St. Sophia Church----- the Largest Eastern Orthodox Church in Asia

St. Sophia Church is one of the most easily recognizable landmarks in China. It is the largest Eastern Orthodox Church in Asia, standing 53.3 meters (175 feet) high 53.3 meters (175 feet) high and occupying an area of 721 square meters (0.18 acres), and is said to be so beautiful it is "as if it had been made by God's hands". In November, 1996, it was listed as one of the Key Cultural Relics under State Protection. Half a year later, the city government repaired it and renamed it as Harbin Art Gallery. It is a respectable landmark for Harbiners and for tourism.

The first St. Sophia Church was constructed from timber in 1907, but rebuilt in 1911 using both stone and timber. A third incarnation on the same spot was finished in 1932 built entirely from stone and was applauded as a great work of art. Over time, St. Sophia Church lost its place at the heart of Harbin and fell out of use completely: by the 1990s the magnificent murals had been allowed to crumble and the church was derelict. The government of Harbin began an extensive restoration campaign in 1997, which to date has returned the murals, lamps, onion dome & bell tower to their former glory.

 

The Byzantine style church is so beautiful, it is said to look as if it had been made by God's hands. In fact, St. Sophia means 'God's wisdom'. Having a Latin cross footprint, the church's original shape was preserved during reconstruction. The church has four floors and is accessible by a door on each side. Until the 1960's, the bell tower over the entrance housed 7 bells of different sizes and tones. When there were religious festivals in the past, a well-trained ringer would play musical progressions, tolling the bells with ropes tied to his hands and feet. The bells resounded to the skies.

The main structure is laid out like a cross with the main hall topped with a huge green tipped dome. It had undergone considerable decline. The church no longer was in use, and residential apartments and office buildings surrounded it. Magnificent Russian painted murals that adorned the church's arched walls were destroyed out of recognition. But as the original Russian murals were lost completely, they were replaced by topically new murals depicting the architectural history of the Harbin community. And crosses that were removed in six places were replaced. Now, the murals, pendent lamps, dome and the bell tower are restored to their original splendor. Under the bright sun, the church and the square area it lies on looks quite like the Red Square in Moscow.
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