Cathedral of the Assumption, Smolensk
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Smolensk_Cathedral.jpg
The Cathedral of the Assumption, or the Assumption cathedral, of Smolensk was constructed over a period of almost 100 years on the site of an earlier temple of the same name which was destroyed at the end of the 1609 -1611 siege. According to the official legend, the remaining defenders of the city locked themselves in the temple and then set fire to the gunpowder in the ammunition depot in the temple's basement. The explosion that followed caused the roof of the temple to collapse, killing all the people inside, who preferred death to being taken prisoner by the Polish. It is unclear, though, what happened in reality except that the ammunition depot in the basement really did explode and the first Assumption temple, whose construction was finished in circa 1150, was destroyed. It was usual in medieval Russia, when a city was overrun for civilians to seek asylum in temples, so it is likely it was not defenders but civilians who died in that explosion. What caused the explosion will probably forever remain an open question: it could have been a Mossada-style suicide but it might well have been an accident.
The construction of the new temple began shortly after Smolensk was recaptured by Russia and recognized as belonging to Russia in the 1667 peace treaty. The construction took a very long time due to flaws in the original design and its implementation - at one point one of the walls collapsed - but it was eventually completed in 1772. The building's design is simple but impressive, especially looking up from the base of a wall. Viewed from certain locations it often looks as if it is suspended in the air because it is situated on hill surrounded by trees, concealing the base of the building. One of the most breathtaking views, is inside the temple, namely the decorative wall that separates the altar from the front area of the temple, which stands almost the height of the temple. On it there are icons and the rest is covered in intricate gold-covered wooden decorations inluding figures of cherubim and columns entwined with vine branches.
A local legend states that when Napoleon Bonaparte entered the temple after Smolensk had fallen to the French army in 1812, he looked up at the altar wall and proclaimed that if any one of his soldiers dared to steal anything from it he would personally kill that man.
External link
Pictures of the exterior and the interior of the temple (http://admin.smolensk.ru/history/kep/Smolensk/monuments/churches/church.htm)