The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Olšany Cemetery in Prague, located in the Žižkov district, is an Orthodox church. Its construction began on September 11, 1924, with the blessing of Bishop Sergey (Korolev). The project, in the neo-Russian style, was developed by Professor V. A. Brandt with the assistance of architecture students N. P. Pashkovsky and Baron S. G. Klotz.
The initiative for the construction came from the "Assumption Brotherhood." Significant support was provided by the first Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia, Karel Kramář, and his wife, Nadezhda Nikolaevna, née Khudova. In addition to personal contributions, Kramář organized the collection of nearly 80% of the necessary funds. Substantial financial assistance was also provided by Archpriest M. Crvchanin on behalf of the Serbian people, which allowed for the construction of a small but expressive church instead of a chapel.
Engineers A. M. Mirkovich, S. A. Velichkin, and P. P. Nakhodkin voluntarily took on the administrative and technical support of the construction. Students and representatives from various social strata participated in the work. Five bells were donated by Alexander I Karađorđević, Kramář's wife, Russian émigrés in Czechoslovakia, Metropolitan Evlogy (Georgievsky), and Bishop Sergey.
The sketches for the mosaics and frescoes for the church were created by the famous artist Bilibin; however, due to a lack of funds, the frescoes were completed only in 1941 and 1946.
The church was consecrated on November 9/22, 1925. In 1945, after the closure of St. Nicholas Cathedral in the Old Town Square, the Assumption Church became a parish church. As of 2016, services are held daily in the church.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first.
To leave a comment, sign in with Google.