Among the interesting objects of Almaty stands the Holy Ascension Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church (former Turkestan cathedral) standing in the park named after 28 Panfilov guardsmen.

From the spruce tree (blue Tien Shan spruce!) In 1904-1907. in Almaty, under the project of Pavel Gurd, the architect KA Borisoglebsky and the engineer A.P. Zenkov built a magnificent architectural monument - a wooden cathedral structure that is unparalleled not only in Kazakhstan, but all over the world. Often it is even called by the name of the creator - Zenkovsky.

Even the devastating earthquake of 1911, during which a huge number of city buildings collapsed, and all the other church bells fell bells, it turned out not to be over the wooden church height of 56 m. One of the crosses crowning the dome stands a little crooked - this is the only thing recalls the experience of the earthquake.

Delivered from wooden sections, fastened together with iron bolts, the cathedral is a tall, elegant structure, stretching up to the bell tower, swaying and bending under the weight of bells, like the crown of a tall tree in the wind.

The appearance of the Holy Ascension Cathedral impresses with its colorfulness: five colorful domes with crosses stand proudly above the ground. Equally beautiful is the interior of the cathedral: manuscripts on the walls, painted iconostasis and other decorative complementary, preserved from the beginning of the 20th century.

Soviet time did not spare the cathedral, as well as other church buildings: in 1927, divine services were banned, in 1929 the building housed a museum. When trying to remove from the cathedral crosses one worker could not resist and crashed to death, thanks to which the crosses adorned the tops of the cathedral throughout the era of socialism. But the bells were removed, the biggest 250-pood Blagovest was not found so far.

In the 30s, the first radio station in Kazakhstan was opened on the bell tower of the Ascension Cathedral. Later, the cathedral housed Kazgosmuseum, and the bell tower was used instead of a warehouse. For the first time the cathedral was restored in 1976, and in 1995 it returned to the possession of the Russian Orthodox Church. The walls of the cathedral were decorated with frescoes, the bells returned to the belfry, which every morning announces the neighborhood with its ringing.

The Holy Ascension Cathedral is one of the ten unique wooden monuments of the world, it is recognized as a monument of architecture and history, is included in the state list of monuments of history and culture of national importance. To date, the daily services are held in the temple: after surviving all the trials that fell to his lot at the behest of nature and man, the Holy Ascension Cathedral continues to stand in all its splendor, shining with radiant beauty, symbolizing the unbending strength of spirit and faith.

How to get here

Address: Alma-Ata, Gogol 40 "B" - Park of 28 Guardsmen-Panfilovites.

To get to the park, you need to follow down the street. Lenin Street. Kazybek-Bi.

Tel .: +7 (727) 271-48-59, 273-05-39, e-mail: alexandr@cathedral.kz