The original look of the Holy Iveron Icon Church. [File
photo] |
A unique Russian Orthodox
Church, the Holy Iveron Icon Church, will be rebuilt after almost half a century
of neglect.
The project will be part of the rehabilitation of a busy area of Harbin that
acts as a transportation centre.
The church, with five magnificent Russian-style domes, was built in 1908.
The domes, which later disappeared, will be rebuilt with the original
features regardless of budget.
Some minor renovations are already under way, said a source with the Harbin
Municipal Bureau of Urban Planning.
"Unlike most Orthodox churches in Harbin, the Holy Iveron Icon Church had
five ogee domes," he said.
Also, a mosaic of religious figures has begun to fall off.
Among the other projects is a new entrance for the Harbin Railway Station in
the centre of the city.
Currently, the station has only one entrance, facing east, and the square in
front of it is one of the city's most important transportation hubs.
Seventeen bus lines pass through the spot, six of which start there.
The volume of commuters is approximately 100,000 a day, a number that swells
to 160,000 during peak periods.
An average of 4,500 vehicles pass the square every hour, reports the
Heilongjiang Daily.
Traffic jams during the rush hour are a headache for local residents.
"The construction of another entrance aims to alleviate the heavy traffic
burden in this area," said Li Ming from the Harbin Academy of Urban Planning and
Construction.
The new entrance is expected to face north and a 137,000-square-metre square
will be built in front of it. The square is likely to be built first.
The new entrance and square should take up at least 30 per cent of the
commuters and relieve some pressure from the main entrance.
The new square will be 37,000 square metres larger than the original one.
The church project will go hand-in-hand with the new railway entrance, which
will be designed to fit in with the church located just to the north of the
station.
With the church as the leading landmark, this area will be transformed into a
showcase of Harbin architecture.
The church was once dedicated to Russian soldiers who died in wars in the
beginning of the 20th century.
It fell into disuse after 1949 and was severely damaged during the "cultural
revolution" (1966-76).
Harbin should well preserve historical relics, said Bi Congliang from the
Harbin Cultural Relic Management Centre.
"Even if the northern entrance project does not go ahead, repairing the
church should be on the agenda," he said.
As one of the most important cities in Northeast China, Harbin once attracted
many Russians at the end of the 19th century.
The city now has about two dozen Oriental Orthodox churches, several
Protestant churches, and a beautiful Turkish mosque.
