Only St. Sophia's Church can represent the highest level of Harbin church. The church is on Zhaolin Street, not far from Central Street. From a distance, you can see its green dome raised high, giving it a sense of beauty. St. Sophia Church is also the largest Orthodox church in the Far East. It is full of different customs throughout the year, be it spring, summer, winter, or fall. This is the place to visit St. Sophia's Church in Harbin because it is a symbol not only of the city but also of its rich history.
I had always hoped to have the opportunity to go for a walk in Harbin in winter. After purchasing a happyflight on China Southern Airlines, I chose to travel to Harbin for a week in late November. My 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 snow flying in the sky with my own eyes, I came to Harbin after Erbin, and the fact that the streets were covered with white snow was a testament to how heavy the snow was.
While I've been to Harbin a few times before, I was in a hurry every time. This time, I'm going on a special trip to Harbin for a week, so I'm going to have a good turnaround. On the second day in Harbin, you have to visit Harbin's landmark "Sofia Cathedral" first.
As you approach the square in front of the church, you can see a lot of people taking pictures. The church is paved with deep red bricks. The ancient red bricks have a long history, giving a sense of the city's heavy past.
It was cold in the weather of minus ten degrees. The hand holding the camera will be frozen for a long time. However, I insisted on staying in the "Hagia Sophia" square for a long time in order to get a good picture. The view from the bottom makes you feel mysterious.
History of Hagia Sophia
Looking up at the magnificent Hagia Sophia, I was curious to know the history of its construction, so I looked up the information on the Internet: in a special era, the church had lost seven bells in the belfry, and the six golden crosses on the roof were pulled down, and now it has been restored to its former state, and it is said that in those days the bell ringer could use his hands and feet together to make the bell ring. It is said that in those days, the bell ringers could use their hands and feet together to make the 7 bells sound a complete musical scale melody, which could be heard from dozens of miles away.
St. Sophia Church was built in the thirty-third year of the Qing Guangxu (March 1907, shortly after the completion of the Middle East Railway, with the arrival of the tsarist Russian army, Zhaolin Street, Harbin, built a tall wooden Sophia Church, initially for the tsarist Russian Fourth Infantry Division of East Siberia to build the Middle East Railway when building a church with the army. In the same year, the Russian tea merchant I. F. Chisgakov financed the reconstruction of an all-wood church based on the accompanying church, and in 1911, a layer of brick walls was built on the exterior of the wooden walls, creating a brick-and-wood church.
On September 27, 1923, St. Sophia's Church was rebuilt for the second time, which took nine years and was inaugurated on November 25, 1932, making it the largest Orthodox church in the Far East. Sofia Church was designed by Russian architect Koyasikov, opulent, elegant and superb, magnificent, with a height of 53.25 meters, a floor area of 721 square meters, and a capacity of 2,000 people. The top of the main door for the bell tower, 7 copper casting system of music bell is exactly 7 notes, by the trained bell ringer hands and feet in order to ring out the rhythmic sound of the bell. The church building plan was arranged in the form of a Greek cross, both by the Byzantine architectural style, the main dome, the bell tower and the Russian tradition of "tent roof", "onion head" shape.
In 1986, the Harbin Municipal People's Government will be listed as a class of protected buildings. November 1996, was listed as the fourth batch of national key cultural relics protection units. 1997 June 2 to September 2, Harbin Municipal People's Government of the church according to the original design of a comprehensive refurbishment, the expansion of Sofia Plaza 7,000 square meters, set up for the Harbin Architectural Art Museum, in order to publicize, promote the unique architectural culture of Harbin. Harbin unique architectural culture.
In 2000, the people's government of Harbin City, Harbin City, the people's government organized the expansion of the architectural art plaza, the center of the leisure plaza and the construction of urban construction planning exhibition hall construction project. And on October 1 that year was completed and put into use. Expanded architectural art square area of 6,000 square meters to 10,000 square meters, the central square area of 36,154 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 courtyard building with a standard large dome in the center of the main building, a red brick structure, soaring and spacious. It is 53.35 meters high and covers an area of 721 square meters. The floor plan of the church is an east-west Latin cross. The walls are made of beautiful red brick and are topped by a huge, full onion dome. It dominates the four different sized wings of the tent, creating a master-slave layout. The four levels are connected by a staircase with four doors at the front and back. At the top of the main entrance is a bell tower. The seven musical bells made of copper bells are the very seven notes. They are struck by trained bell ringers with their hands and feet to produce the rhythm of the bells, a sound that has been passed down for a long time and has traveled to Ajo.
Repairing the old as the old, preserving 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 remodeling of Hagia Sophia Square. The restored St. Sophia's Church, with its towering golden cross and red-brick green roof, displays the majesty of the main body of the church, surrounded by lounge chairs and green spaces.
You can now see a replica of the original design inside the church. The plan of the church is in the shape of a Greek cross. In the center of the vestibule, there is a main stage, two auxiliary stages and three choirs. The walls of the church are now patchy and even some of the bricks are damaged. Many of the frescoes are peeling off. The walls below the church are full of historical photos of Harbin, where visitors can see the history of Harbin's development and the construction process of the church, and the most beautiful in the whole church are the nine chandeliers hanging above. Chandeliers hanging down from the dome, bathed in light from the dome skylight, making people feel solemn and sacred.
Standing in the square, looking up at the church, you can see the dome sits on a tympanum with a high side window and a small round arch on each side of the tympanum. Vertical lines line the tall main dome, and there are tent-like spires at the front and back that are set off from the main dome. The exterior of the church also has many arches. Over the doors and windows there are many layers of arch rolls. The large arch rolls are covered with small arch rolls, which support the large arch rolls. It is difficult to count them all. There are also patterns made up of squares, circles and crosses. Although not many elements are used, they give a variety of vertical effects. I have to admire the ingenuity of the designers.
The most beautiful moment of Hagia Sophia is at night, when a romantic and artistic atmosphere surrounds the church. This ancient church stands majestically, like a weathered old man. In a trance, it takes one back to old Harbin, surrounded by traffic and a bustling, laid-back scene, as if it's hard to find such a scene in today's society.
Sophia Church Play Guide
Address: Heilongjiang Province - Harbin City - Daoli District - Turbine Street No. 88
Internal opening hours: 8:30 ~ 17:00 (16:45 stop admission
Ticket prices: free in the morning (need to be booked in advance; afternoon concerts for 35 yuan
Time to light up: generally from 45:00 Starting from dark, the lights are on until 10 pm (adjustments may be made at any time
Transportation guide:
The public transportation is accessible in all directions. It is recommended to walk over from Central Avenue, just exit the intersection of Central Avenue and West 12th and West 14th Streets. Self-driving is inconvenient and parking is difficult; parking is recommended at nearby shopping malls.
Bus: Take buses 1, 5, 20, 61, 113, 114, 206, etc. and get off at the "Zhaolin Street" stop, walk about 400 meters.