Barnaul Znamensky Monastery is a convent of the Barnaul diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church in Barnaul (Altai Krai, Russia). Opened in 1994 at the Church of the Sign.
The monastery was built on the site of the Znamensky parish church in the city of Barnaul. Being one of the oldest churches in the city, the Znamensky Cathedral was rebuilt three times. In 1754, in its place, a wooden church was first built in the name of the saints the prophet Zechariah and the righteous Elizabeth; in 1778, a two-altar church with a chapel in the name of St. Nicholas was erected. The modern building was founded in 1853 with the blessing of His Eminence Afanasy (Sokolov), Bishop of Tomsk and Yenisei (1841-1853). The temple was built and consecrated in 1859.
The main altar of the new church was consecrated in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “The Sign”, revealed in Veliky Novgorod.
The temple was eight-domed with a three-tier bell tower (12 bells). The church overlooked Sennaya Square. White decor against the background of red brick walls gave a special elegance to the church building.
In 1916, on the western side of the cathedral, Barnaul merchant of the second guild Ivan Sporykhin built a stone chapel in memory of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty.
There were three schools at the Znamensky Cathedral, there was a large library, and many shrines were kept in the temple. Since 1923, the Znamensky Cathedral has become the cathedral of the Barnaul bishops. In 1933, Bishop Jacob (Maskaev) arrived in the city (since 1935 – Archbishop of Barnaul. In the Znamensky Cathedral, Vladyka Jacob mainly carried out his archpastoral ministry. On July 29, 1937, Archbishop Jacob was shot.
In 1937, the temple was closed, subsequently the domes and bell tower were dismantled, and the dome was removed. The cathedral building first housed the NKVD archive, then the Barnaul Archive Bureau, and later it was renamed the State Archive of the Altai Krai. After 1947, a second floor was built in the interior of the temple. In the 1960s, extensions were made to the temple building, distorting its original appearance.
In 1992, the Znamensky Cathedral was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. Soon services resumed there in the newly equipped chapel in the name of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt. In the chapel there was a font for performing the sacrament of Baptism with complete immersion. This was restored through the efforts of Archpriest Mikhail Kapranov, who was appointed rector of the church in 1993 with the blessing of the then reigning Bishop Tikhon (Emelyanov), Bishop of Novosibirsk and Barnaul.
Working hours:
Monday 07:30-18:00
Tuesday 07:30-18:00
Wednesday 07:30-18:00
Thursday 07:30-18:00
Friday 07:30-18:00
Saturday 07:30-18:00
Sunday 07:30-18:00
