The Holy Trinity Cathedral is a handsome wooden Russian Orthodox church built in 1895 to serve Karakol's Slavic settlers. Painted pale green and white, with a modest bell tower and an onion dome, it stands in a walled garden that has remained unchanged in feeling despite the upheavals of the twentieth century. The church was closed during the Soviet period and used as a sports hall, but was returned to the Russian Orthodox community after independence and thoroughly restored.
The interior retains its nineteenth-century character, with painted icons on carved wooden iconostasis panels and the smell of inceerance and old timber. The surrounding garden — shaded by large trees, with benches and flower beds — is a pleasant place to sit and take in the quieter side of Karakol. The church is a five-minute walk from the Dungan Mosque, and the two buildings together illustrate how different communities settled side by side in this remote mountain town.