Description of the attraction
One of the latest monuments of Lutheran architecture in Kaliningrad is the building of the Church of the Holy Cross, built in 1933 by the Berlin architect Arthur Kickton. Nowadays, the cult building, located on October Island, is occupied by the Exaltation of the Cross Cathedral.
Even at the beginning of the nineteenth century, in the eastern part of Lomse Island (now Oktyabrsky), massively built up with residential buildings, the question of building a temple was raised. In 1913, a site was allocated for the parish community, but the construction of the temple was prevented by the First World War. In 1925, the first (not approved by the city authorities) project of the building was drawn up. Later, the project was drawn up by Kickton, who became famous for the restoration of the temples of Jerusalem after the earthquake, and already in June 1930, the solemn laying of the temple took place.
The temple, erected in 1933, had the shape of a Greek cross in its plan, was three-nave, and two towers with a domed completion towered above the western facade. The main architectural feature of the temple was a huge niche-portal, decorated with a Kadinsky majolica with the image of a cross. For the facing of the temple, a decorative brick - Kadinsky clinker - was used. In pre-war times, a clock was located under the gallery, and one of the elements of the facade design was a sculpture of a pelican by Arthur Steiner. The stained glass windows of the temple were made according to sketches by the Konigsberg artist Gerhard Eisenblätter, and the interior of the temple was designed by the Berlin artist Erchst Fey.
Before World War II, it was the Lutheran Evangelical Church. During the bombing and storming of Konigsberg, the church was practically not damaged, and in Soviet times the well-preserved building was used for economic purposes. In 1986, the abandoned and dilapidated building of the temple was transferred to the Orthodox Church. In 1991, the restored building began to function as the Orthodox Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Cross. The interior decoration was reconstructed in accordance with Orthodox canons. Until 2006, the Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Cross was officially the Cathedral of Kaliningrad. The main attraction of the cathedral is the unique amber iconostasis.
Nowadays, the building of the Holy Cross Cathedral is an architectural monument of temple architecture, the image of which is used in the souvenir products of Kaliningrad.
