Intercession Cathedral () is a

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 ...

of the Don and Caucasian Diocese of the

Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church The Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church (or Russian Orthodox Oldritualist Church, Russian Orthodox Old-Ritualist Church, ) is an Eastern Orthodox Church of the Old Believers tradition, which rejected the liturgical and canonical reforms of Patri ...

, located in

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...

(Ulyanovskaya Street, 37). It was built in 1913 on the project of architect Vladimir Pokrovsky. The cathedral has the status of an object of cultural heritage of regional significance.

History

One of the first places of worship for Old Believers community of Rostov-on-Don was a small

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

. In 1813 a wooden Church of the Intercession was built on the site of the chapel. In 1913 a stone church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin was built on the opposite side of the street where the wooden church was situated. Opposite the church apse there was located Old Believers

hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life b ...

(according to other sources, it actually was the clergy house), built in 1910 also on the funds of Panin. In church was established an altar of St. Elijah the Prophet, so the temple also sometimes called "Pokrov―St. Elijah Church". The proximity of the two Old Believers Pokrovsky temple was explained by the presence of multiple branches of Russian Old Believers. According to the memoirs of the members of congregation, stone Church of the Intercession was originally owned by the Beglopopovtsy of

Russian Old-Orthodox Church The Russian Old Orthodox Church () is an Eastern Orthodox Church of the Old Believers tradition, born of a schism within the Russian Orthodox Church ('' raskol'') during the 17th century (Old Believers). This jurisdiction incorporated those Old Be ...

. And to the community of

belonged the old wooden church. In 1923, the wooden church was closed, and its congregation moved into the stone Pokrovsky temple. In 1930 this temple was closed, too, and its building was used to house a radio workshop. In 1946 it was re-opened, but was given to Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church community.

Architecture

Old Believers Pokrovsky Cathedral was built in

Russian Revival The Russian Revival style comprises a number of different movements within Russian architecture that arose in the second quarter of the 19th century and was an eclectic melding of Byzantine elements ( Neo-Byzantine architecture in the Russian E ...

style. The architect had to solve the problem of construction of the temple in a small area surrounded by urban development. This fact explains its unusual architecture. To extended dining room adjoins the semicircular

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 ' ...

, asymmetrically located one-tier

belfry The belfry /ˈbɛlfri/ is a structure enclosing bells for ringing as part of a building, usually as part of a bell tower or steeple. It can also refer to the entire tower or building, particularly in continental Europe for such a tower attached ...

and porch. Belfry, refectory and the apse are crowned by small

cupolas 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 ...

with crosses. Semicircular window openings of the refectory are decorated with decorative plaster. The temple is designed to hold about 500 worshipers.

Gallery

File:Собор Покрова Богородицы (вид с фасада).JPG File:Собор Покрова Богородицы (вид со стороны колокольни).JPG File:Собор Покрова Богородицы (старообрядческий).JPG

References

External links

Official site of the cathedral
{{coord, 47.2166, N, 39.7171, E, source:wikidata, display=title Churches in Rostov-on-Don Cultural heritage monuments in Rostov-on-Don Churches completed in 1913 Old Believer movement Cultural heritage monuments of regional significance in Rostov Oblast