Assumption Cathedral - Smolensk region

The main and most majestic attraction of Smolensk is the Holy Cathedral of the Assumption, which is located on the highest place of Smolensk - on the Cathedral Hill. The Assumption Cathedral begins not with the entrance door to the cathedral itself, but with the stairs, which is visible if you drive from the street. Great Soviet down to Kolkhoz Square. The staircase has a unique history, which we will talk about together with you, it is near the stairs to the main temple, where we will stop.

Going up a little higher, we together with you will get to other steps of the Cathedral, and near them we will see the Epiphany Cathedral - its purpose, quite simple, it is in it that the rites of Baptism of infants are carried out. Its interesting essence is that you will enter through the Epiphany Gate, you will see interesting and unusual garages there are two of them. These garages were made specifically for the carriages of the imperial family of Nicholas II Romanov and they appeared only in 1911. Its architectural ensemble is the most common. Near the Assumption Cathedral itself, there is one interesting thing about which, why guides don't talk, is the bell. This bell was cast in 1638 in Smolensk, cast during the period when our city of Smolensk was still part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (present-day Poland). Many tourists ask why the bell is not raised on the bell tower. It is quite simple, it is not consecrated. By the way, it was found recently in the basements of the Assumption Cathedral. Entering the Assumption Cathedral itself, we together with you observe the “golden” iconostasis of our city of Smolensk, more precisely, the Assumption Cathedral. The iconostasis is carved, made by Ukrainian and Smolensk masters in the XVIII century, although other sources say that it was given to Smolensk by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, after he finally signed the Andrusov truce between the Commonwealth and the Russian state. History, iconostasis is multifaceted and interesting. Take a look at its beauty and appearance. In the iconostasis itself there are many mysterious signs, near the iconostasis there are relics of John the Baptist and John the Forerunner - donated in different years by the Maltese Order, all this was not accidental. The iconostasis itself five-tiered was made in 1730. Here i.e. it presents two very different styles of architecture - Old Russian and Barocan. 12 icons in total. Although we can see more of them. There is a lot of Vedic and Catholic in the iconostasis itself. The iconostasis is the highest in the world, its height is 34 m.

On the sides, we can observe several more interesting shrines of the Assumption Cathedral itself. The first is the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God "Odigitria" - at the moment there is a list of the icon itself, the original of the icon was taken out during the Great Patriotic War by the Germans, where it is not known to anyone. The icon itself was painted by the Apostle Luke, and was presented to Smolensk in the XII century by the Chernigov king, when he visited the bishop, then Smolensk prince - Vladimir Monomakh. You can watch it and talk about it now. The image that we now see helped the Russian army in 1812 under Borodino, this is evidenced by the memorial plaque near the icon itself. Secondly, in the Assumption Cathedral itself, there are unique sandals, the total weight is about 4 kg. Sandals of iron belonged to St. Mercury of Smolensk, one of the main saints of the city. It was he who, according to legend, saved the city of Smolensk from the raids of Batu Khan (the only city where they were not). They have been on the road a few times. The Battle of Longitude took place in 1239. There is a very unusual legend here. I'll tell you about her on tour. In the third in the main temple of Smolensk is the Shroud of Staritsky, on giving it embroidered, the aunt of John the Terrible herself - Ephrosyne Staritskaya in hand. The shroud, like the icon of "Odigetria" are miraculous. People come to them all the time for help. During the excursion, if necessary, you will be able to put candles, pray and generally be "one" with the icons of the Smolensk Cathedral. We will not chase you, go and see how long it takes. It should also be noted that the Assumption Cathedral is one of the most majestic and highest in the whole world, among Orthodox churches. It has a unique five-domed structure of the temple. Before him, on the site of the current Assumption Cathedral, there was Monomakhov Cathedral. The cathedral itself was built specifically for the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God “Odigetria”. The temple was Catholic and very interesting. You can see it all now. If we talk about the time of the Patriotic War of 1812 and the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, then it must be said that the cathedral was not damaged. The emperor of France and the Great Army, Napoleon bowed his head before the cathedral and said to the rector of the temple Nikifor Murzakevich (the first historian of Smolensk, the rector of the temple of Odigetria and the one who did not let the Assumption Church be destroyed): “I did not notice anywhere more majestic than the Russian church.” During the Revolution, the temple was made an "Anti-religious" museum near it at the time, and there were two English tanks from the First World War. The tanks were shipped to Germany, as were many others. The temple was a landmark for German aviation during the Second World War. Near the cathedral, there is an interesting observation deck on the Fortress Wall and Zadniprovsky district. The bell tower with the clock that you will see was built in 1776, and the clock was made by the Smolensk watchmaker Skvortsov. More details on the specified cell phone. Call me and we'll talk. It is included in the sightseeing tour and in my other author's excursions.