The Churches of Kyakhta

During blossoming of the town of Kyakhta, Kyakhtinsky merchants and citizens sponsored the building of some churches, which distinguished in rich and magnificent architecture and inner decorations. The merchant class generously endowed on the support of churches, ordering here prayers in honour of successful trade and other events.

In total 4 churches were erected in the city of Troitskosavsk – Kyakhta: the Troitsky cathedral, the Vоskresensky cathedral, and two Uspenskie - a wooden and a stone one. Some churches were constructed in the villages near Kyakhta. Buildings of churches are objects for tourists’ excursions, which cause permanent high interest among them. The majority of churches nowadays require restoration.

The Troitsky cathedral. The first wooden temple with pridel (attachment) in honour of St. Savva Serbian was constructed in the centre of Troiskosavsk and consecrated in 1728. On means of Kyakhtinsky merchant class in 1812-1817 in style of Russian classicism, a stone Troitsky cathedral was erected, in honour of Zhivonachalnaya (initially alive) Trinity with pridels (attachments) in honor of Christmas of the Bogoroditsa (God’s mother) and apostles Peter and Paul. For a long time it remained the largest church building of Zabaikalye.

The light penetrated to the main temple and pridels through three-parted windows. From the south and the north the temple part had the additional entrances decorated with small six-collumned porticoes with frontones and high porches made of grey stone. The total height of the temple (up to the top of the cross) is 30 m. The monumental tiered bell tower, 37,7 m high, had eight bells, with total weight of 509 puds. The clock was established in the bell tower with faces “to two sides, to the east and to the west, and with a clock bell of 45 puds”. The temple and the bell tower were crowned with the gilt crosses having chains and crowns.

In 1870 the second floor was constructed above the warm attachments of the cathedral, it had two more warm attachments and also the annex for a ladder conducting to the second floor. In 1890-s two pavilions were built, which closed a semicircular square in front of the cathedral. Its interiors were decorated with icons, kiots and other subjects of church furniture, bought in great number due to generous endowments of merchants. The cathedral was surrounded with a fencing from stone columns on a socle and metal lattices. The sides of the fencing were finished by one-storeyed wings of service assignment.

The cathedral is known for the copy of a wonder-made icon of God’s Mother “Spodruchnitsa ( a voucher) of all sinfuls”, kept here since 1854, which weeped with mirrha and possessed curative power. It was endowed to the temple by a Moscow retired lieutenant-colonel D.N.Boncheskul, who wrote in his letter that he had a vision of a large flame above the Troitsky cathedral. Many ill people came to this icon to ask for healing. “The Description of miracles and healings from the icon of God’s Mother Spodruchnitsa of all guilty” is kept in the cathedral. One of the recovered people was the son of a merchant J.A. Nemchinov, named Andrey, in honour of this healing Nemchinov built in the cathedral the temple of Spodruchnitsa. In 1934 the cathedral was closed and used for needs of culture. The pendulum of Fuko and the exposition of the museum were established in it.

In 1963 a wooden dome, choruses, the floor of the temple, a roof and partly vaulted overlappings of the second floor burnt during the fire. The major part of the fencing and one of the wings also were lost in the course of time.

In 1997 the building of the cathedral was transferred to Russian Orthodox Church, it was fenced by the parish of the Uspenskaya church. Means, sufficient for the restoration of the temple, now the parish of the church doesn’t have, therefore, the most part of the building has not been restored and gradually collapses.

The Voskresenskaya cathedral. The first wooden temple was constructed in 1727. In June, 1830 in the sloboda of Kyakhta was founded the stone temple in honour of Resurrection of Christ with two warm attachments in honour of Kazan God’s Mother, Saint and Wonder-maker, Nikolay. Its project was made by a Moscow architect Grigory Gerasimov, and Italian masters took part in its constructoion.

The church was built on means of “aksidentsia” and also due to rich donations. The initial cost of the building was 600 thousand roubles, but real expenses considerably exceeded this sum. As the contemporaries spoke of it “ there was hardly another temple in Siberia that will be equal to it on inner grandeur and riches’. It was called “Congealed music in the stone”.

Especially prominent was the so-called “a cold Pridel” with its unique crystal iconostasis in bronze, silver imperial gate, painting of icons, a silver throne and an altar, the precious gospel and a huge silver church chandelier, spotted with color stones. A luxurious iconostasis of the temple was made in style of Westminster Abbey in London, in the Moscow factory of Poltavtsev. The part of icons for it was made in 1847-1848 by the artist E.Reyhel. The painter - decembrist N.A. Bestuzhev took part in renewing and restoration of icons of this cathedral in 1854.

The Voznesenskaya church is an outstanding sample of architecture of Russian classicism. The main temple having in the plan a square, was topped with a dome which drum had a diameter in five sazhens. The premises bordering the temple were joined to it with wide arches. The central part of the temple from southern, eastern and northern facades was framed with six-columned porticoes of Doric order and from the western side it included winter pridels (attachments) and a four-tiered bell tower. The height of the bell tower up to the top of the cross was 42,6 m, and the weight of the main bell was 562 puds. All the interiors of the church were carefully planned.

Especially solemn was the main temple dismembered on height by eaves with decorated arms and medallions, modelled ornaments, small heads of angels, sockets (modelled works were carried out by petty bourgeois Prasolov). The territpry of the Voznesenskaya church was enclosed with a fencing from stone columns on a socle and cast-ironed lattices (the construction of the fencing was also made under the management of Prasolov in the second half of 1840-s). The church fencing was completed with two small one-storeyed wings. In the end of XIX century inside the fencing from the southern side a chapel – crypt was built. The windows of the church were covered with forged lattices, and domes were covered with white iron. However, in the course of time the tops of the domes, a wooden spike of the bell tower, the fencing, stucco moulding of the main temple and one of wings were lost.

The church was closed was in 30-s years of XX century, the warehouse of Spetstorg (Special trade) was located in it. From 1970 till 1990 the restoration works were carried out in the building, after that, it was supposed to open here the Museum of History of the Russian geographical discoveries in Central Asia. But it didn’t come true.

In 1996 the cathedral was transferred to Russian Orthodox Church. The parishioners of the Uspenskaya church cleaned it from rubbish, repaired the Kazan pridel where now the prayers are conducted. The parish doesn’t have means, sufficient for restoration of the cathedral, therefore, the most part of the building is not restored and gradually collapses.

The Uspenskaya church. In 1727 on the southern outskirt of Troitskosavsk, next to the town cemetery (nowadays it does not exist), the wooden Uspenskaya church was constructed. It had been restored in 1836 and existed until 1942. As L.K. Minert wrote in his book, it was constructed in style of the Moscow classicism.

The expressiveness of the refined construction was strengthened with courageous application of color: dark red walls contrasted with white architectural details. The church was destroyed by fire, thus the large picturesque work of the Decembrist N.Bestuzhev was lost. The remains of the church were disassembled on fire wood.

In 1884-1888 due to financial means of kyakhtinsky merchant of the first guild, a millionaire - Y.A.Nemchinov near the wooden church, the stone Uspenskaya church was erected. The stone Uspenskaya church is a monument of Russian cult architecture of the second half of the XIX century, which combines the elements of the Russian-Byzantian style and Russian classicism. The church is one-domed, crosswised in the plan. The basic architectural elements of its facades are massive pilasters of Toscan order and precise horizontals of antablement, framing the building on the whole perimeter. The octagonal drum of the central dome is completed with a pyramidal tent with an onion-shaped small dome and an eight-ended cross. The sides of the drum are cut with the arch apertures. The round windows-lyukarny are cut into the tent. The bell tower is decorated in the similar way.

The height of the church up to the beginning of the drum is 10,24 m, the internal diameter of the drum is 8,30 m, the area of the floor of the church is 336 m. The church was closed in 1938 and used as a warehouse of Voentorg (the Military trade). In 1945 the church was returned to parishioners, but in 1962 it was closed again and used as a sports gymnasium, in 1974 it was transferred to the branch of the Art museum after Ts.Sampilov, the department of painting and applied arts. Since 1982 the Museum of national art creativity of Zabaikalye was located here. In 1989 the church was transferred to parishioners, in 1994 the parish was registered and religious services began. Now the church is the only church working in the town.

The Kyakhtinskaya regiment church. It was built in 1910 on the territory of a military town near the Red barracks. Now it does not work.

The Malo-Kudarinskaya Pokrovskaya church. It was constructed in 1824. Now it does not work.

The Tamirskaya Petro-Pavlovskaya church. It was constructed in 1875. Now it does not work.

The Troitskosavskaya Pokrovskaya. Built in 1861-1867 . It was disassembled.

The Ust-Kiranskaya Preobrazhenskaya. Built in 1863. It has not preserved.

The Ust-Kiranskaya Bogoroditse-Tikhvinskaya. The wooden building was constructed in 1775, then the stone one was reconstructed in 1782. Now the building of stone church has been preserved, but is not used.