The Resurrection Cathedral is the main temple of Old Russa. In the 12th century, there was a small wooden fortress and a military commander`s house on this site, surrounded by a wooden wall. Then a wooden Intercession Church was built here, and later in its place, a small stone church of John the Baptist appeared.
The Great Resurrection Cathedral was founded in 1692, during the first years of the reign of Tsar Peter I. In 1696, the construction of the Resurrection Cathedral was completed, and its side chapels were consecrated in honor of the temples that were here before.
A small two-story bell tower was built next to the Resurrection Cathedral in 1696, but it was dismantled in 1797. In 1801, a high four-tiered bell tower was built on the same site. The height of the spire of the bell tower of the Resurrection Cathedral of Old Russa reaches 128 meters. A clock with 8 bells was installed on the third tier, which strikes the time every quarter of an hour.
The Cathedral Square of Old Russa with a water tower is located on the opposite bank of the Polist River. The ancient stone Transfiguration Cathedral is located 1 kilometer from the Resurrection Cathedral, and the Dostoevsky House-Museum is located 300 meters away, on the opposite bank of the Porusia River.
