Description of the attraction
According to the chronicle, Princess Olga saw the construction site of the cathedral in the form of three rays converging to the center in this place. Therefore, the temple was built in honor of the Holy Trinity.
Throughout its history, the Trinity Cathedral was rebuilt 4 times. The first temple (mid-10th century) was wooden and burned down in a fire. The second temple was built on the site of the first. In 1198, the first prince of Pskov, Vsevolod-Gabriel, gave an order to restore the cathedral from the ashes. This time it was made of stone. It is believed that Smolensk architects were invited to build it, since the local school had not yet been formed at that time. The icon of Vsevolod-Gabriel, located near the altar, on which the prince is depicted with a cathedral on his hand, gives an idea of its architecture. Here the great princes and saints prayed: Alexander Nevsky before the Battle of the Ice and his brother, Yaroslav Yaroslavich, Prince Vladimir, as well as Dovmont-Timofey, who was baptized here.
In 1365 the vaults of the cathedral collapsed. The whole church had to be completely rebuilt again. This time the work was carried out by Pskov craftsmen using local limestone. It was consecrated on January 30, 1368. The date was timed to coincide with the anniversary of independence from the Novgorod principality (1348), so the cathedral serves as a kind of monument to this event. This temple had 2 aisles and 3 chapters, inside it was decorated with frescoes, craftsmen often used the techniques of wooden architecture. The architectural image of the third temple had a significant impact on the development of local architecture. It is known that it was a majestic one-domed temple with 25 thrones and 32 roof slopes.
In 1609, there was a massive fire. Inside, almost everything burned down, except for two cancer, which contained the relics of Vsevolod-Gabriel and Dovmont-Timofey. The fire surprisingly did not affect them. The oak cross of Princess Olga also burned down, a copy of which was restored later in 1623.
The last construction took 17 years. It began in 1682 and ended in 1699. The previous temple was taken as a basis, but this cathedral was higher, its height was 72 meters. He had 5 chapters that symbolized Jesus Christ and four Evangelists. In the 17th and 18th centuries there was a burial vault for the bishops of Pskov. This temple was two-storied. Initially, it had 2 side-altars - Alexander Nevsky and Gabriel of Pskov. It was consecrated on April 8, 1703. There was also a chapel of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, destroyed by a fire in 1770. This cathedral has survived to this day.
The carved gilded iconostasis consists of 7 tiers. Its creation dates back to the late 17th - early 18th centuries. The upper rows of icons were added in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
The bell tower, located not far from the cathedral, was built at the same time. For its basis, the fortress tower, which previously stood in its place, was withered. The base was made of stone. It was built by Pskov craftsmen in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The upper wooden part was destroyed by fires in 1770 and 1778. Now it is made of bricks and has a tower clock.
In 1836, a warm Annunciation Cathedral was built, and divine services in the Trinity Cathedral began to take place only in the summer.
On August 22, 1852, the central gilded dome of the cathedral was consecrated, and in 1856 the iconostasis was gilded. At the end of the 19th century, external plastering works were carried out.
After the revolution, most of the cathedral's valuables were seized by the Soviet authorities. On December 15, 1935, it was decided to close the cathedral, and in 1938 an anti-religious museum took over its premises. During World War II, the Germans were allowed to open the cathedral. Since then, it has not been closed again.
Many unique shrines are open for worship in the temple. Here are the icons "Holy Trinity", icons of the Mother of God "Chirskaya" and "Pskovo-Pokrovskaya", the relics of the holy noble princes Vsevolod-Gabriel and Dovmont, the holy fool Nikola Sallos and others.
