Only the Hagia Sophia can represent the highest level of churches in Harbin. It is on Zhao Lin Street, not far from Central Avenue. From a distance, you can see its green dome raised high, giving it a sense of beauty. St. Sophia Cathedral is also the largest Orthodox church in the Far East. It is full of different customs throughout the year, be it spring, summer, fall or winter. This is the place to visit St. Sophia Cathedral in Harbin because it is a symbol not only of a city but also of its rich history.
I had always hoped to have a chance to walk around Harbin in winter. After purchasing a blissful flight on China Southern Airlines, I chose to travel to Harbin for a week in late November. This visit to Harbin was also a coincidence. The first two days in Harbin were said to be the worst snowfall in a decade. Although I didn't see the snowflakes flying in the sky with my own eyes, I came to Harbin through Erbin and the streets were full of snow, proving how heavy the snow was.
While I've been to Harbin a few times before, I was always in a hurry. This time it was a special trip to Harbin to play a week, a good turn. The second day in Harbin started with a visit to Sofia Cathedral, a Harbin landmark.
As you approach the square in front of the church, you can see a lot of people taking pictures. The church is paved with dark red bricks. The ancient red bricks have a long history, giving a sense of the city's thick past.
The weather is cold at minus ten degrees. The hand holding the camera would freeze for a long time. But I insisted on staying in the square of Sofia Cathedral for a long time in order to take good photos. The bottom-up view would be mystifying.
History of Hagia Sophia
Looking up at such a magnificent Hagia Sophia building, I was particularly curious to know the history of its construction, so I looked up the relevant information on the Internet: in a special era, the church once lost seven musical bells in the bell tower, and six golden crosses on the roof were torn down, which have now been restored to their original form. It is said that in those days, bell ringers could use their hands and feet to make the seven musical bells play a full melody together, miles away.
St. Sophia's Church was founded in March, 1907, the thirty-third year of the Qing dynasty's Guangxu reign. Shortly after the completion of the Middle East Railroad, with the arrival of the Tsarist Russian army, a tall wooden church of Sophia was built on Zhao Lin Street in Harbin. It was originally an embedded church built during the construction of the Middle East Railroad by the Russian 4th Infantry Division in East Siberia. In the same year, the Russian tea merchant Fei_Chisgakov invested in and rebuilt an all-wooden church on the basis of the army church. in 1911, a brick wall was built on top of the wooden wall to form a brick-and-wooden church.
On September 27, 1923, St. Sophia's Church was rebuilt for the second time, which lasted nine years. It was completed on November 25, 1932, making it the largest Orthodox church in the Far East. Designed by the Russian architect Koyasikh, SophiaChurch is grand, elegant and extraordinary, standing 53.25 meters high, with a floor area of 721 square meters and a capacity of 2,000 people. At the top of the main entrance is the bell tower with seven bronze musical bells with exactly seven notes. For trained bell ringers, it was necessary to strike the iambic pentameter bells with their hands and feet. The architectural plan of the church is laid out in the manner of a Greek cross, influenced by the Byzantine style of architecture. The main dome and the bell tower also have the traditional Russian "tent top" and "onion head" shapes.
In 1986, the Harbin Municipal People's Government listed it as a protected building, and in November 1996, it was listed as one of the fourth batch of national key cultural relics protection units. from June 2 to September 2, 1997, the Harbin Municipal People's Government, in accordance with the original design of the church for a complete renovation, the expansion of the Sofia Plaza of 7,000 square meters, to become a museum of architectural art in Harbin, and to promote and publicize the unique architectural art of Harbin, to promote the unique architectural art of Harbin. promote Harbin's unique architectural culture.
In 2000, the people's government of Harbin City, organized the expansion of Harbin Architecture and Art Plaza, the central leisure plaza and urban construction planning exhibition hall construction project. On October 1 of that year was completed and put into use. After the expansion of the architectural art square area from 6000 square meters to 10000 square meters, the central square area of 36154 square meters.
Sophia Church Architectural Style
Sophia Church is a typical Byzantine Orthodox church, designed by the Russian architect Koyasikov. The whole church is a quadrangular building with a large standard dome in the center of the main building, a red brick structure, tall and spacious. It is 53.35 meters high and covers an area of 721 square meters. The floor plan of the church is a Latin cross of things. The walls are made of beautiful red bricks and are topped by a huge and full onion dome. It dominates the four wings of the tent of different sizes, creating a master-slave layout. The four floors are connected by a staircase with four doors at the front and back. At the top of the main entrance was a bell tower. The seven musical bells made of copper bells had exactly seven tones. They were struck by trained bell ringers with their hands and feet. The sound was passed down for a long time and reached Ajo.
If the old one is renovated, keep the original architectural style.
In order to protect the national historical relics, in June 1997, the Harbin Municipal People's Government decided to carry out a comprehensive renovation of the Sofia Church Square. The restored St. Sophia's Church, with its towering golden cross and red brick and green tile roof, shows the majesty of the main body of the church, surrounded by lounge chairs and green areas.
You can now see a replica of the original design in the church. The plan of the church is a Greek cross. In the center of the vestibule there is a main stage, two auxiliary stages and three singing stages. The walls of the church are now patchy and even some of the bricks are broken. Many of the frescoes are peeling off. The wall below the church is filled with historical photos of Harbin, where visitors can see the history of Harbin's development and the construction of the church. The most beautiful thing in the whole church is the nine chandeliers hanging above. Dangling from the chandelier's dome and bathed in light coming from the dome's skylight, they make people feel solemn and sacred.
Standing in the plaza and looking up at the church, one can see the dome sits atop the base of the drum, which is flanked on each side by a tall side window and a small arch. Vertical lines set off the tall main dome, which is set off by tent-like spires at the front and back. The exterior of the church also has many arches. Over the doors and windows there are many layers of arches. Large arch rollers over small arch rollers, and small arch rollers supporting large arch rollers. It is hard to count them all. There are also patterns made up of squares, circles and crosses. Not many elements are used, but they give various vertical effects. One has to admire the ingenuity of the designers.
The most beautiful moment of Hagia Sophia is at night, when a romantic and artistic atmosphere permeates around the church. This ancient church stands majestically, like an old man who has been through the ages. In a trance, it takes one back to the old Harbin, surrounded by traffic and a bustling, leisurely scene, as if it is hard to find such a scene in today's society.
Sophia Church Play Guide
Address: No. 88, Toulong Street, Daoli District, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province
Opening time: 8:30~17:00 (16:45 stop admission)
Ticket price: free in the morning (need to be booked in advance); 35 yuan for the afternoon concerts
Illumination time: generally from 45:00 when darkness Begins, lighting lasts until 10:00 pm (adjusted at any time)
Transportation guide:
Public **** transportation is available in all directions. It is recommended to walk from Central Avenue and exit from the intersection of Central Avenue, West 12th Street and West 14th Street. Self-driving is not convenient and parking is difficult. Parking is recommended at the nearby mall.
Bus: Take bus No. 1, 5, 20, 61, 113, 114, 206 and get off at Zhao Lin Street Station. You can walk about 400 meters.