Monday, 05 December 2011 14:35
Facade of the Orthodox Russian Cathedral Nuestra Santa Señora de Kazán. Photo de L. Calvo
Yes, you are right, in the Cuban capital of Havana there is an Orthodox Russian cathedral, although there are (in the entire country) only a few thousands faithfuls to this religion. It opened its gates in October of 2008 and it's located very close to the cathedral of the Greek Orthodox Church, the San Nicolás Temple, which was inaugurated in 2004.
Still many Havanans are surprised when finding themselves for the first time in front of the austere and beautiful building of the Catedral de Nuestra Santa Señora de Kazán with its six golden eye-catching cupolas of a bulb's shape, almost facing the bay, in the old part of Havana. I think that the most striking (for us) are definitely these cupolas, knowing that two of them, the biggest and smallest one, are gold laminated and that the other four, molten in bronze, are crowned by four crosses of solid gold.
The cathedral is of Byzantine style, and to erect it a system of vaults was used without the help of steel, cement or wood rebars. Also, the thickness of the walls is amazing (between 45 and 80cm), put in the diameters of the arches supporting them to hold the weight. All material used is meant to protect the building of the corrosion of the sea and other inclemencies of the weather.
Nuestra Señora de Kazan is the patron saint of the Russian Orthodox community in Cuba and of millions of other faithfuls in Russia and she does not only satisfy the Russian residents on the Island, she's also integrated by many Cubans and their spouses and descendants living in the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics (USSR) that embrace this religion.
Because of all the mentioned reasons, many national and international visitors come visit this place of amazing beauty in the Cuban capital which is a melting point of two cultures very much connected.
Details:
Catedral de Nuestra Santa Señora de Kazán
Av. del Puerto, between Sol and Santa Clara
Old Town of Havana
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