Photo: architectural monuments, temples and places of worship, cathedrals and churches, other places, Cathedral of the Assumption, Smolensk

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Cathedral of the Assumption (Uspensky Sobor): Five-tier Iconostasis and Other Shrines

Architectural Monuments • Temples and places of worship • Cathedrals and churches • Other places

The Cathedral of the Assumption, the main temple of Smolensk, tops the high Cathedral Hill (Sobornaya Gora) above the Dnieper. It was built in the late XVIII century on the site of the XII century church. The construction of the Cathedral of the Assumption in the style of the Ukrainian Baroque lasted a century. Three architects successively worked at its architectural appearance.

Worth a look in the Cathedral of the Assumption is an unusual 30-meter carved five-tier iconostasis. It is decorated with gilding, numerous sculptures and is amongst the most grandiose ones in Europe. Its main relic is the miraculous Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God "Hodegetria" of the 17th century. The Cross procession before the legendary battle of Borodino in 1812 took place just with this image. Moreover, the Cathedral of the Assumption keeps the 16th century shroud “The Entombment of Christ”, made by a rare technique of facial sewing in the workshops of Euphrosinia Staritskaya. There is one of the best panoramic platforms of Smolensk behind the Cathedral of the Assumption which offers a picturesque view of the fragments of the fortress wall with towers, old churches and the old Smolensk road.

Cathedral of the Assumption (Uspensky Sobor): Five-tier Iconostasis and Other Shrines

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