Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God
The Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God was the most important Ukrainian Orthodox church in Kharkiv until the construction of the Annunciation Cathedral in 1901. The first mention of the cathedral in written sources dates back to 1658. However, the present cathedral was built in the years 1771-1777 in the style of Russian Baroque. To commemorate the victory over Napoleon, a 90-metre high bell tower was built in the years 1821-1844. In 1929, the atheist authorities closed the cathedral, demolished its domes and removed the bell from the tower. The decorative elements of the façade were also destroyed. In the 1950s, however, several renovations took place. A tornado damaged the tower in 1975.
