Saint Sophia Cathedral in Harbin
Saint Sophia Cathedral in Harbin is the single most impressive building in Harbin. Though there are other interesting buildings and structures – permanent or temporary – Saint Sophia still stands tall.
Harbin and Vladivostok were connected by the Trans Siberian Railway, and St. Sophia served as a temple of worship for all the new Russian Immigrants in China around the turn of the century. Built in 1907, this Russian Orthodox Church stands at 175 feet tall. Like most churches, it features a majestic front with large doors and great arches. The center and tallest steeple is a globulous piece found in traditional Russian architecture. The brown brick, with forest green steeples, with gold cross make Saint Sophia stand out out.
The name St. Sophia means The Holy Wisdom of Jesus Christ. Hagia Sophia means either “Holy Wisdom” or “Saint Sophia” (Ἁγία Σοφία or Αγία Σοφία in Greek, Sancta Sophia in Latin, Ayasofya in Turkish). It is a reference to the attribute of “The Holy Wisdom of Jesus Christ”, especially in Eastern Orthodox doctrine. From wikipedia I had thought there was a Russian Saint or Nun that was named Sophia.
Today, St. Sophia is now a museum with pictures and history about the Cathedral and Harbin. It was fascinating to see how large the building is and how good it looks today, with renovations.
Saint Sophia Cathedral 聖索菲亜教堂 Софийский собор в Харбине (in Russian) 黑龙江省哈尔滨市道里区透笼街88号 China Toulin Street (Toulin jie) and Zhaolin Street (Zhaolin jie), Central district of Daoli, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China 0451-84686904
#gallery-2 { margin: auto; } #gallery-2 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 20%; } #gallery-2 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-2 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; }
