The history of this landmark of the city is contradictory and tragic, but, fortunately, has a happy ending. Simferopol Alexandro-Nevsky Cathedral today — one of the most beautiful iconic architectural structures of the city, its splendor and light can be admired by anyone who wishes, but it was not always so.
The laying of the cathedral in the name of Prince Alexander Nevsky and the consecration of its place on the bank of the Salgir took place in May 1810. But before the people of Simferopol could see the temple, had to pass another 19 years. During the construction time and again there were obstacles: Patriotic War of 1812, a storm that destroyed the roof of the cathedral, robbery. As a result, in 1816, on the orders of Alexander I, who, according to legend, chose the new site himself, the temple began to be erected anew on a spacious square opposite the Suvorov Redoubt. The author of the project of the new temple building was the famous architect I. Charleman.
The new Alexander Nevsky temple was laid on March 12, 1823 and consecrated on June 3, 1829. The cathedral, erected from local rubble stone, became one of the first monumental buildings in Simferopol, and the residents of the city were proud of this architectural masterpiece and even called it «St. Isaac’s», believing that their cathedral is no worse.
The bright temple with one large and four small domes and six-column portico became a real decoration of the city, characterized by proportionality and harmony. The interior of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was striking in its beauty: the walls painted in ochre color perfectly harmonized with the gilding of roses and iconostasis, golden shade of parquet made of oak. The wall paintings, the picturesque depiction of the Lord of hosts, the subdome evangelists were skillfully executed by the artist F. Yakovlev, and the iconostasis created according to Shalerman’s design was included in the list of the best works of classical art. The cathedral was of high artistic value as one of the best examples of the traditions of the Russian classical school.
In 1842 a clock was installed on the western facade to the right of the entrance on one of the four small domes, as well as a refectory and a narthex with a bell tower. In 1860, when the church became a cathedral, it was enlarged by adding three altars and galleries on the side of the western facade.
In Alexander Nevsky Cathedral were kept a cross of 1782, a golden chalice and chalice, a Gospel, a chalice holder, a ladle and a vessel for water, a censer, as well as a copy of the icon of the Mother of God Kasperovskaya and other historical and sacred relics presented by Catherine II.
Unfortunately, neither beauty nor importance for the inhabitants of the city did not save Alexandro-Nevsky Cathedral from the revolutionary whirlwind of changes. In 1918 the bell tower was damaged — in it arranged a firing point counter-revolutionaries, in 1922 the cathedral was closed and turned into a warehouse of church utensils, in 1929 removed the bells, and September 27, 1930 the cathedral was blown up. The sacred place for the city residents was leveled to the ground, and then a public garden was arranged here, which after the war turned into the Victory Garden.
The decision to recreate the cathedral was made only in 1999, but some residents of the city who did not know and did not see the beauty of this historical attractions of Simferopol, opposed its construction. Despite this, the temple was still erected in its original place and on July 31, 2009 the reconstructed cathedral was consecrated by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine. Thanks to the fact that this iconic historical building was erected in its original place, today any visitor to holiday in Crimea can once again see its beauty and splendor.