Description of the attraction
The Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Kislovodsk is the main temple of the city. The cathedral is located on Prospekt Mira.
The first church dedicated to Nicholas the Wonderworker was opened in 1803 in one of the premises of the Kislovodsk fortress. However, as the number of parishioners grew, it soon became necessary to build a separate building, since the old church could no longer accommodate everyone. So, in 1883, the laying of the first stone took place. The construction was carried out under the direction of the architect Afinogenov. On October 22, 1888, the consecration of the temple took place.
The walls of St. Nicholas Cathedral, five-domed in plan, were painted by famous artists V. Vasnetsov, N. Yaroshenko, M. Nesterov. The main iconostasis was made of wood and decorated with skillful carvings. The temple had excellent acoustics, at one time F. Chaliapin and L. Sobinov sang here. Two years later, a five-tiered bell tower was erected near the temple.
Like many other churches, in the 30s of the twentieth century, the Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker awaited a sad fate - it was blown up and completely destroyed. The revival of the church began only in 1991. The author of the project was the architect V. B. Svinitsky. He recreated the architectural forms of the temple as accurately as possible, using the surviving photographs. At the same time, original techniques were used, for example, semi-arched structures, rather than columns, became the support for the central dome, which made it possible to increase the area of the hall. The height of the new temple is 54 meters, it can accommodate up to 3,500 parishioners.
In 1999, the central dome was installed. In 2008, the church was consecrated, after which regular services began in it. To date, the temple is operational, the work on its decoration is almost completed.
