Dormition Cathedral

The Assumption or Dormition Cathedral was the main Orthodox church of Kharkov, Russian Empire until the construction of the Annunciation Cathedral in 1901. The cathedral stands on the University Hill by the bank of the Lopan River and dominates the entire downtown. The Neoclassical cathedral bell tower, built in the 1820s and 1830s to a height of 90 meters, remained the tallest building in the city until the 21st century.

The original Dormition Church was built in the Kharkov Fortress in the 1680s. It was completely rebuilt after a fire to a Late Baroque design loosely based on St Clement's Church, Moscow. The cathedral was consecrated in 1780 in the presence of a viceroy. The church boasted a gilded icon screen, carved from limewood to Rastrelli's Rococo design.