Description of the attraction
Thanks to the commander of the Black Sea Fleet and ports, Admiral A. S. Greig, the Admiralty Cathedral appeared in Sevastopol. In 1825, the admiral received permission to build a temple on the existing ruins of Chersonesos in memory of the baptism of the glorious prince Vladimir. After four years, the architect K. A. Ton developed the project of the cathedral, which consisted of five domes, in the Russian-Byzantine style. The project was developed, but work on its construction did not begin.
It was only in 1842 that a decision was made to allocate a site for the construction of a temple in the very center of Sevastopol. Admiral Lazarev petitioned for this. He wanted to increase the number of churches in the city for the Orthodox population. After six years, they began preparatory work for the construction of the temple. In 1851, Admiral Lazarev died. He was buried in a crypt, which was located within the boundaries of the then future Admiralty Cathedral.
In the middle of July, 1854, the foundation stone of the temple took place. This happened during the Crimean War. Other famous admirals such as V. I. Istomin, V. A. Kornilov and the well-known Admiral P. S. Nakhimov. These admirals died defending the hero city of Sevastopol. In 1858, the construction of the cathedral was resumed and lasted thirty years.
In 1862, the architect Avdeev made changes to the project of the temple. The temple lost four domes, but the original dimensions were retained, and the previous style of execution was present. At the beginning of October 1881, the consecration of the lower church in honor of St. Nicholas took place. The upper part of the temple was consecrated in the name of Saint Prince Vladimir, after the completion of construction in 1888.
Until 1917, the Admiralty Cathedral was on the balance sheet of the Naval Department. With the advent of Soviet power, the temple was closed. A few years later, in 1932, the church housed aviation construction workshops and equipped warehouses for the work of the Black Sea Fleet political department.
During the war with the Nazi occupiers, the Admiralty Cathedral was damaged. Its restoration began only in 1966. The restored temple houses a museum dedicated to the heroic defense and liberation of the hero-city of Sevastopol. On September 19, 1991, the church was returned to the Orthodox parishioners.
In the lower part of the cathedral, the burials located were united by a common tombstone. It is made in the form of a large cross made of black marble.
The Admiralty Cathedral is a unique architectural and historical monument. The cathedral is located on the central hill of the city in such a way that it is perfectly visible from all parts of the city.
