Cathedral in the name of Alexander Nevsky
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Petrozavodsk is a picturesque temple that has the status of a cathedral and a monument of architecture of the XIX century. The tall five-domed temple stands in a green park and is surrounded by trees on all sides.
History
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was built in 1832, when the history of Petrozavodsk was already more than 100 years, and dedicated to the memory of those who died during the Patriotic War of 1812. The project of the cathedral was prepared by architect Alexander Ivanovich Postnikov. The engineering works on the erection of the building were supervised by Italian Pietro Carlo Maderni. The iconostasis was installed by A. Bobrov, a famous master from Kexholm (modern Priozersk), and the icons for it were painted by isographer A. S. Chizhov. For several years money for the construction of the cathedral was collected by townspeople, mountain officials and Petrozavodsk merchants. However, the main donors were employees and craftsmen of the Alexander Cannon Factory, who from 1808 contributed 2 kopecks from each earned ruble to the new church. Because of this, the church was first called Alexander Nevsky factory church.
.The new cathedral had three thrones and served the factory workers as a parish church. At the end of the XIX century in it appeared the first parochial school in Karelia, where the children of factory workers were taught free reading, writing and basic numeracy. In 1929 the church was closed. All five domes were torn down, a ceiling was installed in the building and it was handed over to the Karelian Museum of Local Lore.
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In the early 1990s, the Cathedral of A. Nevsky was returned to the faithful. In order to be able to hold services in it, the temple had to be restored. Builders and restorers managed to restore the building to its original appearance, but the interior decoration and iconostasis were made anew. Some relics were transferred to the temple from the storages of the local history museum. The first church service was held here in 1995, and the solemn consecration of the new cathedral was held in 2000.
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Three years later, for the 300th anniversary of the city issued a postage stamp depicting the Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky in Petrozavodsk. In the park, next to the temple can be seen memorial signs dedicated to the anniversary of Petrozavodsk and the participants of the liquidation of the Chernobyl accident. And from the south of the cathedral rises the monument to the Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky.
.Architectural features
The majestic Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Petrozavodsk is built in the traditions of mature classicism. It consists of a main cube, an apse and three columned porticoes, which give the building the appearance of a Greek cross. Eight bells made by Voronezh craftsmen hang on the belfry.
The corner towers are exactly copied from the Church of the Ascension designed by the famous architect Giacomo Quarenghi in the village of Fedorovo near St. Petersburg. However, one can see the original towers today only in old photographs and drawings, because the Fedorovo church has not survived.
.How to get there
The cathedral stands in the city center, at 32 Alexander Nevsky Avenue. The railway station and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Petrozavodsk are separated by about 3 km. This distance can be traveled on foot or by cab. In addition, the temple can be reached by trolleybuses № 3, 4, 6, 10 and buses № 3, 13, 19, 20, 25, 26 and 28. Get off at the stop “Pravda Street.”
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