Saviour Cathedral, Dniptopetrovsk
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The Saviour's Transfiguration Cathedral (, ) is the main
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 of
Dnipro Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...
,
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
. It is one of the cathedrals of the Dnipropetrovsk Diocese (previously Katerynoslav) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the cathedral was dedicated in remembrance of the
Transfiguration of the Lord The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event described in the New Testament where Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is Transfiguration (religion), transfigured and becomes radiant in Glory (religion), glory upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels (, , ) r ...
.


Design

The notion that the city's principal structure, the Transfiguration Cathedral, ought to have been constructed in accordance with the plans of
St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initiall ...
in
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has been deeply ingrained in Dnipro
literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...
for over 200 years. The cathedral was considered a broad emblem of the vast
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and cultural changes occurring in the recently joined Southern Territory of the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
. The National Russian Military Historical Archive in
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
is home to the original Transfiguration Cathedral projects. It is thought that Claude Gerua, an architect, owns them. The cathedral is an imposing
basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...
with five
naves The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type b ...
. The cathedral is adorned with
porticoes A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cultu ...
, which include an eight-column
Corinthian order The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric or ...
portico on the main façade and six-column porticoes on the side facades, in addition to the enormous dome that above the house. An inscription-adorned copper gilt mortgage board is set in a particular location in the altar's foundations for the future temple. It was subsequently discovered during the 1830 laying and positioned in the newly laid foundation of the current structure. The cathedral is designed in a T-shape and was constructed in the
Neoclassical style Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...
. The front portion of it is enlarged to form two borders, one on the left side honoring the Great Martyr Catherine and the other on the right side honoring
Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...
. A dome rising above the central pre-altar section, each with a diameter exceeding , are supported by the vault's four rectangular sails. The walls include sixteen elongated windows that display eight biblical prophets. Directly underneath are pictures of the four
evangelists Evangelist(s) may refer to: Religion * Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels * Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ * Evangelist (Anglican Church), a ...
, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, painted on the vaults.


History

In both of the city's first master designs, the notion of a grand temple serving as the center of the new
Katerynoslav Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...
was prioritized. The foundation stone was laid on by Russian Empress
Catherine II Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III ...
and
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Joseph II Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor F ...
, during Catherine's Crimean journey. The event is described in the memoirs of comte de Ségur. Prince
Grigory Potemkin Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tauricheski (A number of dates as late as 1742 have been found on record; the veracity of any one is unlikely to be proved. This is his "official" birth-date as given on his tombstone.) was a Russian mi ...
envisioned the church as one of the spiritual centres of
New Russia Novorossiya rus, Новороссия, Novorossiya, p=nəvɐˈrosʲːɪjə, a=Ru-Новороссия.ogg; , ; ; ; "New Russia". is a historical name, used during the era of the Russian Empire for an administrative area that would later becom ...
.Gorod.dp.ua
/ref> According to accounts at the time, only the cathedral's foundation had been completed by 1787–1789: huge and tiny wild stone had been set with
limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
filler, and deep trenches had been constructed. The Russian Empire's national treasury had to pay 71,102
rubles The ruble or rouble (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is a currency unit. Currently, currencies named ''ruble'' in circulation include the Russian ruble (RUB, ₽) in Russia and the Belarusian ruble (BYN, Rbl) in Belarus. These currencies are su ...
just for this establishment. Construction was severely delayed by the
Russo-Turkish War The Russo-Turkish wars ( ), or the Russo-Ottoman wars (), began in 1568 and continued intermittently until 1918. They consisted of twelve conflicts in total, making them one of the longest series of wars in the history of Europe. All but four of ...
, which broke out a few months after the cathedral was laid and lasted until 1791. Specifically, financing has all but halted. It should be remembered, nevertheless, that the foundation was constructed during the war, with the major construction completed in the next two years. On , however, with the unexpected death of Potemkin, difficulties arose in the construction of a new Katerynoslav. It was discovered that the cathedral was constructed simultaneously on two projects following the Potemkin's death. Furthermore, construction officials have already expressed dissatisfaction about their inability to identify the precise tasks that were completed. On 29 March 1806, Emperor
Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon from 495 to 454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas, ruler of the Seleucid Empire 150-145 BC * Pope Alex ...
ordered the plans were revived and updated by Duc de Richelieu, but construction did not start until 1830. Emperor Alexander I issued an edict on 8 February 1807, to set aside 69,550 rubles and begin work within three years. Under the leadership of Archbishop Gabriel, the cathedral was built on a smaller scale than originally planned, and was
consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
in 1835. The design is attributed to
Andreyan Zakharov Andreyan Zakharov (; 19 August 1761 – 8 September 1811) was a Russian architect and representative of the Empire style. His designs also alternated neoclassicism with eclecticism.George Heard Hamilton. ''The Art and Architecture of Russia''. Yale ...
, chiefly on the ground of its similarity to Zakharov's cathedral in
Kronstadt Kronstadt (, ) is a Russian administrative divisions of Saint Petersburg, port city in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal cities of Russia, federal city of Saint Petersburg, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg, near the head ...
. The building was damaged by an
earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...
in 1888 and later by bombs during the
Second World War 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 ...
.UA.vlasenko.net
/ref> When it was built on one of the hills beside the
Dnieper The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...
, it became a representation of how the
steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the tropical and subtropica ...
area was changing and becoming a city. The cathedral was closed in 1930, and was supposed to be demolished after the
1917 October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. It was led by Vladimir Le ...
to make way for a monument honoring the head of the global proletariat was to be built in its stead. During the
Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II ...
, the cathedral continued work under the pretense of a museum. Services were temporarily restored here in 1941 with the approval of the German authorities. The diocesan bishops' and clergymen's resting places are currently located on the cathedral grounds, and next to the central gate lies the mass grave of those slain in 1941 in surrounding streets. But eventually, nearly everything in the church was destroyed by fire, including a
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 ...
and the bell tower's upper level. As for the church itself, it was converted into the Zorya publishing house's paper storage. However, historian
Dmytro Yavornytsky Dmytro Ivanovych Yavornytsky (; November 6, 1855 – August 5, 1940) was a Ukrainian academician, historian, archeologist, ethnographer, folklorist, and lexicographer. Yavornytsky was a member of (from 1885), of All-Russian Archaeological S ...
suggested establishing an
atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
museum inside the structure from 1975 and 1988. The cathedral's distinctive
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 ...
was kept in its original location on the pretense of historical significance, and the bell, which weighed four hundred beds, was hidden behind the church's gate. The cathedral's grounds housed the Museum of Religion and Atheism until 1992. The cathedral underwent extensive renovation that started in the middle of the 1990s and was completed in the first part of the 2000s. The building's façade were all repaired. The goal of interior restoration was to restore the spaces as closely as possible to their original state. On the other hand, a number of retreats were made concurrently, and in particular, some well-preserved mid-19th-century fresco pieces were removed. The temple's interior decor was virtually completely redone. Based on the only surviving early 20th-century photo, the cathedral's iconostasis was repaired. The biggest bell-allebefactor was placed and dedicated in the cathedral in 2008.


Gallery

File:Sviato-Preobrazhenskyi Cathedral Dnepropetrovks 2.jpg, The cathedral's interior in 2007 File:Sviato-Preobrazhenskyi Cathedral Dnepropetrovks 3.jpg, Lit candles inside the cathedral in 2007 File:Spaso Preobrazhensky Cathedral Dnepropetrovsk. 03.JPG, The
Eye of Providence The Eye of Providence or All-Seeing Eye is a symbol depicting an eye, often enclosed in a triangle and surrounded by rays of light or a halo, intended to represent Providence, as the eye watches over the workers of mankind. A well-known exampl ...
on the pediment in 2013 File:Преображенский Собор.jpg, One of the gates to the cathedral's compound in 2013 File:Спасо-Преображенський собор у Дніпропетровську.jpg, The cathedral's
bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...
in 2014 File:Дніпро Спасо-Преображенський кафедральний собор вночі 2023.jpg, The cathedral as seen at night in 2023


References


External links


3D-model ''Transfiguration Cathedral, Dnipro'' in the '3D Buildings' layer inside Google Earth
{{Cathedrals of Ukraine Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in Ukraine 19th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings Buildings and structures in Dnipro Churches completed in 1835 Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) cathedrals Tourist attractions in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Neoclassical church buildings in Ukraine