The St. Nicholas Cossack Cathedral is the oldest church in

Omsk Omsk (; rus, Омск, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk ...

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

. It was built in 1843 to Neoclassical designs by

Vasily Stasov Vasily Petrovich Stasov (Russian: Васи́лий Петро́вич Ста́сов; 4 August 1769 – 5 September 1848) was a famous Russian architect, born into a wealthy noble family: his father, Pyotr Fyodorovich Stasov, came from one ...

. For a long time, ministers of the cathedral have kept the banner of

Yermak Timofeyevich Yermak Timofeyevich ( rus, Ерма́к Тимофе́евич, p=jɪˈrmak tʲɪmɐˈfʲejɪvʲɪtɕ; born between 1532 and 1542 – August 5 or 6, 1585) was a Cossack ataman and is today a hero in Russian folklore and myths. During the reign ...

, the Cossack

Ataman Ataman (variants: ''otaman'', ''wataman'', ''vataman''; Russian: атаман, uk, отаман) was a title of Cossack and haidamak leaders of various kinds. In the Russian Empire, the term was the official title of the supreme military comman ...

who conquered Siberia. In 1929, by order of the

communists Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a so ...

, a cinema was housed in the building. It was subsequently made into a concert hall. In the early 1990s, divine services resumed in the cathedral.

History

The laying of the foundation stone of the temple took place on May 15, 1833. May 26–27, 1840

Archpriest The ecclesiastical title of archpriest or archpresbyter belongs to certain priests with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Catholic Churches and may be somewhat analogous ...

Dmitry Ponomarev consecrated two thrones of a warm church, in the name of

George the Victorious Saint George (Greek language, Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin language, Latin: Georgius, Arabic language, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christians, Christian who is venerated as a sa ...

and Simeon the God-receiver and

Anna the Prophetess Anna ( he, חַנָּה, grc, Ἄννα) or Anna the Prophetess is a woman mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. According to that Gospel, she was an elderly woman of the Tribe of Asher who prophesied about Jesus at the Temple of Jerusalem. She app ...

. The main altar was consecrated on September 16, 1843. Donations of Siberian

Cossack The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

troops and

citizens formed the financial basis of the construction. The initial idea was to build the church on the burned-out square of

outer settlement in front of the

military school A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...

. However, the governor of

Region

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

de Saint-Laurent refused because of

Russian Emperor The emperor or empress of all the Russias or All Russia, ''Imperator Vserossiyskiy'', ''Imperatritsa Vserossiyskaya'' (often titled Tsar or Tsarina/Tsaritsa) was the monarch of the Russian Empire. The title originated in connection with Russia' ...

's approved plan of Omsk according to which a square supposed to be situated there. A place in an

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

grove was given to the church. Corps commander, I.A. Velyaminov appealed to the Emperor with a petition and the place in front of the school was approved. The author of the

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

original draft was a brilliant architect V.P. Stasov (1769–1848). In 1826 he created the project for

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

: "The facade and the plan of the expected Church in the name of

St. Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Demre ...

". A

refectory A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries. The name derives from the La ...

and a bell tower were not included in the Church figure by Stasov. Working drawings were developed by Colonel A.A. Leshchev and a provincial architect P.I. Praman, who took a typical project from a Churches sample-drawings Album. The height of the dome was increased. The new plan was approved by the Corps Commander Velyaminov and Reverend Athanasius on June 29, 1833.

Appearance

The

is brick, one-storey, and has a form of a "ship". There is the hemispherical

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

on a cylindrical drum with round-headed windows above the centric

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

with

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

porticos. The

Apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...

is rectangular. Above the refectory, which has three windows on the north side and three on the south, there is a dual-slope roof. The

has few

cupolas In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, from ...

- on the dome, above the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

and on the bell tower. The crosses are eight-pointed. The dome and spire were painted green (and have the same color nowadays) Copper crosses were donated by a rich manufacturer Yakovlev. Crosses were gilded with pure gold at the Upper Iset factory, owned by the donor.Lebedeva N.I. "The Monuments of Cult Architecture in the dynamics of historical and cultural realities of the 20th century" (based on materials about Omsk Region) -

, 2000, Dissertation The walls are smooth and have

pilasters In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wall ...

. The cornice is complex. Semicircular windows are decorated with architraves, window-sill space is decorated with balusters. The western facade has the form of a portico with four Dorian half-columns, the entrance is flanked by niches. The dome has a lantern with four windows, completed with a small hemispherical cupola.

References

External links

Cossack Cathedral (Russian website - Our Omsk-55)

Nicholas Cathedral (Russian website - Omskmap)

* ttp://omsk-web.ru/nikolskij-kazachij-sobor/ St. Nicholas Cossack Cathedral (Russian website - Omskblog)
Nicholas Cossack Church (Russian website - Omsk Architecture)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Nicholas Cossack Cathedral Churches in Siberia History of the Cossacks in Russia Churches completed in 1843 Russian Orthodox cathedrals in Russia Omsk Vasily Stasov buildings and structures Buildings and structures in Omsk Oblast Tourist attractions in Omsk Oblast 1843 establishments in the Russian Empire Neoclassical church buildings in Russia Cultural heritage monuments in Omsk Oblast Objects of cultural heritage of Russia of federal significance