Description of the attraction
The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Novorossiysk is one of the religious sites of the city and enjoys constant attention among tourists. It is also called: the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow", and among the people - the Sorrowful Cathedral, the Mother of God Cathedral, the Assumption Cathedral.
The beginning of its construction is associated with the beginning of the functioning at the end of 1891 of the city cemetery of Novorossiysk. Its territory adjoined Anapskaya Street, now Vidova Street, and then occupied an area of about 20 thousand square fathoms (about 9 hectares). At the end of 1891, the construction of the Assumption Church began on the territory of the cemetery, at the expense of the townspeople and the City Duma. And already in November 1894 the construction of the church was completed and the City Duma considered the issue of allocating funds in the amount of 300 rubles for its consecration. In 1894 it was consecrated as the Sorrowful Church. Among the people and in the Duma, the Assumption Church was called the Cemetery, but in the official sources of those years it was indicated - "The City Cemetery at the Assumption Church."
The church was closed in 1937, but already during the Second World War it began to be restored and church services began in the fall of 1942. Old-timers say that the service on Easter in 1943 did not stop even during the German artillery shelling from howitzers. Since 1945 it has been the only Orthodox church in the city.
From the point of view of cult architecture, it is a small one-domed rectangular church with a refectory and a narthex. Now on the site of the cemetery there is a hospital for military personnel; at the beginning of this century, a new large bell tower, a church stall were completed, the territory around the temple was landscaped. Currently, the cathedral belongs to the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate and has the status of an acting one.
Unfortunately, a fire that broke out in November 2011 destroyed the temple, leaving only the walls. Its restoration is being carried out with donations from parishioners and entrepreneurs, with financial and organizational support from the city authorities and the Russian Orthodox Church. The restoration work is carried out by the Moscow icon painting group under the guidance of the famous icon painter Alexander Chashkin.
