Church architecture and its role in the sociocultural environment of Kolyvan

This article examines the role of church architecture in the sociocultural environment of the Siberian city of Kolyvan in the second half of the 19th century. Although Kolyvan had the status of a provincial town, several temples of exceptional artistic value were built there in this period. The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, started in 1861 and consecrated in 1867, became the first church in the city. Two sanctuaries were added and consecrated later, in 1876. The second church, dedicated to Saint Grand Prince Alexander Nevsky, was started in 1882 and consecrated in 1887. The third and final pre-revolutionary church was the Protection of the Holy Virgin Church, consecrated in 1890. The appearance of the temples reflected new stylistic directions in Siberian culture. All three churches were designed in an eclectic architectural style with elements and techniques of the Russian-Byzantine style. In addition, designs of these churches were connected with academicians of architecture K.A. Thon, Ya.M. Nabalov and N.I. Shenfeld. The construction of the churches was connected with the socioeconomic development of Kolyvan. The merchant class of the city was actively involved in the building of the churches, as Kolyvan held a significant position in the economy of Siberia. A number of prominent entrepreneurs such as K.K. and F.K. Krivtsov, E.A. Zhernakov and the Mokhovs came from this city. While the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, the first church of Kolyvan, was built at the expense of parishioners, the construction of additional sanctuaries and two new churches was financed by well-known Kolyvan merchants K.K. Krivtsov and G.I. Pastukhov. In the 1930s all Kolyvan churches were closed, and their buildings were used for other purposes. The appearance of the churches was significantly altered later. The upper parts of the Holy Trinity Cathedral and the St. Alexander Nevsky Church were destroyed, and the Protection of the Holy Virgin Church was demolished completely. The St. Alexander Nevsky Church was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1989. Between 1990 and 1992 the building was renovated at the expense of the Novosibirsk diocese. The restoration of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, also transferred to the Novosibirsk diocese, was started in 2011. The recreation of the appearance of this temple, as well as of two others, must be carried out after comprehensive research, design and restoration works. The article also determines the historical and cultural value of the city churches as objects of cultural heritage.

Keywords

Authors

References