WELCOME TO KYAKHTA
THE MIROCHINSKY DATSAN
The monuments of history and culture of Kyakhta
Some buildings in Kyakhta are declared to be the monuments of history and
culture, the part of them are used now by different organizations and,
therefore, they are maintained, but the part of them are found in the condition
that requires restoration. Several houses with rather original architecture have
been preseved and nowadays they are the adornment of the streets of the town.
- Gostiny dvor.( A building for visitors, a hotel, an inn). One of bright evidence
of blossoming of Kyakhtinskaya trade are monumental buildings of Gostiny dvor,
the construction of which had begun in 1835 and finished in 1842.
It was built due to financial means of the State exchequer and the Department of
foreign trade under the petition of the Irkutsk general – governor. The Gostiny
dvor represented two huge buildings constructed as the closed rectangulars (one
inside another). The external capital building had 72 rooms. The internal
building was divided by passages into four parts and consisted of brick columns
and easy wooden constructions. The total height of the building is 35,4m.
In 1865 the Exchequer transferred the Gostiny dvor to the Kyakhtinsky merchants,
who had to maintain and repair the buildings. For these purposes the merchants
of Kyakhta annually allocated 8-10 thousand roubles from special gathering - "aksidentsia"
which was paid at export of tea from Kyakhta. In 1900 in the part of the
building of Gostiny dvor the custom-house was placed. In 1953 the building was
transferred to the Ministry of local industry of Buryat ÀSSR, and since 1955 the
Kyakhtinskaya spinning-knitting factory was settled there.
Later, the building was subjected to significant rebuilding: crossing walls were
removed, new apertures for illumination were punched, especially on the part of
the yard. Some flat decorative niches of an external facade were turned into the
windows of the same form. These changes significantly deformed the image of
Gostiny dvor, which in its architecture a little differed from other Russian
gostiny dvors (inns) as it reproduced more ancient sample of structures of
similar kind. Now the part of Gostiny dvor is used by the Kyakhtinskaya
spinning-knitting factory which also possesses a small hotel in it, another part
is in an ownerless condition.
- The house of A.M.Lushnikov – the Kyakhtinsky merchant, an outstanding public
figure of the region, the pupil and the close friend of the Decembrists. As
L.K.Minert wrote in his book “ The monuments of architecture of Buryatia ” “the
architecture of the house... has developed as a result of superstructures and
extensions, (its) initial nucleus – an erected in the middle of XIX century one
of the first in this place stone one-storeyed house with an attic. The facade of
a house is processed with rustovka, wedged crosspieces above apertures of
windows. Probably, in 1870-s years the second higher floor was added, it was
wooden, but plastered. Its big windows have wooden platbands, decorated above
with carved volutes. The facade is continued by a stone fencing with a grandiose
three-parted construction of a gate. The architecture of the house has the
expression of an interesting interlacing of various creative principles - from
cold strict classicism up to wide folklore fantasy ”.
The house is supposed to subject restoration, then in its rooms the Museum of
remarkable people of Kyakhta will be placed. In 1840-1860-s years the house of
Lushnikov was visited by the Decembrists N.A. and M.A. Bestuzhevy, K.P.Torson,
I.I.Gorbachevsky, I.I.Pushchin, S.P.Trubetskoy and S.G.Volkonsky with their
families, M.K.Jushnevskaya. In 70-90-s years of the last century guests of
Lushnikov were famous travellers and researchers of the Central Asia:
N.M.Przhevalsky, G.N. and A.V.Potaniny, D.A.Klements, P.K.. Kozlov, V.A.
Obruchev, an American traveller Dzh. Kennan and many others. In this house in
1865 D.N.Prjanishnikov, subsequently the academician, the Hero of Socialist
Labour, the founder of native agrochemistry, was born.
- The Gostinye Ryady (The houses for guests) To the period of the highest peak of
Russian-Chinese trade refers the monumental building of the Gostinye Ryady in
Troitskosavsk, erected in 1847-1853 on the place of the burnt in the fire in
April 1843 a wooden Gostiny Dvor (a house for visitors). It represents a
rectangular building with galleries along the longitudinal sides, which consists
of eleven almost identical sections. Initially the average section was intended
for a passage. Each section had two exits to galleries, light penetrated through
the glazed doors with heavy two-folding stavny. Wooden floors of the section are
divided into two circles, the top circle served for storing goods and was
lightened through semicircular window. The main facades are formed by eleven-passaged
arcades, squeezed from both sides with thick face walls on which three-passaged
arcades lay out in a flat relief. The arches of the main facade are based on
square columns between which there are four steps conducting to galleries. In
1977 the restoration of the building was carried out, nowadays shops are settled
in it having the common name “Torgovye Ryady” ( Trading Rows).
- The house of A.D.Startsev. Among few merchant houses preserved to our days, the
house of the merchant A.D.Startsev is also famous. In 1894 the adviser of
commerce Startsev offered his two-storeyed stone house for accommodation of
collections of the museum, that worked by the Troitskosavsk-Kyakhta branch of
the Russian Geographical Society. After the official opening of the branch and
the museum he was elected the honorary member of the branch. A.D.Startsev was
also the member of East-Siberian department of Russian Geographical Society, he
collected historical documents and materials about Zabaikalye and showed great
interest to local, including Kyakhtinskaya, periodicals.
- The town school. Nowadays this is the building of Kyakhtinsky museum of regional
studies named after V.A.Obruchev.
- The Posolsky Dom. (The ambassadorial house). One of the oldest buildings of Kyakhta constructed, probably, in XVIII century. It received its name because
due to the legend, members of the Russian missions (embassies) stayed in it,
going through Kyakhta to Mongolia and China. In 1830-1832 in this house worked
P.L. Shilling and N.Y.Bichurin, famous Russian orientalists. They visited
Kyakhta with the expedition, which had the tasks to study the condition of the
Russian-Chinese trade, and also to gather historical-ethnographic materials
about the life of the Buryats and the Mongols.
- The Troitsky cathedral. The first wooden temple with pridel
(attachment) in honour of St. Savva Serbian was constructed in the centre of
Troiskosavsk and consecrated in 1728. On means of Kyakhtinsky merchant class
in 1812-1817 in style of Russian classicism, a stone Troitsky cathedral was
erected, in honour of Zhivonachalnaya (initially alive) Trinity with pridels
(attachments) in honor of Christmas of the Bogoroditsa (God’s mother) and
apostles Peter and Paul. For a long time it remained the largest church
building of Zabaikalye.
The light penetrated to the main temple and pridels through three-parted
windows. From the south and the north the temple part had the additional
entrances decorated with small six-collumned porticoes with frontones and
high porches made of grey stone. The total height of the temple (up to the
top of the cross) is 30 m. The monumental tiered bell tower, 37,7 m high,
had eight bells, with total weight of 509 puds. The clock was established in
the bell tower with faces “to two sides, to the east and to the west, and
with a clock bell of 45 puds”. The temple and the bell tower were crowned
with the gilt crosses having chains and crowns.
In 1870 the second floor was constructed above the warm attachments of the
cathedral, it had two more warm attachments and also the annex for a ladder
conducting to the second floor. In 1890-s two pavilions were built, which
closed a semicircular square in front of the cathedral. Its interiors were
decorated with icons, kiots and other subjects of church furniture, bought
in great number due to generous endowments of merchants. The cathedral was
surrounded with a fencing from stone columns on a socle and metal lattices.
The sides of the fencing were finished by one-storeyed wings of service
assignment.
The cathedral is known for the copy of a wonder-made icon of God’s Mother
“Spodruchnitsa ( a voucher) of all sinfuls”, kept here since 1854, which
weeped with mirrha and possessed curative power. It was endowed to the
temple by a Moscow retired lieutenant-colonel D.N.Boncheskul, who wrote in
his letter that he had a vision of a large flame above the Troitsky
cathedral. Many ill people came to this icon to ask for healing. “The
Description of miracles and healings from the icon of God’s Mother
Spodruchnitsa of all guilty” is kept in the cathedral. One of the recovered
people was the son of a merchant J.A. Nemchinov, named Andrey, in honour of
this healing Nemchinov built in the cathedral the temple of Spodruchnitsa.
In 1934 the cathedral was closed and used for needs of culture. The pendulum
of Fuko and the exposition of the museum were established in it.
In 1963 a wooden dome, choruses, the floor of the temple, a roof and partly
vaulted overlappings of the second floor burnt during the fire. The major
part of the fencing and one of the wings also were lost in the course of
time.
In 1997 the building of the cathedral was transferred to Russian Orthodox
Church, it was fenced by the parish of the Uspenskaya church. Means,
sufficient for the restoration of the temple, now the parish of the church
doesn’t have, therefore, the most part of the building has not been restored
and gradually collapses.
- The Voskresenskaya cathedral. The first wooden temple was
constructed in 1727. In June, 1830 in the sloboda of Kyakhta was founded the
stone temple in honour of Resurrection of Christ with two warm attachments
in honour of Kazan God’s Mother, Saint and Wonder-maker, Nikolay. Its
project was made by a Moscow architect Grigory Gerasimov, and Italian
masters took part in its constructoion.
The church was built on means of “aksidentsia” and also due to rich
donations. The initial cost of the building was 600 thousand roubles, but
real expenses considerably exceeded this sum. As the contemporaries spoke of
it “ there was hardly another temple in Siberia that will be equal to it on
inner grandeur and riches’. It was called “Congealed music in the stone”.
Especially prominent was the so-called “a cold Pridel” with its unique
crystal iconostasis in bronze, silver imperial gate, painting of icons, a
silver throne and an altar, the precious gospel and a huge silver church
chandelier, spotted with color stones. A luxurious iconostasis of the temple
was made in style of Westminster Abbey in London, in the Moscow factory of
Poltavtsev. The part of icons for it was made in 1847-1848 by the artist
E.Reyhel. The painter - decembrist N.A. Bestuzhev took part in renewing and
restoration of icons of this cathedral in 1854.
- The Voznesenskaya church is an outstanding sample of architecture
of Russian classicism. The main temple having in the plan a square, was
topped with a dome which drum had a diameter in five sazhens. The premises
bordering the temple were joined to it with wide arches. The central part of
the temple from southern, eastern and northern facades was framed with
six-columned porticoes of Doric order and from the western side it included
winter pridels (attachments) and a four-tiered bell tower. The height of the
bell tower up to the top of the cross was 42,6 m, and the weight of the main
bell was 562 puds. All the interiors of the church were carefully planned.
Especially solemn was the main temple dismembered on height by eaves with
decorated arms and medallions, modelled ornaments, small heads of angels,
sockets (modelled works were carried out by petty bourgeois Prasolov). The
territpry of the Voznesenskaya church was enclosed with a fencing from stone
columns on a socle and cast-ironed lattices (the construction of the fencing
was also made under the management of Prasolov in the second half of
1840-s). The church fencing was completed with two small one-storeyed wings.
In the end of XIX century inside the fencing from the southern side a chapel
– crypt was built. The windows of the church were covered with forged
lattices, and domes were covered with white iron. However, in the course of
time the tops of the domes, a wooden spike of the bell tower, the fencing,
stucco moulding of the main temple and one of wings were lost.
The church was closed was in 30-s years of XX century, the warehouse of
Spetstorg (Special trade) was located in it. From 1970 till 1990 the
restoration works were carried out in the building, after that, it was
supposed to open here the Museum of History of the Russian geographical
discoveries in Central Asia. But it didn’t come true.
In 1996 the cathedral was transferred to Russian Orthodox Church. The
parishioners of the Uspenskaya church cleaned it from rubbish, repaired the
Kazan pridel where now the prayers are conducted. The parish doesn’t have
means, sufficient for restoration of the cathedral, therefore, the most part
of the building is not restored and gradually collapses.
- The Uspenskaya church. In 1727 on the southern outskirt of
Troitskosavsk, next to the town cemetery (nowadays it does not exist), the
wooden Uspenskaya church was constructed. It had been restored in 1836 and
existed until 1942. As L.K. Minert wrote in his book, it was constructed in
style of the Moscow classicism.
The expressiveness of the refined construction was strengthened with
courageous application of color: dark red walls contrasted with white
architectural details. The church was destroyed by fire, thus the large
picturesque work of the Decembrist N.Bestuzhev was lost. The remains of the
church were disassembled on fire wood.
In 1884-1888 due to financial means of kyakhtinsky merchant of the first
guild, a millionaire - Y.A.Nemchinov near the wooden church, the stone
Uspenskaya church was erected. The stone Uspenskaya church is a monument of
Russian cult architecture of the second half of the XIX century, which
combines the elements of the Russian-Byzantian style and Russian classicism.
The church is one-domed, crosswised in the plan. The basic architectural
elements of its facades are massive pilasters of Toscan order and precise
horizontals of antablement, framing the building on the whole perimeter. The
octagonal drum of the central dome is completed with a pyramidal tent with
an onion-shaped small dome and an eight-ended cross. The sides of the drum
are cut with the arch apertures. The round windows-lyukarny are cut into the
tent. The bell tower is decorated in the similar way.
The height of the church up to the beginning of the drum is 10,24 m, the
internal diameter of the drum is 8,30 m, the area of the floor of the church
is 336 m. The church was closed in 1938 and used as a warehouse of Voentorg
(the Military trade). In 1945 the church was returned to parishioners, but
in 1962 it was closed again and used as a sports gymnasium, in 1974 it was
transferred to the branch of the Art museum after Ts.Sampilov, the
department of painting and applied arts. Since 1982 the Museum of national
art creativity of Zabaikalye was located here. In 1989 the church was
transferred to parishioners, in 1994 the parish was registered and religious
services began. Now the church is the only church working in the town.
- The Kyakhtinskaya regiment church. It was built in 1910 on the
territory of a military town near the Red barracks. Now it does not work.
- The Malo-Kudarinskaya Pokrovskaya church. It was constructed in
1824. Now it does not work.
- The Tamirskaya Petro-Pavlovskaya church. It was constructed in
1875. Now it does not work.
- The Troitskosavskaya Pokrovskaya. Built in 1861-1867 . It was
disassembled.
- The Ust-Kiranskaya Preobrazhenskaya. Built in 1863. It has not
preserved.
- The Ust-Kiranskaya Bogoroditse-Tikhvinskaya. The wooden building
was constructed in 1775, then the stone one was reconstructed in 1782. Now
the building of stone church has been preserved, but is not used.
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