Ascension Military Cathedral. Ascension Cathedral of Novocherkassk: history. Schedule of services Holy Ascension Cathedral Military Cathedral

For a whole century, starting from the mid-19th century, the main spiritual stronghold of the Don Cossacks was the Novocherkassk Ascension Cathedral - one of the largest and most significant in the Rostov region. Today, this religious site still remains a beacon of Orthodoxy for hundreds of thousands of residents of the region and Russia as a whole. The majestic cathedral, by its very appearance, can lift the spirit and strengthen the faith of those who profess Christianity, and for ordinary tourists and travelers it was and remains one of the most important religious attractions on the Don, which is difficult to ignore when exploring the local historical places. It is noteworthy that unique relics have been kept within the walls of the Novocherkassk Cathedral since ancient times: the “Aksai”, “Don” and “Seeking the Dead” icons, which today anyone can look at, regardless of nationality and religion.

Story

The history of the Ascension Cathedral begins in 1805, when its foundation was laid almost simultaneously with the founding of the city of Novocherkassk itself. Full-scale construction of the temple began only 6 years later, according to the design of famous architects - the Ruski brothers, and subsequently - under the leadership of their follower Amvrosimov. Unfortunately, during the construction of the cathedral, the builders suffered one setback after another. First, in 1846, during the installation of the dome, part of the load-bearing wall collapsed, and in 1863, the structure holding the ceiling beams could not withstand the load. The cathedral acquired its final appearance only in 1904, shortly before the Red Revolution. When the Bolsheviks came to power, the temple was looted and lost its gilded domes, and its interior began to be used as food warehouses. Paradoxically, the cathedral was again opened to parishioners during the occupation of Novocherkassk by German troops during the Second World War. Subsequently, the church diocese managed to defend the temple, and it continued its work in the post-war years. A full-scale restoration, which returned the cathedral to its original appearance, was carried out between 2001 and 2005.

Peculiarities

During the construction of the Novocherkassk Ascension Cathedral, elite and expensive facing materials were used, some of which were delivered to Russia from abroad. Just look at the white marble from Italy that lines the floors and steps of the temple. Some of the columns here are also made of marble, but not white, but pink. It was delivered to Russia from France. If you believe history, then at the time of the construction of the cathedral, several large marble workshops were operating in the city, specializing in the manufacture of elements of temple architecture. At the same time, the architects brought their project to life in full accordance with the “high technologies” of those times. We are talking primarily about the Amosov heating system, installed in the basement and heating the cathedral in the cold season. It is noteworthy that in addition to the tomb with the relics of St. John, there are several other burials in the temple. Thus, Ataman M. Platov, Lieutenant General Y. Baklanov and I. Efremov found their last refuge here. These outstanding Cossack military leaders made a huge contribution to the strengthening of the Russian Empire, and it was not for nothing that their names were immortalized in the Novocherkassk Cathedral - the main spiritual center of the Don Cossacks.

How to get there

The Ascension Cathedral is located in the city of Novocherkassk, Rostov region, at the address: Ermak Square, 2. You can get here without any problems either by personal or public transport.

The cathedral is visible for many kilometers around, including from the Aksai and Tuzlov rivers, washing the hill on which Novocherkassk stands. The height of its bell tower reaches 74.7 m, and it ranks seventh in Russia in terms of dome height. The cross that crowns the main dome is inlaid with 80 diamond-cut rock crystal monoliths. Refracting on them, the light shines so brightly that the cathedral began to be called “the second sun of the Don.” The interior decoration of the temple amazes with its splendor. The floors and iconostasis are decorated with French and Italian marble, the walls are painted with frescoes, and the choirs are decorated with paintings telling the history of the local Cossacks. Here are their stories: “Ermak’s preparations for the campaign to Siberia”, “Grant of the Tsar’s banner under Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich in 1614”, “Azov seat in 1641”, “Peter the Great’s preparations for Azov in 1696”, “Laying of the cathedral and the city Novocherkassk by Ataman Platov in 1805", "Meeting of Ataman Platov in 1814 near Novocherkassk", "Presentation of the first prize on May 6, 1887 to the Heir to the Throne Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich."

In the lower church-tomb, consecrated in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, there are sarcophagi made of French and Italian marble. Here lie the remains of the founder of the capital of the Don Cossacks, “Whirlwind Ataman” Matvey Ivanovich Platov (count and cavalry general), the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812, generals Vasily Vasilyevich Orlov-Denisov, Ivan Efremovich Efremov and Pyotr Yakovlevich Baklanov, as well as the ashes of Archbishop John of Don and Novocherkassk (Dobrozrakova). Here - as a symbol of man's eternal meeting with God - there is a spacious baptismal sanctuary. From the basement, 15 m deep, an underground passage leads to the Officers' House (former bishop's house).

The cathedral did not immediately become a majestic monument of history and architecture. It was founded and consecrated on the feast of the Ascension of Christ back in 1805, at the founding of the city. First they built a wooden church. The construction of the stone cathedral Temple of the Don Army in 1811 was carried out according to the design of the Italian architect Aloysius (Luigi) Rusca, who at that time was building many buildings in St. Petersburg. He started work at the request of Matvey Platov. The construction work was first supervised by the architect's brother. Then, after the war with Napoleon, the work of the Ruska brothers was continued by the provincial architect Amvrosimov, military architects Joseph Valpreda and Fomin. And finally, the architect from Simferopol Kolodin, invited by the appointed ataman Kuteynikov through the Ministry of Internal Affairs to investigate the crack that formed under one of the temple windows in 1828. However, the military chancellery found the amount indicated by Kolodin to demolish the walls unaffordable, because by that time 900,000 rubles had already been spent on the construction of the cathedral. Everything was left as is. Therefore, it is not surprising that twice (in 1846 and 1863) when the main dome of the temple was being brought down, the main part of the building collapsed. Moreover, the construction plan drawn up in 1847 by the architect Konstantin Andreevich Ton (the author of the project for the Cathedral of Christ the Savior) also failed. And only in 1900 the cathedral was built, although so far only “in rough drafts” - according to the design of the architect Yashchenko, finalized in 1891, and approved by the highest in 1893. In the summer of 1904, wooden and artistic work was completed, and a marble iconostasis was installed. But due to the fact that Nicholas II did not come to the consecration of the cathedral, only the Intercession Church was opened. The Holy Ascension Military Cathedral opened for services only on May 6, 1905. And, as it turned out, not for long.

Temple in post-revolutionary times

Soon the time of unrest and revolution came, and the temple was closed. In the turbulent 1930s, the gilded copper sheets were removed from the domes, turning the cathedral into a storage facility for fuel and lubricants. During the German occupation (in August 1942), the temple was opened for worship. And after the end of World War II, grain, flour, beer malt, sugar and other food were stored in the spacious basements of the temple. But services were occasionally held in the upper church.

The year 1953 became a saving year for the gradually collapsing building of the Holy Ascension Cathedral. After Stalin's death, the temple came to the attention of historians. Renovation work began here, both internal and façade. In 1974, the building was awarded the title of an architectural monument of local significance, and in 1995 - federal. Large-scale restoration has continued from 2001 to the present day.

But one way or another, after almost a century, the cathedral is again open for worship, services and visits. Everyone can come here, feel the beauty and scale of this unique temple, whose fate was as difficult as the fate of our country at the turn of the era.

Among the most striking works of Russian temple architecture, the Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk occupies a special place. This majestic structure is second in size only to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow and St. Petersburg St. Isaac's Cathedral. Over the years of its existence, it has become a true monument to the Don Cossacks with its difficult and dramatic history.

Foundation of the first cathedral

In 1805, when the city was founded, the Ascension Cathedral of Novocherkassk was immediately founded. However, for a number of reasons, its construction began only six years later, in 1811. The work was carried out under the guidance of the author of the project, a staunch supporter of classicism, Italian architect Aloysius Rusca. In 1818, when the work was not yet completed, the architect left Russia, and his work was continued by our compatriot Amvrosimov.

First temple collapse

But the construction was not destined to be completed successfully. In 1846, during the construction of the main dome, a misfortune occurred - a significant part collapsed. In the blink of an eye, the magnificent building turned into a pile of ruins. Fortunately, there were no casualties, since the day was a holiday and there was no one inside the building.

The incident was reported personally to the Tsar, and a special investigative commission arrived in Novocherkassk, which revealed both errors in the architectural design and gross violations of construction standards, which led to the collapse of the building. In addition, the building materials turned out to be of unacceptably low quality. Obviously, someone got their hands dirty, and forty years of work was wasted.

Second failure

As time passed, work was resumed under the leadership of another architect, I. O. Valprede. He drew up a new project, the implementation of which was subject to the strictest technical control measures. However, evil fate was inexorable. In 1863, at the same stage of work, that is, during the construction of the main dome, the building collapsed in exactly the same way as seventeen years earlier. The not yet completed Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk again lay in ruins.

This time, another commission arriving from the capital considered the cause of the accident to be excessive haste in carrying out the work. However, this was not blamed on Valprede, since he was categorically against the unreasonably fast pace, which he stated more than once in writing, but was forced to submit to pressure from the local city authorities and Cossack atamans.

Start of construction of the third version of the cathedral

But the city cannot live without the temple of God, and in 1891, most of which were Cossacks, decided to begin construction of a new, third version of the cathedral. In this regard, there have been debates for a long time about whether to restore the collapsed building or completely dismantle it and build a new one in its place. The supporters of dismantling won, and by 1882 the construction site was completely cleared of the remains of the previous structure.

The project for the new cathedral was approved two years earlier by Emperor Alexander II. The author of this (already the third) project was the Don military architect A. A. Yashchenko, who had recently been awarded the title of academician. However, he was not able to see his brainchild. In 1893, when the work was at the foundation stage, the architect died suddenly.

The new work manager, I.P. Zlobin, was laying the basement of the building when unexpectedly serious violations in the work were suddenly discovered again. Again, construction was stopped, and again there were investigations and inquiries. The bitter experience of previous failures forced the highest authorities supervising the work to be especially demanding. It is difficult to imagine what consequences could result from yet another irresponsibility of the performers.

Completion of construction work

But finally, in 1901, the Ascension Military Cathedral in Novocherkassk was completed. It was the third largest cathedral in Russia. Its height was 75 meters, and its sides were 62 and 70 meters. At the same time, 5,000 people could attend the service. For the construction of this colossus, a brick factory was specially built, a water supply system was laid, and a power plant was built. In addition, all materials supplied for construction were tested for strength in a laboratory specially equipped for this purpose. When we calculated the total cost of the work performed, it turned out to be a record for those times - 2,000,000 rubles.

Features of the new temple

Particularly noteworthy is the extraordinary beauty of the domes that crowned the Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk. All of them were covered and the main cross, made to special order by craftsmen from Bohemia, was decorated with inlay made from. Memories of the old residents of the city remained, indicating that in clear weather the radiance of the domes and the cross was visible for many kilometers, like a kind of beacon pointing the way to God .

The advanced technical development at that time was the heating and ventilation systems specially designed for the temple and now lost. They acted in such a way that, in addition to creating comfortable conditions for worshipers, they ensured the preservation of the iconostasis and frescoes in their original form. The floor in the temple was made of marble slabs imported from Italy and France. A curious detail of the cathedral's design is the entrance to the chambers of the bishop's house. Nowadays the House of Officers operates here.

The fate of the temple during the period of the atheism

When our country entered a period of atheistic madness, the Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk was not spared from troubles. It was closed in the thirties. Worship services stopped. Crosses and copper sheets covered with gold were removed from its domes. In the cathedral, which amazed everyone with the unearthly beauty of its decoration, the new authorities set up a warehouse for fuel and lubricants.

It was rediscovered by the Germans in August 1942, when Novocherkassk was under occupation. After the liberation of the city by Soviet troops, the temple was not closed, and services were held in it, but all of its vast basements were used as storage facilities. Of course, there could be no talk of carrying out restoration and restoration work at that time.

Restoration of the temple

Fortunately, everything changed with the advent of Perestroika and the democratic reforms associated with it. Throughout the country, believers were given back what had been taken from them during the period of the atheism. Thousands of churches again became the property of the Russian Orthodox Church. Among them is the Ascension Military Cathedral. The city of Novocherkassk allocated funds for large-scale events in which many of the country's leading specialists were involved.

In 2005, Novocherkassk celebrated its bicentennial anniversary. This date also coincided with the centenary of the founding of the temple. A gift to the city from the builders and restorers of the cathedral was the completion of work on restoring the façade of the building. In general, it was returned to its original appearance. In the near future, it is planned to re-cover the domes with gold and recreate a unique cross inlaid with rock crystal.

An original innovation of our days is a system that projects scenes from the Bible onto the walls of the cathedral in the evening. In addition, the lighting of the entire building deserves special attention, giving it a majestic and solemn appearance. Restoration work is currently ongoing in the interior, and soon the temple will be fully restored to its original appearance.

Shrines kept in the cathedral

But the Ascension Cathedral is famous not only for its architectural perfection and rich interior paintings. Novocherkassk, whose history is inextricably linked with the Don Cossacks, has always remained a truly Orthodox city, in which the veneration of miraculous icons and relics of saints was not stopped. So in the city’s cathedral, everyone who comes here can venerate the holy images, glorified by the miracles revealed through them.

These shrines include the icons of the Mother of God: “Donskaya”, “Aksai”, “Life-Giving Spring” and “Seeking the Lost”. In addition, in the temple there is a tomb with the relics of St. John (Dobrozrakov). Many miraculous healings occurred through prayers offered in front of these shrines, which glorified the Ascension Cathedral in Novocherkassk throughout the country. The schedule of services performed in it does not distinguish it from other churches in Russia, but their solemnity and the highest spirituality place the temple and its parables in one of the leading places in Russia. It belongs to him by right.

And in conclusion, we will inform everyone who wants to visit the Ascension Cathedral (Novocherkassk). Address Novocherkassk, pl. Ermaka, 2.

The schedule of services in the church is designed in such a way that morning services (Divine Liturgies) begin at 7.00 am, and evening services at 6.00 pm. All-night vigils are also held at evening services. This is the general order, but there may be some changes each month according to the Church calendar.

The Ascension Military Cathedral in Novocherkassk is the main Orthodox church of the Don Cossacks.

Before its foundation in 1805, the main temple of the Don Army was the Resurrection Cathedral in Cherkassk. Its history is closely intertwined with the history of the Don Cossacks, their traditions and customs.

The Ascension Cathedral was consecrated during the founding of the city of Novocherkassk in 1805, on the divine feast of the Ascension. This event was held in the temporary Church of the Ascension of the Lord. The cathedral stands on a hill from which the beauty of the surrounding areas can be clearly seen.

On October 8, 1809, the temple was consecrated again, as a chapel was built and consecrated in it in honor of the icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria. On October 1, 1811, a permanent military cathedral was built near the temporary temple.

Due to inattention and a mistake, the cathedral was named in honor of Alexander Nevsky, but soon the mistake was corrected, and the temple began to be called Voznesensky again.

The Ascension Military Cathedral in Novocherkassk was built according to the designs of several architects. On October 1, 1811, the architect was Aloysius Ruska, but after the Ruska brothers left Russia, another architect, Amvrosimov, took over the construction. In 1863, I.O. Valprede began construction. The third project of the cathedral was developed by academician of architecture A.A. Yashchenko. On March 24, 1891 the project was officially approved. The construction of the temple was completed by 1904, and the building was opened in 1905.

Initially, the domes of the Novocherkassk Ascension Cathedral were covered with red gold, and the main cross was made of crystal. In Soviet times, the covering of the domes was removed, they were supposed to be replaced by layers of iron, but for a long time the covering was not repaired, so the cathedral was exposed to natural disasters: snowfalls, rains. The heating system was also damaged.

In 1934, the Ascension Cathedral was closed. Its building was used as a warehouse.

In 1942, the cathedral was opened at the request of the Cossacks to conduct religious services.

After the war, grain, sugar, flour, food and various materials were stored in the Ascension Cathedral, but church services continued to take place upstairs.

Thanks to Leningrad artists, restoration work was carried out in the cathedral.

In 1960, due to the threat of anti-religious propaganda, a dilemma arose regarding the closure of the cathedral, but it was never closed.

In 1980, the question arose about covering the domes with gold leaf, but only some of the outer crosses were gilded, since there were not enough funds for this undertaking.

In 1990, Professor Yu. Murzenko and a group of scientists conducted a survey of the condition of the Ascension Cathedral and found out that the foundation of the cathedral could sag, which would lead to a violation of the position of the temple.

Since 2000, funds began to be allocated for the restoration of the cathedral. In 2001, large-scale work was carried out to restore the painting.

On September 10, 2005, the illumination of the Ascension Military Cathedral was turned on.

On April 20, 2014, Metropolitan Mercury of Rostov and Novocherkassk read out the decree of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' on assigning the status of Patriarchal to the Ascension Cathedral of Novocherkassk and naming it the Patriarchal Ascension All-Cossack Cathedral.

The Ascension Cathedral of Novocherkassk is the second Patriarchal Cathedral in Russia. Until this time, the only patriarchal cathedral was the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

Currently, restoration work is underway to restore the original state of the Ascension Military Cathedral in Novocherkassk.

With the departure of I. I. Russko, the building was examined by a commission, which recognized the construction as strong and made a prediction that with the replacement of soft seaside stone with hard “Grushevsky” stone, the strength of the cathedral would only increase. Military architect M.A. Amvrosimov made his contribution to the strengthening of the cathedral, replacing Russko as the designer of the work. At his suggestion, the master contractor, constable Sheikin, replaced the wooden frames in the windows and doors of the cathedral with iron bars. By the year the building had been erected to a height of 7 fathoms and work stopped again.

Meanwhile, in the nearby temporary wooden cathedral church-chapel, a wooden bell tower was built, to which the tower clock was moved from the Starocherkassky Resurrection (former military) Cathedral. The supporting pillars of the Ascension Church, due to their disrepair, were replaced with new ones this year, and the wooden roof was covered. In the same year, a wooden guardhouse was built at the wooden cathedral. In the same year, it was decided to repair the temple at a cost of 6,357 rubles. 90 kopecks, which was done.

Work on the second project

The new plan of the cathedral, drawn up by K. A. Ton, was approved by the Highest on January 4 of the year. The walls were supposed to be built from well-burnt and processed bricks. According to Ton's plan, military architect I. O. Valpreda drew up an estimate for more than a million rubles. The Emperor demanded to design a temple smaller in size and cost, which would be “affordable” to the Don Army. Then Valpreda designed a cathedral with five chapels, 38.5 fathoms long, 33 fathoms high, and with a bell tower 39.3 fathoms high. The cost was estimated at 640 thousand rubles. The new project assumed a three-part structure of the building - a temple, a vestibule and a bell tower. The main dome was supposed to have, as in the first version, a bulbous shape, and the bell tower was designed to be tent-shaped. Valpreda's project was approved by the Highest on April 16 of the year, and Ton's project was used in the construction of the Rostov-on-Don Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

In those same years, a major reconstruction of the temporary wooden cathedral was carried out. In the year the work began, and the rededication followed in the year. The new building of the temporary cathedral was covered with planks and covered with sheet iron, and a military clock was installed on the cathedral. In the renewed cathedral, as in the previous one, two altars were installed: the main one in honor of the Ascension of the Lord, consecrated on May 11 of the year by Archbishop John of Donskoy, and the chapel in honor of the icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria, consecrated on June 12 of the same year by Archpriest S. Saltykov. At the wooden cathedral in these years there were two wooden bell towers - one cut from beams, on which several small bells hung, and the other on pillars, where one large ancient bell hung. In the year, at the expense of the wife of the ataman, Ekaterina Mikhailovna Khomutova, and other benefactors, a third northern chapel in honor of the Resurrection of Christ was added to the wooden cathedral, consecrated by Archbishop John of Donskoy on August 16 of the same year.

Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich took part in the re-laying of the stone cathedral on November 2, and Archbishop John of Donskoy performed the consecration of the construction site. The construction estimate was approved this year, and work began this year. Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai Rubashkin supplied the bricks under the contract, and the work, according to the contract, was carried out by retired lieutenant Sadomtsev. This year, doubts arose about the strength of the cathedral under construction due to the insufficient quality of the Rubashkin bricks laid in the foundation and walls. In this regard, the contract for the supply of bricks and stone was given to the same Sadomtsev, who brought the stone from Belaya Kalitva and from the shore of the Sea of ​​Azov. Concerns about its strength prompted a series of surveys, after which work was suspended for up to a year. Then construction began again. The work was almost completed when, at midnight from July 10 to 11, the main dome collapsed inside the cathedral and carried away part of one of the small domes and 5 side vaults.

The commission did not find any obvious preliminary violations or damage, noting that “the work was carried out carefully, skillfully and prudently.” The only reason for the collapse was seen in the hasty installation of the drum of the main dome. The architect Valpreda was tasked with completing the cathedral with a new dome in two years.

The cathedral's scaffolding was restored, a temporary wooden roof was installed, and work stopped again. After developing the estimate, on January 15, 2010, tenders were announced for completion, but no one showed up. Only this year was an estimate developed that satisfied the emperor, and he signed it on August 1 of that year. Work on the completion began in the year, but due to lack of funds it was carried out sluggishly, only on the bell tower. In August, both bell towers at the temporary wooden cathedral were dismantled, and the bells were moved to the permanent bell tower under construction. In those same years, at the initiative of the ataman, the expensive commission for the completion of the cathedral was abolished, and the architect Valpred was removed from the work. In subsequent years, the cathedral was again examined by commissions, and the architect A. A. Yashchenko developed his own project for completion. On April 20, this project was sent for approval to the directorate of irregular troops. However, the engineering committee recognized it as possible in the summer of the year " leave the presented project without consequences and, instead of the proposed completion of the cathedral, build a new cathedral in Novocherkassk according to a different project in a newly chosen place, and adapt the unfinished building for any needs of the city or the Don Army" .

Despite this decision, another attempt was made to complete the second version of the cathedral. It was undertaken by the honorary citizen of Novocherkassk, merchant Cossack Semyon Nikolaevich Koshkin. On January 4 of the year, he submitted a memo to the ataman with a proposal to complete the construction of the cathedral at his own expense. But architect Yashchenko criticized his proposal to install a light temporary wooden dome over the building, on which about 3.5 million rubles had already been spent. After a request from the War Ministry, architect Yashchenko submitted a new design for the cathedral, which was estimated at 624 thousand rubles, and dismantling the old one - another 100 thousand rubles. In this regard, the Military Council decided to dismantle the cathedral at the expense of the military capital of the Don Army, and Emperor Alexander III approved this decision on May 17 of the year. On August 27, the auction for dismantling in Novocherkassk was won by the merchant Cossack N.I. Limarev, who by October of the year had dismantled the old cathedral for 70 thousand rubles.

During the years of unsuccessful attempts to resolve the issue of completing the second version of the stone cathedral, work on maintaining a temporary wooden military cathedral nearby was revived. This year, a brick bell tower was built near the wooden cathedral, built from material from the collapsed 2nd version of the stone Ascension Cathedral. From year to year, the wooden cathedral building was rebuilt several times. The main altar, chapels and vestibules were significantly expanded, and the southern chapel was abolished and turned into a sacristy. However, in the year the southern chapel was restored and on August 15 it was consecrated by Bishop John of Aksai. During these years, the wooden cathedral was covered with sheet iron painted green. The temple had six exits. Seven domes with iron six-pointed crosses rose above the cathedral. The crosses and domes were gilded. The walls of the cathedral are painted with “blanch paint” (i.e. flesh-colored). Inside, the Ascension Church, except for the eastern part, the main altar, the vestibule, chapels and the sacristy, was lined with planks, covered with canvas, and painted with blue and white paint. Four oak pillars supported the dome of the cathedral. Choirs were built above the western gates. But the wooden cathedral quickly deteriorated, was small in space, and did not have a church fence.

Work on the third project

The project of the third version of the cathedral, drawn up by the architect A. A. Yashchenko, was approved by the Highest on March 24 of the year. At the same time, a construction commission was established, and the Military Council decided to finance the construction of the cathedral from the general military capital with extra-budgetary loans. In August of the same year, under the supervision of the first builder, architect Yashchenko, work began on laying the foundation, for which the old one was dismantled and the foundation pit was deepened. At the same time, auxiliary buildings were erected on the cathedral square.

During the First World War, services were often held in the cathedral with requests to God to grant victory to Russian weapons and health to Russian soldiers; Many Cossack units left the cathedral square for the front after the prayer service; the bodies of the fallen Cossacks were returned to the cathedral; from here they were sent in coffins to the city cemeteries.

During the Civil War, the elected atamans of the Don Army - Alexey Maksimovich Kaledin and Alexey Mikhailovich Nazarov - received blessings for their labors in the cathedral. That year, revolutionaries shot through the dome of the cathedral from a sailor train. Soon after the Reds captured the city, Red Guards appeared in the cathedral demanding to see the bell tower, where, according to their information, the Cossacks allegedly hid a machine gun. The Red Guards did not find the machine gun in hats, with guns at their advantage... they entered the temple, entered the altar, with bayonets they tore off the vestments from the thrones of the main altar and in the first aisle, lifted and damaged the marble plaque of the main altar: “they were looking for the Cossacks”...". In the summer of the year, on the square near the cathedral there was a review of the combat units of the young Don Army, formed by Ataman P. N. Krasnov to fight the Bolsheviks. Here on September 16 of that year, after a prayer service in the Donskoy Cathedral, Ataman Krasnov took an oath of allegiance to the service of the Don Army. In In the cathedral at the beginning of February of the year, prayers of gratitude were said in honor of the new Don Ataman A.P. Bogaevsky. In February-March and April of that year, many people who died from cholera were buried in the cathedral; prayers were offered more than once for the granting of victory to the Don Army over the Red Army.

At the beginning of the year, Novocherkassk was occupied by the Red Army. In the first years of Soviet power, the cathedral functioned as before, but the new city authorities declared the cathedral an instrument of hostile White Cossack propaganda, a center of “priestly obscurantism,” and ballast on the path of socialist construction; active propaganda was carried out to denigrate those attending the cathedral and to separate the people from the Church. The number of visitors to the cathedral began to fall sharply, and problems with its maintenance began to increase sharply. A big blow for the cathedral was the theft from the temple of icons, church utensils and jewelry worth more than 2 million rubles. The thieves were not found, and the cathedral could not find funds to compensate for the damage. Soon, most of the cathedral's priests and clergy who remained after the Civil War were arrested and kept in the basements of the District and city Cheka on Aleksandrovskaya Street; a large group - including the former cathedral archpriest, holy martyr Zakharia Lobov - were exiled to Solovki, where many ended their earthly life.

When the process of collecting non-ferrous and precious metals for the needs of collectivization and industrialization began, a note appeared in the local newspaper that year that " roof b. city ​​cathedral is being removed to use copper and other non-ferrous metals, the new roof will be made of iron". The sheets of gilded copper were removed, but the iron sheets were not installed for several years for various reasons. The cathedral was closed. For a long time it was exposed to the elements of nature - it was flooded with rain, covered with snow, scorched by the scorching sun, etc. At first, kerosene was stored in the basements of the cathedral, and then grain for the malt (brewery) plant. Probably during this period, and possibly earlier, the sarcophagi in the cathedral tomb were opened and desecrated.

In the first days of the occupation of Novocherkassk by German invaders in the summer of the year, at the request of the city Cossacks, the cathedral was opened for worship. In the post-war years, grain, sugar, flour, and other products and materials were stored in the basements of the cathedral, but church services were held upstairs. This year, the fountain in the cathedral square, in which water had previously been blessed, was dismantled. In the 1950s, with great difficulty, it was possible to carry out pictorial restoration work with the help of Leningrad artists. Due to the lack of sufficient funds, bronze paint replaced the former decorative gold leaf.

In the 1960s, the threat of closing the cathedral again loomed due to increased anti-religious propaganda, but the cathedral survived. Among the clergy of the cathedral in the 1970s and 80s, various kinds of complaints arose more than once about the incorrect actions of individual priests, deacons, and elders - quite a few of the latter were replaced. At the end of the 1970s, steps were taken towards external restoration, but there were not enough funds and only the “front” part of the western facade was plastered and painted with orange-yellowish paint. The work was carried out by "masters" who turned up from the street - "shabai" - and not by expensive restoration workshops, so attempts to at least partially restore the crumbling interior painting yielded sad results.

Under Soviet rule, the drainage system that drained subsoil water from the cathedral towards the railway station along the former Kreshchensky (then Krasny) descent was disrupted, so the southern part of the cathedral’s basement began to be flooded. Many attempts to pump it out did not produce serious results, and according to authoritative scientists, it was better not to touch the existing water balance and not to pump out the water, since in its absence the destructive processes in the lower part of the cathedral could become irreversible.

Revival in modern times

Since the mid-1980s, the issue of possibly covering the domes and crosses of the cathedral with gold leaf began to be discussed. In this regard, serious steps were taken to update the coverage, but since... There were no funds for gilding; only some external crosses were gilded.

With the process of revival of the Cossacks, which began on the Don in the year, the cathedral more than once became the focus of various kinds of military ceremonies. Since the autumn of the year, little by little they began to restore the lower basement of the cathedral, where the tomb of the great people of the Don is located. After the opening of the desecrated remains on March 1 of the year, the tomb was put in order, after which a ceremonial reburial followed on May 15 of the year. The next day, May 16, the clergy of the cathedral participated in the opening ceremony of the monument to the founder of the city, Ataman Matvey Ivanovich Platov, recreated and installed on the previous pedestal near the cathedral.