Description of the attraction
The Gomel Peter and Paul Cathedral, or the Cathedral in honor of the Apostles Peter and Paul in Gomel, was built at the request and at the expense of Count Nikolai Petrovich Rumyantsev. According to Orthodox tradition, Nikolai Petrovich was buried in the newly built cathedral. Princess Irina Ivanovna Paskevich (née Vorontsova-Dashkova), the last owner of the Rumyantsev Palace, is also buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
The beginning of construction is considered to be on October 18, 1809, when the solemn ceremony of laying the first stone was conducted by Archpriest John Grigorovich.
The majestic cathedral was built in one of the most picturesque corners of Gomel - on the high bank of the Sozh River, between the river and the ravine. Its facade faces the city. The project of the cathedral was created by the architect John Clark. The temple was built in the classicism style. The height of the cathedral is 25 meters.
It took 10 years to build this architectural masterpiece, another 5 years the temple was painted, decorated, icons, shrines, church utensils were transported.
In 1929 the Bolsheviks closed the cathedral. They housed a historical museum in it, and in 1939 also a department of atheism. During the Nazi occupation, the cathedral was opened, restored as best they could, and Orthodox services were held there. In 1960, the temple was closed by Soviet officials. In 1962, a planetarium was opened in the building of the former cathedral.
In 1989, the shrine was returned to the Orthodox Church. Already on Christmas Day of the following year, the first solemn service was held in the church. At the same time, the interior and decoration were restored, and the bell tower was rebuilt.
Nowadays, Orthodox relics are kept in the church: particles of the relics of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker and the locally revered Saint Manetha of Gomel. In 2012, the temple celebrated its 188th anniversary.
