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The Uspensky Orthodox Cathedral is the largest functioning Orthodox venue in Western Europe. The impressive building in Byzantine style made of red-brick is crowned with the golden domes. The interior features numerous valuable icons. Church services are held in the Finnish language.
The Orthodox Cathedral was constructed in late 1800-s on the place of the Troitskaya Church. The church was too small to host all faithful of the Orthodox Church, so the Orthodox community began to gather the necessary sum of donating for the new cathedral. It is remarkable that Emperor Alexander II as well as Saint Synod of Russian Empire made the donation. On October, 25 in 1868 Uspensky Orthodox Cathedral was consecrated.
It is located on Katajanokk Island, not far from the statue to Alexander II, which was the place here as a resemblance about that time, when Finland was a part of the Russian Empire (1809-1919) and about the help of the Emperor during the works on the new cathedral` construction.
The 130-anniversary of the Uspensky Orthodox Cathedral took part recently. For all these years the cathedral has been restored only for three times. The last restoration works in 1968 were dated specially to its anniversary: it was the recovering of its domes` gilding.