Ss. Boris And Gleb Cathedral, Daugavpils on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Saints Boris and Gleb Cathedral (,The full Russian name reads as . ) is the main
A previous church on the site was built in 1866 by the order of the Governor-General of the
The church was built in the Neo-Russian style. It is a three-aisled masonry church, which on the plan forms an oblong rectangular with a polygonal
Orthodox
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...
church in Daugavpils
Daugavpils (see also other names) is a state city in southeastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city derives its name. The parts of the city to the north of the river belong to the historical Latvian region ...
, Latvia. It can hold 5,000 people, being the biggest Orthodox church in Latvia.
The cathedral is situated in Jaunbūve (Novoye Stroyenie) neighbourhood on the ''Church hill'' (''Baznīckalns'', ), along with the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, the Martin Luther Lutheran Cathedral, and the House of Prayer of Daugavpils First Old Believers' Community.
History
A previous church on the site was built in 1866 by the order of the Governor-General of the Northwestern Krai
Northwestern Krai () was a ''krai'' of the Russian Empire (unofficial subdivision) in the territories of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania (present-day Belarus and Lithuania). The administrative center was in Vilna (now Vilnius). Northwestern ...
Konstantin von Kaufman
Konstantin Petrovich von Kaufmann (; 2 March 1818 – 16 May 1882), was a military engineer and the first Governor-General of Russian Turkestan.
Early life and ancestry
Konstantin Petrovich was born as the second eldest of four sons to Lieut ...
for the needs of the local garrison
A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters.
A garrison is usually in a city ...
and was consecrated in honour of the emperor Constantine I
Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...
and his mother Helena
Helena may refer to:
People
*Helena (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name)
*Katri Helena (born 1945), Finnish singer
* Saint Helena (disambiguation), this includes places
Places
Greece
* Helena ...
. Usually referred to as the ''Iron church'' (''Железная церковь'', ''Dzelzs baznīca'') because of its external cladding, it was dismantled and rebuilt at Tsargrad (now Jersika
The Principality of Jersika (; ; ) was a medieval Latgalian principality in the east of modern-day Latvia, and one of the largest medieval states in Latvia before the Northern Crusades. The capital of Jersika was located on a hill fort southea ...
), where it still remains, following the decision to build a new garrison cathedral at the original site.
The contemporary church was built in 1904–1905, the construction work being financed by the military. It was consecrated on in honour of the Holy Righteous Princes and Passion-bearers Boris and Gleb
Boris and Gleb (), respective Christian names Roman () and David (), were the first saints canonized in Kievan Rus' after its Christianization. Their feast day is observed on July 24 (August 6 Gregorian calendar).
History
According to the tw ...
and Saint Alexius, Metropolitan of Moscow
Alexius (, ''Aleksii''; before 1296–1378) was Metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus' from 1354. He presided over the Muscovite government during Dmitrii Donskoi's minority.
Biography
Alexius, whose name at birth was Eleutherius, was a son o ...
.
Architecture
The church was built in the Neo-Russian style. It is a three-aisled masonry church, which on the plan forms an oblong rectangular with a polygonal apse
In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...
and resembles a ship. The cathedral has ten towers with gilded cupola
In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout.
The word derives, via Ital ...
s. The interiors include mural
A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage.
Word mural in art
The word ''mural'' ...
s and ceiling pieces.
It has been suggested that the icon
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic, and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, mother of ...
s on the oak iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis () 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 that can be placed anywhere withi ...
in the cathedral are copies of works by Viktor Vasnetsov
Viktor Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov (; 15 May (New Style, N.S.), 1848 – 23 July 1926) was a Russian artist who specialised in mythological and historical subjects. He is considered a co-founder of Russian folklorist and romantic nationalistic pain ...
in St Volodymyr's Cathedral
St Volodymyr's Cathedral ( ) is a cathedral in the centre of Kyiv, and one of the city's major landmarks. Since the unification council of the Eastern Orthodox churches of Ukraine in December 2018, it has been under the ecclesiastical jurisdictio ...
, Kyiv.
See also
*List of largest Eastern Orthodox church buildings
This is a list of the largest Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox church buildings in the world, based on area and capacity. Any Eastern Orthodox church building that has a capacity of 3,000 people or more, can be added to this page. Entries ...
Footnotes
References
Literature
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ss. Boris And Gleb Cathedral, Daugavpils Daugavpils Cathedrals in Latvia Russian Orthodox cathedrals in Europe Eastern Orthodox churches in Latvia 20th-century churches in Latvia 20th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings