Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Kobrin

The Temple of St. Nicholas is considered to be one of the brightest monuments of the Belarusian folk architecture with elements of classicism in Kobrin (Brest region). It was constructed in the 1750-s beyond the location, on the bank of the Muhavets River. In 1841, the building was brought to the town territory (today – Nikolskaya St, 2). It has succeeded to come through two World Wars, the Revolution and German occupation, and to survive at attempt to make a fire in the 1960-s of the XX century.

The Temple of St. Nicholas is considered to be one of the brightest monuments of the Belarusian folk architecture with elements of classicism in Kobrin (Brest region). It was constructed in the 1750-s beyond the location, on the bank of the Muhavets River. In 1841, the building was brought to the town territory (today – Nikolskaya St, 2). It has succeeded to come through two World Wars, the Revolution and German occupation, and to survive at attempt to make a fire in the 1960-s of the XX century.

The architectural features of the Temple of St. Nicholas

The building consists of a main log-house, five-sided altar apse and quadrangles that are located in the corners of the main lodgment. An apse is a separate room in the form of a semicircular, rectangular or polyangular jamb. This part is mainly used for the placement of the altar. A quadrangle usually presents a rectangular building or a part of tiered or tented temples.

All premises of the Temple of St. Nicholas are covered with a single multigabled roof in the center of which stands a big light drum with a dome on the quadrangular basement. A dome drum is a basement for a dome in the form of a cylinder or polyhedron that is a characteristic feature of many orthodox temples. Its walls have rectangular windows, thanks to that the inner space is full of daylight. Such constructions have been used in the Belarusian folk architecture since the XI century.

The frontage of the temple is a pilaster sided and decorated with two columns. A pilaster side is a small area of the surface of the facade or cornice, and others that creates the effect of plasticity of some erection. That method has become to find its expression in numerous religious, cultural and other monuments since Ancient Rome. Protruding parts of buildings have not so much constructive as ornamental significance.

The walls of the building are planked with the vertical boards with the panel strips; the windows are rectangular.

Some interior features of the features of the Temple of St. Nicholas

Inside the temple, the dome drum rests on 4 uprights in the center of the temple through the use of squinches. There are choirs above the entrance. It is an upper open stage where readers and chanters are arranged during divine services.

Some interesting facts about the Temple of St. Nicholas

In the 1970-s, specialists of the institute of Art History, Ethnography and Folklore of the National Academy of Sciences of BSSR discovered wooden sculptures including the sculpture of St. Nicholas. It was immediately handed over to the Museum of the Belarusian Ancient Culture of the same research establishment. The temple was closed in the 1960-s, and his building was used as a storage of the Suvorov Museum. In 1989, the sanctity was given back to faithful people: it was consecrated on 13 August 1989. A porch was annexed to it: a three-tier belfry was constructed near it.

Today this architectural monument is one of the most interesting tourist attractions of Belarus.