The Cathedral of the Mother of God Odigitria
Smolensk region, Vyazma, station New courtyards
Description:
The Cathedral of the Mother of God Odigitria in Vyazma was built in 1638. There are only two similar three tent churches in Russia. In addition to the Vyazmin Cathedral, there is also the Marvelous Church in Uglich. Most of these churches were destroyed under Patriarch Nikon, who thus struggled with the people’s misunderstanding of the essence of the Holy Trinity.
The temple was badly damaged in 1812 and stood in desolation for a long time. On the donations of parishioners and Vyazem merchants under Archimandrite Benjamin in 1832-1837, it was restored and consecrated. Today it is one of the best monuments of Russian architecture of the XVII century. In the decoration of its facades, leukal brick, white stone, green watering tiles are widely used.
The main shrine of the Cathedral is the Smolensk icon of the Mother of God, called "Odigitria", which means "Guide". It is at the same time one of the main shrines of the Russian Church.
