Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tiflis
The St. Alexander Nevsky Military Cathedral of Tiflis (
History
The cathedral was erected to commemorate the Russian victory in the
An architectural contest for the cathedral was held in 1865; the government requested it to be executed in "grandiose and magnificent" style and to fit up to 2000 worshippers in the upper (summer) church. However, the funds allocated for the project, even with provision for continuing private donations, were insufficient to these purposes. Although the board awarded first prize to a joint collaboration of
Construction of the cathedral was launched six years later, April 16, 1871, in the upper part of Alexander’s Garden in Gunib Square (later known as Soborn Square, now part of Rustaveli Avenue). However, less than a year later it was suspended indefinitely. Construction resumed in 1889; in April 1891 the builders finished work on the foundation and proceeded with the wall masonry. 32 years after the contest of 1865, on May 21, 1897, the Cathedral was consecrated by Exarch Vladimir of Georgia. Grimm died the next year.
The cathedral, 40 meters high and with a 13-meter dome, was built to be the largest in the
The cathedral was administered by the
See also
References
- (in Georgian) Kvirkvelia, Tengiz. ძველთბილისური დასახელებანი (The placenames of Old Tbilisi), p. 28. Tbilisi: Sabchota Sakartvelo, 1985.
- (in Russian) Тифлисский Александро-Невский военный собор Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine in: Tsitovich, G. A. Храмы армии и флота Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine (The Army and Fleet Churches), pp. 399–400. Pyatigorsk, 1913.
- (in Russian) Savelyev, Yu. R. Vizantiysky stil v architecture Rossii (Савельев, Ю. Р. Византийский стиль в архитектуре России. - СПБ., 2005) Saint Petersburg, 2005. ISBN 5-87417-207-6, pp. 42–45