Description of the attraction
More than three centuries ago, the Cathedral of the Assumption was laid on the banks of the Kem River, which took on the role of a symbol of the northern city. The cathedral has seen a lot during its centuries of existence. In the middle of the 17th century, on the site of the now existing cathedral, there was a cathedral with the same name - the Assumption, it was built at the expense of the Solovetsky monastery and had two limits - Zosimo-Savvatievsky and the Forerunner.
In 1710 the Kemsky part of the town burned down together with this cathedral. A year after the fire, in the same place, they began to rebuild a new cathedral, also with two side-chapels: the Assumption Church (was consecrated in 1717) and Zosimo - Savvatievsky side-chapel (was consecrated in 1714).
In general, the new cathedral was similar to its predecessor, which is characteristic of traditional wooden architecture. The cathedral stands on Lepostrov, which is washed by two branches of the Kem River. The Assumption Cathedral consists of several parts: the Assumption Church, which is the crown of the architectural composition, the Nikolsky and Zosimo-Savvatyevsky side-altars, the entrance hall, the refectory and the porch. The refectory is located to the west of the church and has a square shape, from the south and north two side-chapels are connected to it: Nikolsky and Zosimo - Savvatievsky.
The cathedral, with the exception of the frame canopy, is made of a single frame, without a single nail. Unlike others in the Kemsky Assumption Cathedral, there is one interesting detail - the iconostasis at the top was illuminated through the windows cut through the ceiling. Thanks to this light source, invisible to visitors who have their backs to it, one can observe the unusual effect of the "glowing" iconostasis.
At the beginning of December 1876, the Assumption Cathedral was declared too dilapidated and therefore closed, thanks to the parishioners who loved this cathedral very much, its "renewal" was begun in 1889. During this period, repairs were made in all parts of the cathedral, but the main emphasis was placed on the "renovation" of the interior of the Kemsky cathedral.
For decades, the most famous routes of tourists who have arrived in Karelia pass through Pomorie and Kem. The Assumption Cathedral is the place where people traveling to the northern regions can not only admire the skill of the sculptors of the 18th century and contemporaries - restorers, but also accept the sacrament of prayer in the functioning Kemsky Cathedral. In 1989, the Parish of the Assumption Cathedral was formed, today divine services are held in it.
Specialists-architects consider the Kemsky Cathedral to be a pearl and an "encyclopedia" of northern wooden folk architecture of the early 18th century. In 2006, by order of the Head of Karelia Sergei Kandatov, the building of the Kemsky Assumption Cathedral was transferred for free use to the Kemsky Annunciation Monastery in the name of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.
