Kyrgyzstan's Wooden Christian Church

This church is the Russian Orthodox church, or the Holy Trinity Cathedral, located in Karakol, Kyrgyzstan. It stands out for its history, its unusual architecture, and a religious importance that sets it apart from other places. Just how interesting is each of these? Today the admin will tell you.

Going back to 1869, Russia still ruled Karakol in Kyrgyzstan, and used the city as a military town of the Russian Empire to watch for enemies along the border.

After Russia had ruled for a while, it began building a Russian Orthodox Christian church to be a spiritual anchor for the people.

Then in 1889 something unexpected happened.. a violent earthquake struck and badly damaged the church. Once things calmed down, the church was rebuilt as a wooden church over the destroyed original brick structure. Construction took 6 years in all, resulting in a beautiful and one-of-a-kind "wooden church."

But when it was finished, Russia put the church to other uses, such as a theater, a storage warehouse, a sports hall and a school. This meant the church community of Kyrgyzstan had almost no role in using this church.

Then in 1991, as we all know, the Soviet Union collapsed and Kyrgyzstan gained independence from Russian rule. Local authorities in Kyrgyzstan therefore returned this church to the country's church, but with the condition that the authorities would give no help, and the church and the faithful had to restore and look after it themselves. (Today, however, it has become another important place in the country, and all agencies as well as the public work together to look after it.)

At that time, the power of the people's faith meant this problem was no longer hard. The church community gathered and collected money from various charities to help restore this wooden church, until it became the beautiful, unusual and fully intact church we see today.

So this church stands out because it is made of wood, which is rare among Christian churches. Looking at it gives a different kind of beauty, because we usually see churches that are grand, luxurious and magnificent.

And one more important thing... inside the church there is also an important Christian icon, the "Tikhvin icon," an icon of the mother of Jesus, which Russian Orthodox Christians hold in very high regard.

Today this wooden church is very popular with tourists, because its beauty differs from other places in its material, its building style, its interior decoration and its interesting Christian icon. So if you ever get the chance to visit Kyrgyzstan, don't miss this wooden church!