One of the most famous cathedrals and temples in Kazan - Epiphany Cathedral is known far beyond the borders of Tatarstan. Under its vaults, the singer Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin was baptized and the famous ethnographer and missionary Evfimiy Aleksandrovich Malov conducted services. The cathedral and the bell tower are part of the history of the city, an architectural decoration of Kazan and an attraction that tourists come to see.
Temple history
In 1552, the troops under the leadership of the Russian Tsar John IV the Terrible conquered the Kazan Khanate. After that, the inhabitants of the capital, Kazan, began to convert to the Christian faith, and the first Orthodox churches appeared in the city.
General view of the Epiphany Cathedral and the bell tower
At the end of the 16th century, in the center of Kazan, on the site of the Prolomnye gates destroyed during the siege, there was a wooden Epiphany church. People settled around it, and the Epiphany settlement gradually grew. At the beginning of the 18th century, there were so many believers that a small warm church was built at the main cathedral in honor of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called.
Almost no information about the construction of the stone temple has survived. It is known that wealthy merchants Sergei Alexandrovich Chernov and Ivan Afanasyevich Mikhlyaev allocated money for it. The foundation stone of the cathedral began in the 1730s, but in 1741 a devastating fire broke out in Kazan, which completely destroyed the works of the builders.
Epiphany Cathedral and bell tower from a bird's eye view
In 1756, a stone church with a refectory and a high bell tower were completed and consecrated. At the end of the 18th century, the architectural complex included the main temple, the warm St. Andrew's Church on the north side, a small tent-roofed bell tower and the house where the priest lived. In addition, another building belonged to the cathedral, the facades of which overlooked Bolshaya Prolomnaya Street.
The Epiphany Church had the largest parish in the city. In addition to ordinary residents of Kazan, aristocrats and wealthy merchants went to this church. In 1873, the future great singer Fyodor Chaliapin was baptized here. As a teenager, he sang in the church choir several times.
View of the Epiphany Cathedral from the bell tower
In 1892, after the death of the merchant of the 1st guild, Ivan Semenovich Krivonosov, according to his will, the heirs transferred the money for the new bell tower. A competition of architectural projects was held in the city, and the commission chose the design of a 32 sazhen high bell tower.
In the late autumn of 1893, a rubble foundation was laid, and at the end of the summer of 1897, amazed residents of Kazan saw a real miracle. The new bell tower of 2 million bricks was the tallest building in the city.
View of the southeastern facade of the Epiphany Cathedral
At first, old bells were hung on it. In 1900, another bell weighing 526 pounds and a gilded cross weighing 17 pounds were raised up. On this occasion, a great celebration was organized in the city. The traffic on Prolomnaya Street was blocked, it was filled with people. The old hipped-roof bell tower stood until 1909, and then it was dismantled.
The history of the Epiphany Church has not been without incidents! In 1901, during a severe thunderstorm, lightning struck the high bell tower. Part of the wall was destroyed, and fragments of bricks covered the stairs and the nearby street. Two columns broke inside. The sparks ignited the wooden ceiling of the third tier and the beams under the largest bell, but the fire was quickly extinguished. The following year, a lightning rod was installed on the bell tower.
View of the Epiphany Cathedral from the rear
In 1920-1935 the Epiphany Church was the cathedral of Kazan, then it was closed. The vacated areas were converted into a warehouse, and workshops and shops were placed in the bell tower.
In the 1930s, when the Soviet government was actively fighting religion, the city authorities demolished the ancient church of St. Andrew the First-Called. A menagerie was organized in the vacant place, and later a five-story residential building appeared here.
They also wanted to blow up the bell tower, but it survived, thanks to the calculations of the engineers. Experts calculated that during the explosion, the high tower would fall flat and destroy nearby houses, so the Epiphany bell tower was not touched.
View of the bell tower of the Epiphany Cathedral
In the 1950s, a gym was set up in the former cathedral, where students from the local university trained. The building was badly disfigured. All the chapters were brought in from the temple, and the murals were covered with a layer of plaster. In the 1960s and 1970s, the situation changed. The ancient cathedral received the status of an architectural monument, so the high bell tower was repaired.
In 1996, the cathedral was finally returned to the faithful. By this time, only one central drum remained on it. During the restoration work, all five chapters appeared on the temple.
View of the arch in the cathedral bell tower
The bell tower remained a museum object. It is used for the exhibition of works of ancient Russian art. In 2001, a chamber hall was equipped inside the building of the bell tower, which bears the name of Fyodor Chaliapin.
Architectural features of the church
An old blue and white temple stands in the back of the courtyard. It was built and decorated in the Russian Baroque tradition. A large refectory adjoins the cuboid volume, and five gilded onion domes rise above.
Monument to F.I. Chaliapin against the background of the Epiphany Cathedral
Bell tower
It is not known who is the author of the architectural project of the Epiphany bell tower. Some call Heinrich Bernardovich Rusch, while others call the construction manager Mikhail Mikhailov. The Kazan archives contain documents about the litigation between two architects for authorship. Anyway, the building turned out great!
The brick bell tower was built on the red line of the pedestrian street Bauman (formerly Prolomnaya) and is visible from everywhere. The slender tower rises to 74 m. The multi-tiered vertical is the high-rise dominant of the historical part of the city. Kazan cannot be imagined without the Epiphany bell tower, as Paris - without Eiffel tower, but London - without Big ben!
The design is made in a pseudo-Russian style. The elegant building is decorated with curved bricks, arcature belts, keeled kokoshniks and sadrikas. Old Russian motifs are organically combined with geometric shapes that were in vogue in the late 19th - early 20th centuries.
The lower part of the building is a powerful two-story quadrangle with neat tents, turrets and petal domes. On the first tier there is an arched passage through which you can go to the Epiphany Church. During the years of Soviet power, this arch was laid with bricks.
Above the four there is a beautifully decorated octagon. Two tiers of bells are cut through with expressive arched openings, and at the very top there is a faceted drum with a tin-plated steel head.
Fragment of the bell tower of the Epiphany Cathedral
Interiors and shrines
Due to the fact that for many decades the old temple was used for other purposes, its original interiors have not survived. The walls are covered with white plaster and have no paintings. Inside you can see a new three-tiered iconostasis.
Useful information for pilgrims and tourists
The doors of the cathedral are open to everyone from 8:00 to 17:00. The entrance to the temple is free. On Sundays, the building hosts Sunday school classes. Services are held daily at 8:00 and 17:00.
View of the bell tower of the Epiphany Cathedral from Bauman Street
There is an observation deck on the bell tower, from where the entire historical center of Kazan is perfectly visible. From above you can admire the golden domes of the Epiphany Cathedral, Tukay Square, beautiful streets, ancient buildings and mosques. The observation deck is open any day from 10:00 to 19:00, with a break from 12:00 to 13:00. The wooden stairs that lead upstairs are pretty rotten, so now not everyone is allowed to the observation deck (2020).
The temple and the bell tower are beautiful during the day and in the rays of the evening illumination. Near the cathedral there is a monument to Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin. The author of the bronze monument, sculptor A.V. Balashov, portrayed the great singer in 1922, when he was leaving Kazan and bidding farewell to his hometown.
The interior of the Epiphany Cathedral
How to get there
The cathedral is located at 78 Bauman Street. It is easy to walk to the temple from the metro stations "Kremlin" and "Ploshchad Gabdulla Tukay".
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