Saint Nicholas Orthodox church in Almaty, Eastern Orthodox cathedral in Almaty, Kazakhstan
Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church is a seven-domed brick church in Almaty built as a ship-shaped structure with high vaults, a bell tower and azure domes. It was designed by the architect S. K. Troparevsky and consecrated in 1908; the bell tower standing today was rebuilt in 1951 and differs from the original one.
Residents of the south-western part of Verny obtained permission in 1904 to raise funds for a church on Zubov Square. Built from 1906 to a design by S. K. Troparevsky, it was consecrated on 14 December 1908. Closed in February 1936, it housed a museum of atheism, then a stable; returned to believers in 1946, it became the cathedral until 1995.
The church serves the Russian Orthodox community of Almaty, and services are still held in Church Slavonic. Inside, visitors can see a gilded iconostasis that divides the main hall from the altar area.
The cathedral is easy to reach on foot from central Almaty and can be visited any day of the week. Covered shoulders and knees are required inside, and women are expected to cover their heads before entering.
The museum of atheism was installed in the church in 1936, before World War II; during the war the building became a stable, and the basement housed a military penal company. The brickwork of the basement dead-end was riddled with bullet holes when the parish returned in 1946.
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