Annunciation Cathedral

The Annunciation Cathedral is the oldest and most prominent Orthodox church in Kharkiv, its golden domes visible from much of the city centre. The present building dates from the 1880s and 1890s, replacing an 18th-century predecessor, and was designed in the Ukrainian Baroque style with Neoclassical elements — a mix that gives it a different character from the Russian Orthodox churches of Moscow and St Petersburg.

The interior, recently restored, is richly decorated with frescoes and gilt iconostasis. The cathedral stands in a pleasant garden setting on a bluff above the Lopan River, and the view from the cathedral grounds across the river to the Soviet-era apartment blocks beyond is a characteristically Kharkiv contrast of old and new. Services are held regularly and visitors are welcome outside service hours.

things to do sight
A story
The Annunciation Cathedral was badly damaged during the Soviet period — the Communist authorities used it as a grain store and later attempted to demolish its bell tower. When the tower proved too robust for their equipment, they abandoned the effort, and the cathedral's survival became something of a local symbol. Its bell tower, at 80 metres, remains the tallest in Kharkiv.