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The history of the creation of the Holy Dormition Cathedral
The first mention of the temple, standing at the confluence of Vitba and the Western Dvina, dates back to 1406. And by the beginning of the 15th century, the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared, and the dominant height in the city was called the Assumption Mountain. By that time, the church was restored using stone. Unfortunately, during its life the temple also experienced complete destruction, complete restoration, fire and wars. In 1743 the brick building of the church and monastery was laid. The author of the project was the Italian architect Joseph Fontana. By order of Tsar Paul I, the Assumption Cathedral was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Orthodox. On August 30, 1799, the cathedral was consecrated with a new rite by the Belarusian bishop Anastasy. In 1804, a dome was installed on the cathedral. In 1839, a solemn service took place in the church on the occasion of the return of the Uniates to Orthodoxy. The Vitebsk Theological Seminary operated here at the end of the 19th century. After the events of the 1917 revolution, both institutions - the cathedral and the seminary - were closed. In 1936, one of the buildings was blown up, in 1949 a workshop for a machine tool plant was built on the site of the cathedral. In the early 2000s, the restoration of the temple was laid. Construction work began in June 2000. By the winter of 2004, the builders began to overlap the basement floor in order to avoid the negative impact of winter weather conditions and to maintain the high quality of the work performed. The cathedral was revived through the efforts of the Church and the state. In 2003, the first Divine Liturgy after 1936 took place on the site of a church still under construction. By the end of 2009, bell towers were erected, domes and bells were raised. The temple was consecrated by the Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk Filaret in the service of all bishops of the Belarusian Orthodox Church on September 30, 2011.
Architecture of the Holy Dormition Cathedral
The architectural style in which the temple was made is called the Vilna Baroque. The authors of the project for the reconstruction and restoration of the building are architects I. Rodko and A. Mikhailyukov. The temple consists of three domes of the same height and two vaults. The temple is located on a mountain, at the junction of two rivers, which is a kind of symbol of strength and faith in the adoption of several cultures and unification together.
Church shop of the Holy Dormition Cathedral
There is a church shop at the temple. Its doors are open to parishioners every day from 8 am to 6 pm. There is everything you need to visit the temple and conduct rituals and prayers.
How to get to the Holy Assumption Cathedral
The exact address where the temple is located: Vitebsk, st. Krylova, 9. by car you can get here by GPS coordinates: 55 ° 11'45 ″. 30 ° 12'09.