Description of the attraction
The Cathedral of the Archangel Michael in the resort town of Sochi was erected in honor of the end of the Caucasian War in 1864. The instructions for the construction of the temple belong to the Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich. General D. V. Pilenko, who is the head of the Black Sea District, played an important role in organizing the construction of the temple.
The cathedral was erected in Dakhovsky posad on the territory of the former Navaginsky fortification. State Councilor A. V. Vereshchagin was appointed as the head of the construction work, who undertook to build it at his own expense. Initially, all construction work was financed by the large Black Sea landowner N. N. Mamontov. Drawings and drawings for the temple were made by the Moscow architect Kaminsky A. S. The foundation stone of the temple took place in May 1874.
Despite the help of sponsors - Count Sumarokov-Elston F. F. and the famous philanthropist S. I. Mamontov, the construction of the cathedral was delayed for many years and ended only in October 1890. The solemn consecration of the newly erected temple took place on September 24, 1891.
In 1937 the cathedral was closed and transferred to a warehouse. In 1944 it was returned to the believers, but this time without church property. In the post-war period, the building of the temple was rebuilt several times, as a result of which it lost its original appearance. In 1981 the cathedral was declared a monument of religious architecture. In 1993-1994. restoration was carried out in the temple. The author of this project was the Sochi architect F. I. Afuksenidi, who returned the church to its original architectural appearance.
The base of the Cathedral of Archangel Michael has the shape of a four-pointed cross. In the center there is a dome 34 m high. The building is 25.6 m long and more than 17 m wide. Near the cathedral there is a Sunday school and a baptismal church in the name of the Iberian Icon of the Mother of God, erected a little later.
