soviets in 1937. It was rebuilt to Charushin's original designs in 2004-2007. The interior features an irregular gilded icon screen and is devoid of fresco
es.
Izhevsk
Izhevsk is the capital city of the Udmurt Republic, Russia, situated on the Izh River in the Western Urals. Population: From 1984 to 1987 Izhevsk carried the name Ustinov |Minister of Defense of the USSR]], Marshal of the Soviet Union, Dmitry Ustinov). The city is an important industrial center,...
rivals the older Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (Izhevsk)
The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a Russian Orthodox church in Izhevsk, Udmurtia dedicated to St. Alexander Nevsky. The Neoclassical building has a round golden cupola, an Ionic portico and a steepled bell tower rising above it....
as the main Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
church of Udmurtia
Udmurtia
The Udmurt Republic , or Udmurtia is a federal subject of Russia . Its capital is the city of Izhevsk. Population: -History:...
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Its Russian Revival design belongs to Ivan Charushin, a little-known 19th-century architect from Vyatka
Kirov, Kirov Oblast
Kirov , formerly known as Vyatka and Khlynov, is a city in northeastern European Russia, on the Vyatka River, and the administrative center of Kirov Oblast. Population: -History:...
. The red-brick church is capped with a tent-like roof
Tented roof
A tented roof is a type of roof widely used in 16th and 17th century Russian architecture for churches. It is like a polygonal spire but differs in purpose in that it is typically used to roof the main internal space of a church, rather than an auxiliary structure...
that rises to a height of 67 metres. It is encircled by several massive chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
s with gilded bulbous domes and slender tent-like belfries. The porches have sharply pitched roofs in the manner of the Muscovite churches of the 17th century.
The Izhevsk arms factory owed its rise partly to the involvement of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, whose patron saint was Michael the Archangel. The factory's employees contributed one percent of their wages to a fund set up to finance the construction of a large church to this military saint
Military saint
The military saints or warrior saints of the Early Christian Church are prominent in the history of Christianity...
.
The cathedral was erected between 1897 and 1915, only to be demolished by the Soviets in 1937. It was rebuilt to Charushin's original designs in 2004-2007. The interior features an irregular gilded icon screen and is devoid of fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es.