Resurrection Cathedral, Starocherkasskaya, Ukrainian Baroque cathedral in Starocherkasskaya, Russia.
Resurrection Cathedral is a nine-domed Cossack Baroque church 49 metres tall, built from 1706 to 1719 by an unknown architect in Starocherkasskaya. A two-tier gallery, the gulbishche, wraps it on three sides, echoing the Cossack kurens of Cherkassk. Inside, a five-tier gilded iconostasis measuring 19 by 23 metres holds 149 mid-18th-century icons painted by the Moscow iconographer Yegor Ivanov Grek.
A wooden cathedral was built in 1650 after the Cossacks vowed to raise one during the Azov siege, and it burned twice in Cherkassk. The stone church was built from 1706 to 1719, despite Peter I's decree banning stone building outside St. Petersburg; the tsar gave money and utensils, and Moscow masters are said to have done the main work. It served as the main shrine of the Don Cossack Host until 1805.
The cathedral's name comes from the Resurrection of Christ, and until 1805 it served as the main shrine of the Don Cossack Host. Inside, the five-tier gilded iconostasis, 19 by 23 metres, holds 149 icons painted in the mid-18th century by the Moscow iconographer Yegor Ivanov Grek. A copper chandelier weighing over 550 kg hangs before the royal doors, said to have been brought from Azov's Forerunner Church in 1643 by Ataman Iosif Petrov.
The cathedral is an active place of worship, so visitors should dress modestly and be respectful during services. It sits near the main square of the stanitsa, making it easy to visit on foot alongside other historical sites in the area.
Heavy iron chains kept near the entrance are said by local tradition to have belonged to Stenka Razin, the Cossack rebel leader who was captured and taken to Moscow in the 17th century. Whether or not this is confirmed, the chains have been part of the site's story for generations.
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