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Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Feodosia

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The Kazan Cathedral, dedicated to the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, is an Orthodox church in Feodosia and a significant historical landmark of the city.

The history of the cathedral is closely linked to the Toplov Monastery. In 1887, Count Nikolai Fyodorovich Heyden, the elder of the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg, donated his dacha "Kafa" in Feodosia to the Holy Paraskeva Monastery. The dacha became the Kazan dependency of the monastery, and a church was built on its grounds in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. On February 24, 1890, the Holy Synod approved this donation, which included a plot of land, a house, buildings, and a vineyard, for the establishment of the dependency and a girls' school. The residents of Feodosia also donated an additional plot of land.

In 1890, Count Heyden transferred a family relic, the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, adorned with silver-gilded carvings and precious stones, to the monastery. In honor of the salvation of the royal family during a train crash in Borki, he gifted it to the Toplov Monastery. On July 26, 1890, the first procession with the icon from the monastery to Feodosia took place. In the same year, the count donated a cross with the relics of the Kyiv-Pechersk saints to the monastery. In 1891, Abbess Paraskeva acquired a crucifix with a stone from the life-giving cross from Jerusalem on Mount Athos.

On August 6, 1891, a small church was laid on the donated land in memory of the salvation of the royal family during the train crash in 1888. However, there were not enough funds for construction. Baroness Maria Frederiks and Martha Sabinina gifted the city a portable church from the estate of Kastropol, consecrated on October 22, 1891, in honor of the Great Martyr Panteleimon.

In 1907, a stone cathedral was built on the site of the wooden church, designed by architect G.L. Keil in the Russian-Byzantine style. The consecration took place in 1911 with the participation of Bishop Theophan.

After the revolution in 1919, the monastery and its dependency were looted, and many relics, including the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, disappeared. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the dependency was used as a camp for prisoners of war. It remained in neglect until 1943, and during the German occupation, it was used for worship. In 1944, after the liberation of Feodosia, church services resumed.

From 1950 to 1960, at the initiative of Archbishop Luka, the cathedral was renovated, decorated with paintings, and filled with church utensils. During this period, the priests John Kalyshevich and Gregory Beztalanny served here. From 1967 to 2009, Father Anatoly Chepel was the rector.

In 2004, at the initiative of Abbess Paraskeva and with the blessing of Metropolitan Lazar, processions with the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God resumed. Since 2009, the rector of the cathedral has been Archpriest Vasily Bai.

In 2011, to mark the centenary of the cathedral, reconstruction was carried out: the foundation was strengthened, the area was paved, and a ramp for the disabled was built. With the formation of the Feodosia-Kerch Diocese, the Kazan Cathedral became its cathedral church.

The architectural appearance of the cathedral is distinguished by lightness and elegance due to the semicircular finishes of the walls and slender columns. The dome is made in the Byzantine style and resembles the helmet of a Russian warrior. The interior is richly decorated with artistic paintings depicting Gospel scenes and images of saints. The altar is adorned with an iconostasis featuring the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and other relics.

Geo point

Кафедральный собор Казанской иконы Божией Матери в Феодосии

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