Catherine Cathedral of Krasnodar at the turn of the 40–50-ies of the twentieth century based on materials from regional archives

Abstract

The purpose of our research is to clarify the history of the restoration of the Catherine Cathedral in Krasnodar, the 100th anniversary of which was celebrated in 2014. This publication is based on unpublished materials deposited in the Krasnodar State Archives. The main temple of the Kuban diocese survived both the seizure of the renovationists, and the plundering by the Soviet government in favor of the starving, and the use as storage facilities, and the occupation by the Germans. In the early 30s, the cathedral was closed for worship. In 1942 liturgical life began to be resumed in the cathedral, adjoining warehouses under the same roof. The restoration of the cathedral falls on the 40–50s. XX century, when the Russian Church is going through very difficult years of existence in the Soviet state. Despite all the difficulties, on the initiative of the ruling bishops, the temple is being restored, in which the architect Ivan Klementyevich Malgerb and the artist Bykov Konstantin Yakovlevich, as well as many other specialists, took part. Thanks to archival materials, it was possible to restore the history of how difficult and sometimes painful this process was.