Kolorierte Ansicht der Kathedrale unserer Lieben Frau von Kasan, Irkutsk, Sibirien, Russland, 1901. Eine Spiegelung der Kathedrale ist in einer großen Pfütze im Vordergrund zu sehen. Die Kathedrale wurde 1932 zerstört. (Foto von Burton Holmes)
Dieses Bild kann kleinere Mängel aufweisen, da es sich um ein historisches Bild oder ein Reportagebild handel
This cathedral was a huge Kazansky cathedral on the location of the present-day Irkutsk Regional Administration building. It was a symbol of the cultural prosperity and wealth of Irkutsk at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of twentieth centuries. Being situated at the centre of the city, it dominated all other buildings and visually united all the churches. In 1849 Eufimiy Kuznetsoff, a millionaire and gold-mine owner, donated funds for the erection of the cathedral in Irkutsk. It was decided to use the plan by Kudelsky. It was sent to the Synod, where it was delayed for six years. At that time the construction began, but the fire of 1879 stopped the building for six more years. So, it recommenced only in 1885. In 1892 the walls were completed, and in 1894 the cathedral was consecrated. This cathedral in Irkutsk was one of the largest religious buildings in Russia. It could house about 5000 people, and it was 60 meters tall. Contemporaries mentioned that it was "the fourth provincial cathedral in size and beauty inside and outside" in the empire. After the October Revolution the divine service became infrequent. A football field was established there in the 1920s. In 1930 the cathedral was closed. It was impossible to tear it down so it was decided to blow it up. The first explosion was in 1932. Temporary structures were built for getting the debris out. After the leveling of the cathedral's debris on the grounds, the level of it rose by a meter. Now the Irkutsk Regional Administration building is at the former location of the cathedral.
