Saint Sophia Cathedral, Harbin Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Saint Sophia Cathedral 圣索菲亚教堂 Софийский собор
The Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom of God in Harbin, China. Built in 1907 and expanded from 1923–32, it was closed during the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution periods, and turned into a museum in 1997.
Religion
Affiliation	None (formerly Russian Orthodox Church)
Status	Museum
Location
Location	Harbin, China
Architecture
Architectural type	Church
Architectural style	Russian Revival architecture
Groundbreaking	1907
Completed	1932
Height (max)	53.35 m

Saint Sophia Cathedral, Harbin

Chinese name

Simplified Chinese

圣索菲亚教堂

Traditional Chinese

聖索菲亞教堂

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Shèng Suǒfēiyà Jiàotáng

Russian name

Russian

Софийский собор в Харбине

Romanization

Sofiyskiy sobor v Kharbine

The Saint Sophia Cathedral in Harbin, China, is a famous building. It used to be a church for the Russian Orthodox Church. This is a type of Christian church that started in Eastern Europe. The cathedral is located in the central part of Harbin City, in a place called Daoli District. Its full name means "Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom of God."

History of Saint Sophia Cathedral
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History of Saint Sophia Cathedral

The Saint Sophia Orthodox Cathedral was first built in 1907. This happened after the Trans-Siberian Railway was finished in 1903. This railway connected Vladivostok to northeast China.

Building the First Church

A Russian army group arrived in the Harbin area. This was after Russia lost a war against Japan, called the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905). The first St. Sophia Church was made of wood. It was built to help the army feel more hopeful. It was meant to be an important spiritual symbol.

Expanding the Cathedral

By 1921, Harbin had many people, including 100,000 Russians. The church was made much bigger and better. Work started on September 23, 1923, and finished on November 25, 1932. This took nine years. The new St. Sophia Church was seen as a beautiful work of art. It became the largest Orthodox church in the Far East. Fotiy Huo Desheng was one of the church leaders.

Design and Appearance

The Christ the Savior Cathedral in Birky, Ukraine, was the inspiration for the St. Sophia Cathedral in Harbin.

The church is located at the corner of Toulong Street and Zhaolin Street. It is very tall, standing at 53.3 meters (175 feet). The building covers an area of 721 square meters (0.18 acres). It is a great example of Russian Revival architecture. This style looks back to old Russian building designs.

The main part of the church is shaped like a cross. A large green-tipped dome sits on top of the main hall. When the sun shines, the church and the area around it look a lot like Red Square in Moscow.

Closure and Difficult Times

After the People's Republic of China was formed in 1949, Christian missionary work stopped. Agreements were made for Russian churches to be controlled by China. Because of this, the cathedral was closed for many years. It was closed during the Great Leap Forward (1958–61) and the Cultural Revolution (1966–76).

Even though the church was strong, it was used as a warehouse during the Cultural Revolution. Its windows were blocked with bricks. Small trees even started growing from its roof. Tall concrete buildings were built very close to the church. This made it hard to see or reach from the street. For decades, it was hidden in the city. It was surrounded by shops and factories.

Bringing the Cathedral Back to Life

In 1996, the government decided the cathedral was an important cultural site. A newspaper story about the "hidden" church made people want to help. Local companies and people gave money to fix up the church. They also helped make the area around it nice again.

About 12 million yuan (around $1.5 million US) was collected. In 1997, the buildings around the cathedral were taken down. This made the church visible again. A new "Harbin Architecture Square" was created. It showed off the cathedral with a big new fountain. This European-looking space became a symbol of culture and art for the city.

Saint Sophia as a Museum

Since 1997, the cathedral has been a museum. It is called the Municipal Architecture and Art Museum. It shows the different types of buildings in Harbin over time. When the cathedral was reopened on September 2, 1997, the mayor spoke about its importance. He said the restoration helped the people of Harbin. It also helped China share its culture with the world. This also helped the city's economy grow faster.

Fixing up the cathedral was part of a plan by the Harbin government. They wanted to turn old buildings from the colonial era into tourist spots. These restored buildings show the city's culture and history.