Foros Church
Russian Orthodox church in Foros, Crimea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Foros Church | |
|---|---|
View on the Red Cliff from the Baydar Gate | |
![]() Foros Church | |
| Denomination | Russian Orthodox Church |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | Russian Revival architecture |
| Official name | Церква Воскресіння (Resurrection Church) |
| Type | Architecture |
| Reference no. | 0100119 |
The Church of Christ's Resurrection (Russian: Воскресенская церковь, romanized: Voskryesyenskaya tserkov'; Ukrainian: Церква Воскресіння Христового, romanized: Tserkva Voskresinnia Khrystovoho) is a popular tourist attraction close to the southernmost tip of the Crimea, known primarily for its scenic location, overlooking the Black Sea littoral from a 400-metre cliff near Baidarsky Pass.
History
The church overlooking the village of Foros was commissioned by a local landowner to commemorate Alexander III's survival in the Borki train disaster (1888).[1] The landowner's name was Alexander Kuznetsov; he was a tea trader from Moscow. Nikolai Chagin, a celebrated architect from Vilnius, designed the church in a bizarre (though by no means unattractive) blend of Rastrelliesque Baroque, Russian Revival, and Byzantine Revival.
The church was consecrated on 4 October 1892 in the name of the Resurrection of Christ in a ceremony attended by Konstantin Pobedonostsev.[2] The last Tsar, Nicholas II of Russia, and his wife prayed at the church on the day of the 10th anniversary of the Borki incident.[2]
After the Russian Revolution the church was closed for worshippers, its priest exiled to Siberia and frescoes painted over. The building was used as a snackbar for tourists until 1969 and stood empty throughout the 1970s and 1980s.[3] It was returned to the Orthodox Church and went through four restoration campaigns under the auspices of Leonid Kuchma.[2]
The Foros Church is a popular wedding location. In July 2003 Metropolitan Volodymyr Sabodan wed politician Viktor Medvedchuk and TV host Oksana Marchenko in the Foros church.[4] Anastasia Zavorotnyuk and Peter Tchernyshev also chose to be married here.[4]
