Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ, Novokuznetsk: overview, description, history and interesting facts

The Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ (Novokuznetsk) is a decoration of the city and a memorial in honor of the dead miners. It appeared thanks to the general support of people and can be considered a national temple of Kuzbass.

History

The Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ (Novokuznetsk) was built at the seminary and is dedicated to the memory of the dead miners. When laying the temple in 1998, it was believed that the cathedral would stand in memory only of the 29 people that died in the Zyryanovskaya mine, the tragedy occurred on December 2, 1997. Now the cathedral mentions all the dead miners. The laying stone of the temple was consecrated in July 1998, and construction money from the Prime Minister was received only in 2000.

The zero construction cycle was completed in February 2001, and all works stopped due to lack of funding. The project was frozen, the situation changed after the foundation of the charitable foundation in 2008. Architectural and design documents were sent for revision, a new construction contractor was added. The parishioners and all interested persons had a firm conviction that the Church of the Nativity of Christ in Novokuznetsk would soon beautify the city and serve as a consolation to everyone whose loved ones died in the mines.

Stages of construction

On August 18, 2008, on the foundation of the future cathedral, a moleben was served and a procession was held. Two years later, on August 19, the day of the feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, the gilded domes of the church were consecrated. Seven towers and a bell tower were crowned with onions. The central dome is made in analogy with the dome of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior (Moscow), it is so large that it was raised in separate fragments and mounted in a single whole on the central drum.

The highest point of the cathedral was the top of the cross on the bell tower, it rises to an altitude of almost 52 meters. The Church of the Nativity of Christ in Novokuznetsk has its own voice, consisting of nine bells, produced by the Ural masters.

Almost all general construction works were completed in 2011, and in April the consecration of the foundation stone, which marked the construction of the administrative building of the church, took place.

Internal works and temple painting

In May 2011, a group of specialists began painting frescoes inside the cathedral. The painting was made with acrylic paints, the basis of the compositions was traditional samples of murals of the 14th-15th centuries.

In November of the same year, the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ (Novokuznetsk) in the eastern part of the facade was decorated with three mosaic icons - the Holy Life-Giving Trinity, the Great Martyr Barbara (patroness of the miners) and Sergius of Radonezh (patron of Rus).

The lower Baptismal temple is built in a complex architectural form, richly decorated with mosaic icons of natural stones and smalt. In the decoration used marble, columns. Chamber space to the interior is given by a stepped floor, hemispherical arches and convex icons, made in the ancient Byzantine tradition. The font of the church is decorated with early Christian symbols.

The Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ in Novokuznetsk was built by the whole world, funds for its needs were donated by large organizations, entrepreneurs and ordinary parishioners. It became a people's cathedral and a memorial in memory of the miners. The total area of the temple is 3391 square meters, the estimated capacity is 2200 people at a time.

Architecture

The Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ (Novokuznetsk) consists of four main parts. The square part of the apse is covered by a trough arch, a cylindrical part adjoins the room, which is covered by a hemisphere. The natural illumination of this part of the temple is provided by four semicircular windows. The apse with the temple part is connected by an arch, before which the iconostasis is planned.

The temple part of the cathedral is square with the northern and southern chapels. In each side-chapel there are apses and iconostases. In the western part of the temple there is an arched opening, above which, at the level of the second floor, there are choirs. A large light drum provides illumination of the center of the cathedral.

In the basement of the temple there is a baptismal room, the entrance to which is possible near the central entrance. Go to the lower and upper floors possible on the spiral staircases located in the side vestibules of the church. Also in the ground floor there are storage rooms, a room for employees and staff, a room for the catechumens.

You can get to the bell tower on the stairs beginning with the level of the second floor. The architectural style of the Novokuznetsk Memorial Church was chosen as a symbiosis, in which the historical eclecticism and the pseudo-Russian style were combined. The type of temple is a ship with nine chapters, a bell tower and two aisles. The Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ (Novokuznetsk) was consecrated on August 25, 2013, the service was performed by the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church - Cyril.

Administrative building

The complex of the cathedral includes the administrative building, which includes business premises. It is part of the seminary, and it houses the assembly hall, library, administration offices, classrooms, refectory, hotel and garage. The dining room is designed for 80 people, the dining room covers an area of about 172 square meters. Nearby there is a kitchen and other production halls.

The basement is given for economic, technical and storage facilities. According to the plan, on the second floor there will be a library, designed for 25 thousand books of storage, hotel rooms of several categories, training classes and administrative offices. On the third floor there is an equipped assembly hall, which can accommodate up to 200 people, a museum exposition, an icon painting workshop.
The total area of the building is more than 4200 square meters. The new building of the seminary was consecrated by Patriarch Kirill on August 25 in 2013.

The temple not only performs a direct function, but also serves as a memorial to all the dead miners of Kuzbass. Their names are permanently imprinted on the memorable list, which is located on a special funeral table. To date, it contains 15,5 thousand names, the list of the dead has been counted since 1920.

Seminary

Kuzbass Seminary appeared in Novokuznetsk in 1994 and occupied a modest premise on the first floor of a standard residential building in the city center. In the educational institution, young people studied at the pastoral department for two years, and the girls received education regents for three academic years. The liturgical practice was held in the Transfiguration Cathedral (Novokuznetsk).

Since 2004, pastoral education has moved to a three-year course of study, the number of those wishing to receive it has been constantly increasing, and the seminary has been relocated to a new large four-story building. Since 2000, in the neighborhood with the educational institution, the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of Christ began to be built, later the temple and seminary were united into a single architectural complex.

Today KDS is one of the best higher education institutions in its segment with modern technical equipment, an extensive scientific, theological and training base. Students not only receive education here, but also engage in sports, public and educational activities, and creativity. In the walls of the university there is an icon-painting workshop, a choir.

Helpful information

A lot of historical and memorable places can be seen by taking a walk around Novokuznetsk. The Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ from the moment of its consecration became one of the local sights and the center of the spiritual life of all Kuzbass.

Divine services on weekdays are held daily in the morning hours from 07:00, in the evening the worship begins at 17:00. On holidays and Sundays morning services begin at 07:00 with the early Liturgy, after which the prayer is held. The second Liturgy begins at 09:00, after it - a requiem. Service in the evenings - 17:00.

Contacts (Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ): phone in the cathedral - (3843) 601 530 or (3843) 993 773. Hotel phone (3843) 601 533, 8-923-464-15-33. Address: st. Zyryanovskaya, building 97a.