The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin

I like to look at the domes of the church,

When they are shrouded in fog...

and I forget, tenderness is full,

About sadness, about worries and deceptions.

...

Tashkent, Mirabad district, the market of the same name, the Assumption Cathedral opposite it, and the whole area is popularly called “hospital”, from the old name of the Hospital street, today – Avlie Ota. However, not every resident of Tashkent knows where the name of Hospital Street originates from and its connection with the Assumption Cathedral.

Tashkent, 1860s, when a military campaign was launched here, it marked the need for the construction of a military hospital. After that, a cemetery was created next to the hospital, next to which a temporary Panteleimon Church was built in 1871, consecrated in honor of the healer and Great Martyr Panteleimon.

In 1877, the head of the hospital, due to the increase in the parish, requested the expansion of the church, which took place by the forces of caring residents. The Turkestan Governor-General Konstantin von Kaufman and the Merchant of the first guild Dmitry Zakho contributed more than the others. The latter was a churchwarden for the next 15 years. In 1878, the construction of the cathedral was completed, and already on January 31, 1879, the temple was consecrated in honor of the Great Martyr Panteleimon. A three-storey stone bell tower was also erected near the new cathedral. 

So, from the military hospital, near which the church was erected, and to this day the name has been preserved – the Hospital Church.

In the 1920s, the cathedral came into the possession of the Synod of the Orthodox Church (the governing of the Russian Orthodox Church). From the 1930s until the Great Victory in 1945, the church was closed for worship, instead a warehouse of the local military district was located there. In the post-war years, the cathedral was again returned to the parishioners. In 1958, the church was revived by consecration, after which a solemn five–minute chime was held in all the churches of the diocese, after which the church received a new name - the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin. The temple was modified and significantly expanded by the Tashkent and Central Asian Bishop Hermogenes.

The history of Independent Uzbekistan has also not left the church without attention. The territory has been significantly expanded and improved. The dome and bell tower of the cathedral were repaired. However, the most significant date for the cathedral was November 10, 1996, when Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow of All Russia visited it, where he held a church service, which ended with a procession. The altar Gospel and the Eucharistic vessels, on which the Sacrament of Transubstantiation was performed on this significant day, were bestowed by the Patriarch to the cathedral. The beginning of the construction of the Tashkent Orthodox Spiritual and Administrative Center, functioning today, was also consecrated by Alexy II.

In honor of the saint and the surgeon who served in Tashkent in the period from 1917 to 1938, in 2014 the Church of St. Luke of the Crimea was erected on the territory of the cathedral, for the funeral service of the deceased.

The last large-scale work on the repair of the complex was carried out in 2016. Today, the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Mother of God is visible from afar, designed in classical style, in blue and white tones, and its domes, covered with gold leaf, shimmer in the sunlight. The entrance to the cathedral is also crowned with a golden dome, under which there is a triple arch. The combination of white, blue and gold colors gives a feeling of purity, harmony and lightness. In the warm season, the territory of the cathedral becomes even more cozy: the garden is green, the sounds of the fountain and shady trees allow you to take a walk and gather your thoughts. 

The interior of the temple is also striking in its splendor – the first thing that catches the eye is the multi-tiered chandelier that descends from the dome. The atmosphere of unity with God is conveyed by the smells of incense and church candles, stained glass windows, ancient icons and banners. The facade of the baptismal room is completely made of gray marble. The cathedral is also rich in shrines – the icons of the Savior and Nicholas the Wonderworker are considered the oldest, and at the beginning of the XIX century, Archbishop Dmitry delivered to the diocese a copy of the Iver Icon of the Mother of God, which was painted by the monks of the Holy Athos Monastery. The icon can be seen at the iconostasis.

In honor of the centenary of the Tashkent diocese, a plaque was installed on the south side of the Cathedral, on which all the hierarchs who once headed the diocese were listed.

Today, the complex of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Mother of God includes the cathedral itself, the baptistery, the bell tower, the seminary, the Holy Water Church and the diocesan administration.

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Perhaps this is the meaning of all life:

In sincerity, greatness and faith,

To love the whole world and to love people in it,

Appreciate warmth, care and trust!