Description of the attraction
The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Simferopol is today considered one of the most beautiful and grandiose religious buildings in the Crimean capital. It was built by order of the Russian Empress Catherine II, who visited Simferopol in 1787. However, due to the imminent death of the queen, the construction of the temple was delayed. It was laid in 1810, but a few years later the construction was frozen again due to the outbreak of the Patriotic War of 1812. In 1816, a new project of the cathedral was developed, and with the support of Alexander I and thanks to generous funding, the temple was quickly completed. Icons and relics were brought to the cathedral, which were bequeathed by Empress Catherine herself.
The temple was built taking into account the best traditions of the Russian classical school, moreover, it was one of the most monumental structures in the city. During its existence, the cathedral has been repeatedly modified and rebuilt. The first large-scale reconstruction was carried out in 1844, when a refectory and a narthex with a bell tower were added to the western facade. In 1869, the temple was expanded on the west side thanks to the construction of three altars and galleries.
A sad fate awaited the Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1918, the counter-revolutionaries used the bell tower and the building of the temple as a firing point, as a result of which the cathedral was severely destroyed. Three years later, a warehouse of church utensils was equipped here, which was brought from all the temples of the Crimea. But the tragic fate of the cathedral did not end there either - in 1929 the bells were removed from it, and a year later the temple was blown up, razing it to the ground. A public garden was laid out on the site of the cathedral.
The revival of the temple began in 1999, when the Supreme Council of Crimea decided to rebuild it in its original place. Construction work began in 2003. Today the temple is significantly different from the previous one, but everything is also striking in its beauty and grandeur.
