The Cathedral of St. Theodore Ushakov (russian: Собор Святого Феодора Ушакова) is a Russian Orthodox cathedral in the Saransk, the Cathedral of the

Diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

of Saransk and Mordovia. The cathedral is named for Russian saint and admiral

Fyodor Ushakov Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov ( rus, Фёдор Фёдорович Ушако́в, p=ʊʂɐˈkof; – ) was an 18th century Russian naval commander and admiral. He is notable for winning every engagement he participated in as the Admiral of t ...

Cathedral history

In 1991, the Holy Synod of

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

became independent from the Penza Diocese. The first meeting of the new administration took place in the Church of

St. John the Divine John of Patmos (also called John the Revelator, John the Divine, John the Theologian) is the name traditionally given to the author of the Book of Revelation. The text of Revelation states that John was on Patmos, a Greek island where, according ...

, which, soon proved too small to perform this function. In this regard, the archbishop of Saransk and Mordovia Varsonofy appealed to the authorities of the

Republic of Mordovia The Republic of Mordovia (russian: Респу́блика Мордо́вия, r=Respublika Mordoviya, p=rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə mɐrˈdovʲɪjə; mdf, Мордовия Республиксь, ''Mordovija Respublikś''; myv, Мордовия Рес ...

, with a request to approve the construction of a new cathedral. After the canonization of Admiral

Feodor Ushakov Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov ( rus, Фёдор Фёдорович Ушако́в, p=ʊʂɐˈkof; – ) was an 18th century Russian naval commander and admiral. He is notable for winning every engagement he participated in as the Admiral of t ...

in 2001, he was elected as a patron Saint of the cathedral. In coordination with the municipal authorities the cathedral has placed in the area of intersection of Bolshevitskaya and Sovetskaya streets. In 2002 construction was given the status of republican, and he was supported by a number of private sponsors. The cornerstone was placed on May 8, 2002. The construction was completed in 2006.

Opening

On, August 6, 2006, the cathedral was opened and consecrated by the

Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' The Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' (russian: Патриарх Московский и всея Руси, translit=Patriarkh Moskovskij i vseja Rusi), also known as the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, is the official title of the Metropolitan ...

Alexy II Patriarch Alexy II (or Alexius II, russian: link=no, Патриарх Алексий II; secular name Aleksei Mikhailovich Ridiger russian: link=no, Алексе́й Миха́йлович Ри́дигер; 23 February 1929 – 5 December ...

. The cathedral is built in the style of the Empire the cross-type. Along the perimeter of the building there are four belfry, with 12 bells. The biggest one weighs 6 tons, followed by 3 tons, 1.5 tons, and further on down the line. Now the bell rings every Sunday and on holidays, calling the believers to worship. Around the main "bowl" of the cathedral, there is an observation deck, where from the height of approximately 40-meters people can see a panorama of the city of Saransk and surrounding neighborhoods.

Architecture

The

iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand t ...

of the cathedral is made of precious wood and covered with gold. It is divided into three: a central one is dedicated in honor of Saint

, the right limit in honor of Saint Seraphim Sarovsky, and the left limit in honor of the martyrs and confessors of Mordovia. From the three entrances to the Cathedral there are balconies. The magnificent reliquaries around the columns are made by countrymen from the Zubovo-Polyansky district. All icons for the

and

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were painted by artist and iconographer I.G.Shemyakin. The basement of the church includes a baptismal area of the Transfiguration with the

baptistery In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned structure surrounding the baptismal ...

, an auditorium, classrooms for Sunday school, refectory, ''prosfornaya'', offices of the Rector and

sacristan A sacristan is an officer charged with care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents. In ancient times, many duties of the sacrist were performed by the doorkeepers ( ostiarii), and later by the treasurers and mansionarii. The Decretals ...

, a room for the priests, the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

, library, technical and other facilities. The ground floor has a gallery of photos on the history of the construction of the cathedral from the foundation stone to his consecration, the arrival at Mordovia Kirill I of Moscow in 2011, and pilgrimage trips to Masters Varsonofy greatest shrines of Christianity.

References

External links

* * http://my-edge.blogspot.com/2011/10/blog-post_02.html * http://www.st-nikolas.orthodoxy.ru/newmartyres/fedor_ushakov.html * http://rus-orthodox.narod.ru/ * http://www.orthodoxworld.ru/ru/ {{coord, 54, 10, 53, N, 45, 10, 54, E, region:UA_type:landmark_source:kolossus-ruwiki, display=title Saransk Saransk Buildings and structures in Mordovia Tourist attractions in Mordovia 2006 establishments in Russia Churches completed in 2006