Irkutsk city... the gateway to Lake Baikal. Whether one arrives on the Trans-Siberian Railway, by flight or by car like us, one will pass through and stop at this lively city on the way to Lake Baikal.
From the water front we walked towards a couple of historic churches.
The colourful and ornate Epiphany Church.
This stone cathedral was built in the 1700s after the original wooden temple was burnt down in the late 1716. The stone bell tower was constructed in 1812-1815.
The Cathedral was a place of worship up to 1934. Till 1968, its walls housed a bakery and a domitory. In 1994, the cathedral was returned to the Irkutsk diocese and continued as a Russian Orthodox Cathedral. The facade of this church is decorated with full length pictures of saints.
Spasskaya Church or Church of the Saviour of the Holy Face is one of the oldest stone church buildings in all of Siberia having survived an earthquake and a fire in 1700s. The church was built in 1706 with a unique facade decorated with murals that survived to this day.
Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom, Orthodox patron of family and marriage. The statue is located next to Spasskaya church / WWII Memorial and Eternal Flame. Traditionally, just married couple used to visit the statue after their official marriage ceremony. Behind the statue is a small bunny with its nose rubbed shiny by those who visited the statue for luck.
Monument to the Teacher, located on the embankment.
Monument to Surveyors and Geologists in honour of these group of people whose tests helped determined that Siberia was mineral rich and could be mined in large quantities.
Monument representing the bold and hardy Russian military cossacks troop. They travelled down Irkut River to cross the Angara River and established the pioneer village of Irkutsk in 1661.
This stone cathedral was built in the 1700s after the original wooden temple was burnt down in the late 1716. The stone bell tower was constructed in 1812-1815.
The Cathedral was a place of worship up to 1934. Till 1968, its walls housed a bakery and a domitory. In 1994, the cathedral was returned to the Irkutsk diocese and continued as a Russian Orthodox Cathedral. The facade of this church is decorated with full length pictures of saints.
In Irkutsk, the old blends in nicely with the new.
One or two storey old wooden buildings are dotted around the city. Their windows are almost always nicely decorated with hand-made wooden carvings.
After our walk, we had a late lunch at Appetite. They have a good selection of food on display which makes it so easy to order. We just pointed to the one we wanted.
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Other pics:
Driving into Irkutsk city centre.
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