Cathedral of the Epiphany, Eastern Orthodox cathedral in Tomsk, Russia.
The Cathedral of the Epiphany is a two-storey Baroque brick cathedral in Tomsk, built from 1777 and consecrated in its lower part in 1784. The lower floor holds the Epiphany altar and the Chapel of the Archangel Michael, while the upper floor holds the Ilyinsky and Spassky chapels. Its bell tower lost its octagonal top and domes in the 20th century and regained them during the restoration begun in 1997.
A wooden church stood here from 1630 and became a cathedral in 1666 when the Tomsk eparchy was created. The present two-storey stone building was begun in 1777; its lower floor was consecrated in 1784. On 6 August 1804 the first governor, V. S. Khvostov, chose this church to announce the opening of Tomsk Governorate.
The cathedral serves as the metropolitan church of the Tomsk eparchy and functions as a spiritual center for the Orthodox community in the region. Visitors can observe religious practices and the active devotional life of worshippers during services.
The cathedral is easy to locate on Lenin Square in the heart of Tomsk and features distinctive neoclassical architecture that stands out clearly. Visitors should be aware that access may be limited during active services, so timing your visit is worth considering.
The cathedral's greatest relic is a copy of the Trinity icon that Tsar Boris Godunov gave to the Cossacks in 1604 when they founded the Tomsk fortress. The original was lost in Soviet times; specialists from the Grabar centre reproduced it down to the cracks and nail marks, and it was placed in the cathedral on 14 June 2003 before the city's 400th anniversary.
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