Russian Church Burns - St. Petersburg
nick cobb
Blaze rips through Russia church
A fire which broke out at a 19th Century cathedral in the Russian city
of St Petersburg has brought down its main blue dome, officials say.
The blaze at the Trinity Cathedral, which started in scaffolding
surrounding the main dome, also destroyed one of four smaller domes.
Dozens of firefighters were involved in efforts to put out it out.
Icons and other religious artefacts have been rescued from the
cathedral. There are no reports of injuries.
The Russian Orthodox Cathedral was built in 1835 and is a listed building.
Story from BBC NEWS:
nick cobb
Trinity Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia The enormous Classical dome
of Trinity Cathedral is located just south from the gleaming Baroque
cupolas of St. Nicholas' Cathedral. Trinity Cathedral is a fine example
of Classical architecture built by Vasily Stasov. It can accommodate up
to 3,000 visitors, but sadly has only recently begun to be restored to
its pre-Revolutionary splendor, after years of neglect.
Trinity Cathedral was the regimental church of the Izmailovsky regiment,
one of the oldest guards regiments in the Russian Army. Named after the
village of Izmailovo, near Moscow, the Izmailovsky regiment moved to
Petersburg when the northern city was re-established as the Russian
capital under Empress Anne.
On July 12, 1733, a large field tent operating as a church was
consecrated here, with icons painted on a dark blue satin. However, the
church functioned only in the summer, and in winter the soldiers and
officers had to attend other parish churches. In 1754-1756, a wooden
church was built on the site on order of Empress Elizabeth. The church
had two altars, the main one of which was consecrated in the name of the
Trinity. It suffered heavy damage as a result of the flood of 1824 and
had to be rebuilt, a commission given by Nicholas I to Vasily Stasov.
Construction of the new church began in May 1828, and despite several
accidents hampering the work, the cathedral was consecrated in May 1835.
The cathedral rises to a height of more than 80 meters, and dominates
the skyline of the surrounding area.
Memorial plaques to regimental officers killed in battle were mounted on
the cathedral's wall. After the cathedral's opening, flags, keys from
forts and other trophies that the regiment won in campaigns in 1854-1855
and 1877-1878 were also housed in the cathedral.
The Trinity Cathedral was renowned for its exemplary collection of
icons. The main section of the cathedral housed the Nativity icon, while
the southern section housed the Jesus Christ icon. Empress Elizabeth
presented the church with the Beginning of Life Trinity icon in 1742.
Other holy objects housed in the cathedral included a large ark made in
the form of a cross in 1753 from silver, a large silver cross presented
to the cathedral by Nicholas I in 1835, and two large Gospels in
valuable bindings.
Unfortunately, in 1922 most of the cathedral's valuables were looted,
and the thievery continued for several more years until the cathedral
was finally closed in 1938. There were rumors of plans to demolish the
cathedral and use the remaining material for a district workers'
theatre. However, the rumors never came true and the cathedral was
transferred to the Soviet Ministry of Telecommunications, for which it
became a warehouse. Only in 1990 did the cathedral return to the hands
of the Russian Orthodox Church. when restoration began.
The cathedral is now open and functioning once again, although the
largely bare, Spartan interior is saddening when compared with the
splendor and majesty of its pre-Revolutionary past.
In honor of the victory in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 when the
Russians liberated Bulgaria from a Turkish invasion a memorial column
was constructed in front of the northern facade of the cathedral. Its
foundation was 140 trophy cannon barrels used to beat back the Turks
during the liberation of Bulgaria. The monument stood eight meters high,
and was crowned with the winged figure of victory with a wreath made of
oak leaves in one hand and palm branches in the other. An iron spiral
staircase was located inside. Ten cannons surrounded the outside of the
monument. Unfortunately, in 1930 the monument was dismantled and sold to
Germany for cash.