Description of the attraction
The Transfiguration Cathedral in the city of Bender is a functioning Orthodox church, an architectural monument of the 19th century, one of the main attractions of the city.
The history of the cathedral dates back to 1814, when the Assumption and Nikolskaya churches, located on the territory of the fortress esplanade, were destroyed. At the same time, it was decided to build a new cathedral in the name of the Transfiguration of the Lord on the site of the former Turkish barracks. A year later, namely on August 22, 1815, the laying of the first stone of the temple took place. The event was timed to the anniversary of the liberation of Bessarabia from the rule of the Ottoman Empire. The author of the project was Archimandrite Ioaniky, who proposed to divide the temple complex into three side-altars, two of which were named after the Nikolskaya and Assumption churches, respectively, and the third - the central one - was named Preobrazhensky.
The entire construction of the temple was completed in 1840. The Transfiguration Cathedral was erected in the best traditions of Russian classicism, while elements of Moldavian decorative art were present in its design. One of the most interesting and impressive details of the cathedral is its main dome. Since the Transfiguration Cathedral was conceived as a symbol of victory over the Turkish yoke, it was decided to make its main dome in the form of a helmet of an ancient Russian warrior.
From 1918 to 1944, the cathedral belonged to the Romanian church; its interior has significantly decayed during this time. Only in 1934 were reconstruction works carried out, the interior was renewed, murals on the walls.
During the Second World War, the cathedral was significantly damaged. After one of the shelling, a fire broke out in the building, which destroyed the famous iconostasis on seven wooden columns and the archive, which contained significant data about the life of the inhabitants of Bendery in the pre-war period. In 1948, the temple was reconstructed; it was awarded the official title of an architectural monument of the 19th century.
1992 was another tragic milestone in the history of the cathedral. During the fighting, the roof and domes of the Transfiguration Cathedral were damaged.
Today, the Transfiguration Cathedral is one of the main centers of the spiritual life of Transnistria.
