Symbol of Smolensk - Assumption Cathedral

The business card of Smolensk is the Cathedral of the Assumption, built in 1740 on the place where Vladimir Monomakh married in the 11th century. Here in 1101 he built the first stone cathedral in the city, and from the 12th century Cathedral Mountain is forever transferred to the Church.

The Assumption Cathedral survived two wars: Patriotic 1812 (by order of Napoleon in the cathedral was exhibited security) and the Great Patriotic 1941-45. He survived the period of the “war with the temples” in the 20-30s of the last century – an anti-religious museum was opened in the temple.

And now the cathedral is not only the main temple of the Smolensk diocese, but also the most famous tourist attraction of the city. At the beginning of the 18th century, it was the largest building in Russia - 80 meters high, an area of more than 2000 square meters.

The greatness of the iconostasis of the temple is striking – a 30-meter five-tier carved gilded, decorated with a large number of wooden sculptures; you will not find anything like this in other Russian lands.

In the temple there are three Orthodox shrines, the fame of which goes far beyond the boundaries of the Smolensk land: the sandals of St. Mercury (XIII century), a gold woven shroud of workshops of kn. Euphrosyne Staritskaya (1561) and, of course, the miraculous image of the Icon of the Smolensk Mother of God “Odigitria” (XVI century).