The Uspenski Cathedral is the principal ecclesiastical establishment of the Orthodox congregation in Helsinki. The Cathedral was built between 1862 and 1868, funded for the most part with bequests. It was designed by the Russian architect Aleksei M. Gornostajev. The brick needed for construction was shipped from the Åland Islands, more precisely from the ruins of the Bomarsund fortress, which had been destroyed in the Crimean War. The architect was given a free hand in choosing the church's location and decided to build it near the sea. He chose the top of a suitable rocky outcrop in Katajanokka. The dome is held up by four magnificent pillars all carved out of the same boulder. In all, there are 13 gilded cupolas on the church roof, symbolizing Christ and his 12 disciples. With a floor

space of 967m2, the Uspenski Cathedral is the largest Orthodox church in the Nordic region.
     It was inaugurated on 25th October1868 and its name is derived from the Slavic term for eternal rest, uspenie, symbolizing the death of the Virgin Mary.
      Soon after the cathedral was finished, the bedrock gave way and the collapsing rocks destroyed the crypt beneath the cathedral. The original bell-tower also had to be renewed. This was due to its immense size (it weighed 5216kg), which prevented it from actually fitting into the tower. The cathedral was restored in the 1960s and the work was finished in time for the centenary in 1968. At this time all the domes were coated with 22-carat gold.