The Uspenski Cathedral is the largest Orthodox church in Northern and Western Europe. The Old Church Slavonic word ‘uspenie’ refers to the Dormition of the Mother of God to which the cathedral is consecrated. The Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God is celebrated on 15 August. This is the last of the Great Feasts in the Orthodox ecclesiastical year.

Architecturally, the Cathedral draws on the 16th century stone church in Kolomenskoye near Moscow. The cathedral was designed by architect Aleksei Gornostajev and it was completed in 1868. The marquee-like structure of the central dome and the onion domes link the church to Byzantine tradition. The thirteen gilt domes symbolise Christ and his disciples.

The Uspenski Cathedral is the most visible landmark of Helsinki’s Russian period. Located on the highest hill of the Katajanokka district, it also forms a ’gatehouse’ to one of the world’s most charming residential Jugend, or Art Nouveau, districts.