Great Chrysostom temple, located not far from 1905 Russian Revolution Square, is one of the most beautiful churches in Yekaterinburg. Its design is characteristic of the orthodox churches of Russia where a belfry was built on the building of the church.
Such churches were rather wide-spread in Russia. They were built when for some reason a separate bell tower was not planned. However, the construction of Big Chrysostom has a special history.
Almost for a century the ground was occupied by the Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit built in 1755. The bell tower of the church called Small Chrysostom was burnt in 1839. The first project for its restoration was submitted to Petersburg in 1841. But the issue had been discussed at the Synod for 6 years. During that time there were proposed and rejected various projects.
The citizens of Yekaterinburg wanted a big church and a bell tower while the Synod wanted a smaller church. The construction did begun in 1847 but it was dragged out for 29 and consequently for want of money only a bell tower was built. It was consecrated as a church, which was at first called the Church of St. Maximian and then Big Chrysostom.
Big Chrysostom church was built in the traditional Russian Byzantine style. The height of the Big Chrysostom church reached 65 meters, so for over a century it was the tallest building in the city. It was just for this reason that its bell tower was used as a fire tower on week-days. Its biggest bell weighing 16 tonnes was called Big Chrysostom. It was the fourth biggest bell in the Russian Empire after the two bells of Ivan the Great Bell Tower at the Moscow Kremlin and the bell of St. Isaac Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
Big Chrysostom church was blown up in 1930. A small public garden appeared on its site. The works for its restoration began in 2006 and on February 8, 2013 a new church was consecrated.
