One of the oldest and most beautiful architectural monuments of the city - Cathedral of the Assumption is located in the heart of the city of Atyrau, on Issatay Taimanov street, just a few steps from the main square. This cathedral is one of the oldest temples in Kazakhstan and it is put in the list of the architectural monuments of national importance. Cathedral of the Assumption was built in 1888, personally funded by one of the wealthiest residents of the city – merchant F.Tudakov. According to some sources, his wife, who was a very religious woman, persuaded him to donate money for construction of the Cathedral. After her long persuasion, her merchant decided to start the construction, which eventually cost him a large sum in gold. The construction lasted 10 years and was finished in 1888. The walls of the Cathedral were made of burnt stone (brick), the dimensions of the temple are 45 meters long, 14 meters wide, and its top mark is 40 meters. The total volume of the temple is 4500 c.m. The total area is 230 square meters. The Cathedral is designed for 900 seats. The height of the main dome of the Cathedral of the Assumption is 40 m, and thin domes - 10 m. The Cathedral was built in the time characteristic of pseudo-Russian style, which is a synthesis of ancient and traditional Russian architecture, as well as the elements of Byzantine architecture associated with them. Nevertheless, in contrast to the numerous typical temples built in the 19th century, the Assumption Cathedral bears the mark of a special local architectural school which is characterized by a certain light and delicacy of the general construction of the building.

There is an interesting legend associated with F.Tudakov’s wealth. According to it, the merchant’s father – Ivan Tudakov – was a participant of one of the many Russian-Turkish wars. It was after one of the major battles which had been won by Russian, he returned from the war a rich man. According to the legend, a large part of his wealth was found in the Black Sea – the sunken Turkish ship transporting gold. Later his son F.Tudakov conducted a successful trade, owned fisheries and increased his father’s fortune.

After completion of the construction and lighting, the Cathedral of the Assumption became the central temple of the city Guriev (Atyrau), but the Cathedral was closed after the revolution. Moderation of the state policy towards religion happened during the Second World War in the USSR, and temples were opened and restored in different parts of the country. Cathedral of the Assumption was in the first 10,000 churches open in the Soviet Union, later on the religious significance of the temple grew and it was given the status of the second-Cathedral. Serious restoration work in the Cathedral was not carried out for more than hundred years and the building gradually was going to wreck. In 2000, by order of the akim of the Atyrau region I.N. Tasmagambetov, Assumption Cathedral was completely renovated. Much has been done to strengthen the foundations of the main building, the facade and the dome of the Cathedral underwent the restoration as well. Despite the large scale of restoration work, experts managed to fully preserve the historical image of the architectural monument.

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