The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral () is a

Russian Orthodox The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

church located in the Kanavinsky city district of

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət, t=Lower Newtown; colloquially shortened to Nizhny) is a city and the administrative centre of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast an ...

. The cathedral is located on the former territory of the

Nizhny Novgorod Fair Nizhny Novgorod Fair (''old name — Makaryev Fair'') () was a fair in Nizhny Novgorod held annually every July near Makaryev Monastery on the left bank of the Volga River from the mid-16th century to 1816. Following a massive fire in 1816, it wa ...

. It is one of the unofficial symbols of Nizhny Novgorod, along with the Dmitrovskaya Tower of the

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, the Chkalov staircase and the fair. The main construction of the cathedral was begun on August 18, 1868 and lasted for 13 years, internal work continued until 1881. July 20, 1881 it was solemnly consecrated in the presence of Emperor Alexander III, his wife Maria Feodorovna and Tsarevich

Nicholas Nicholas is a male name, the Anglophone version of an ancient Greek name in use since antiquity, and cognate with the modern Greek , . It originally derived from a combination of two Ancient Greek, Greek words meaning 'victory' and 'people'. In ...

. The height of the temple is 87 meters (3425.2 inches). The closest

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station is

Strelka Strelka may refer to: Places * Strelka (inhabited locality), several inhabited localities in Russia including: ** Strelka, Amur Oblast ** Strelka, Lesosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai ** Strelka, Vologda Oblast ** Strelka, Voronezh Oblast * a small cap ...

History

Russian Empire

In 1856 the merchants decided to build a new Orthodox cathedral in memory of the visit of the fair by Emperor Alexander II. They turned to the request for the construction of a new cathedral to Bishop Anthony and Governor A. Muraviov. A collection of donations was made. The required funds (454,667 rubles 28 kopecks) were recruited over 10 years (by 1866). November 18, 1865, the temple project was approved by the government. In 1866 Lev Dahl returned to Nizhny Novgorod from abroad and finalized the project. The main construction of the cathedral was begun on August 18, 1868 and lasted for 13 years, the interior works continued until 1881. The cathedral was built without a pile foundation.

Soviet period

In 1929, the temple was closed, valuables were seized. In the winter of 1930, according to the decision of the leadership of the Volga Flotilla, the iconostases and all the wooden ornaments of the cathedral were broken up for firewood to heat the city's houses. However, parishioners managed to save several icons. In the late 1920s, a project for the reconstruction of the fairground was developed. It was planned to dismantle the cathedral and build a lighthouse with a monument to

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

in this place. This project was not carried out, but in the late 1930s, the tents on the roof of the cathedral were dismantled. Later, the building of the cathedral was converted for storage and housing. Numerous auxiliary rooms and various offices were added to the cathedral. In the 1940s there was a fire that destroyed the interior of the building. Afterwards, the remnants of the inner plaster were completely ripped off. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, an anti-aircraft battery was installed on the site of the central tent of the cathedral, which defended the Gorky city (the name of Nizhny Novgorod in the Soviet era) from the

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

air raids. In 1983, restoration of the cathedral began. And in June 1992 the cathedral was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. On September 12, 2009, the cathedral was given the status of a cathedral (main).

Bell "Cathedral"

The installation of the bell in honor of the 400th anniversary of the Nizhny Novgorod militia of Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky was planned at the confluence of the Oka and Volga rivers, 300 meters from the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Until this time, the bell is placed on the temporary belfry at the southern entrance to the cathedral. The project of creating the bell was implemented with the blessing of Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II.

Gallery

File:NN Spit from Kanavinsky Bridge 08-2016.jpg File:Nizhny Novgorod. Heritage Bell near St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.jpg File:NN Strelka street 01-11-2021 05.jpg, Strelka street File:Россия, Нижний Новгород, Канавинский район, ул.Стрелка,3, собор Александра Невского, колокола, 17-58 08.05.2006 - panoramio.jpg File:Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Nizhny Novgorod 04.jpg, Cathedral iconostasis for Easter File:Alexander-Nevsky old.jpg File:NN Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral 01-11-2021 07.jpg, Cathedral at night

References

{{Commons category 1881 establishments in the Russian Empire Religious organizations established in 1881 Russian Orthodox cathedrals in Russia

Churches in Nizhny Novgorod Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Churches completed in 1881