Description of the attraction
The Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Irkutsk is a working Orthodox church located in the historical center of the city, on 5th Army Street. By the style of architecture, the church is a vivid example of the "Siberian Baroque".
In 1718, the laying of a wooden church in honor of the Holy Trinity with a side-altar in the name of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul began. The modern one-story Trinity Church was erected on the site of a wooden one. Its construction began in 1754. In May 1763, even before the completion of the construction of the entire complex of the temple, a warm chapel was consecrated in honor of the Nativity of the Mother of God.
In July 1763, during construction work, the stone vault of the temple collapsed, and there were some casualties. This event pushed back the construction completion date. In 1775, the main throne of the church was consecrated in the name of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity, and three years later, the throne in honor of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. At the end of 1785, a bell was raised on the bell tower of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity.
It was also decided to erect at the church a church in honor of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea. The wooden church was founded in September 1802. However, several years later, the building was badly dilapidated and became unsuitable for holding services in it. Therefore, in August 1836, the church was closed. By the middle of 1863, thanks to the efforts of the parishioner P. S. Ivelsky, the construction of a new stone church building in honor of Gregory Neokesariysky was completed.
In 1846, the Trinity Church was renovated. In January 1866, a parish elementary school was opened with her. In the 1930s. the church remained closed. In September 1949, the regional executive committee handed over the temple to a planetarium.
The modern Trinity Church was restored according to the project of architects B. Shutov and G. Oranskaya. After the reconstruction, it was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Irkutsk diocese. In 1991, a new dome shone on the church, and the restored patterns of the outer walls shone white. In 1998, Bishop Vadim of Irkutsk and Angarsk consecrated the side-altar of the Nativity of the Virgin and divine services were resumed in the church. In 2000, a golden cross was installed on the bell tower. In April 2003, the bells were raised to the bell tower.
