
The cathedral is the oldest Orthodox church in Kharkiv and has great historical and art value.
The cathedral is the oldest Orthodox church in Kharkiv and has great historical and art value. The residents of Kharkiv built a modern building in the Baroque style at the expense of the community in 1771-1777 on the site of the destroyed old church of the same name, which existed from the middle of the 17th century. The magnificent bell tower of the cathedral with twelve bells, built in the 19th century, is only ten meters lower than the bell tower of St. Mark’s Campanile in Venice. Its height is 89.5 m. The large clock – four metres across – that adorns the building, was commissioned to be made in Paris, and was installed in 1862.
The cathedral was not destroyed during World War II, although many buildings around it were. In 1984, the masters of the famous Czechoslovak firm “Rieger-Kloss” made and installed an “altar” organ in the restored cathedral as an individual commission, and since then the House of Organ and Chamber Music has been operating there. The unique acoustics of the cathedral create ideal conditions for the performance of classical works. Since 1990, the church has held regular worship services.
On March 2nd, 2022, the Russian army damaged the Holy Dormition Cathedral in the centre of Kharkiv with artillery shells. As a result, icons and church utensils, exterior and interior finishes were damaged, windows were broken, and stained glass windows were destroyed.
Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, the Cathedral has become a refuge for Kharkiv residents hiding from Russian bombs and missiles.