Cora_v
I can’t say St. Nicholas Cathedral is worthy specifically going to Ochakiv for. But if you are already in town, it deserves to be seen. It is considered one of the oldest architectural monuments in Ochakiv, has a very controversial past that the local historians and lore enthusiasts still dispute about, and is located next to one of the “liveliest” monuments to Generalissimo Alexander Suvorov. Brilliant marine painter Rufim Sudkovsky, whose museum is one of the nicest attractions of Ochakiv, is buried on the territory of St. Nicholas Cathedral. St.Nicolas Church, also known as Ochakiv Military Cathedral of early XIX, is believed to either have been built on the site of the mosque destroyed after the capture of Achi-Kale Turkish fortress by the Russian troops, or to have once been that mosque. There is still no consensus on this, but nothing in the church of today reminds of its possible “mosque-origin”. During the Soviet times (in 1930) the cathedral was closed and all its values and relics were confiscated and removed. For many years its premises hosted the exhibition of the Military History Museum named after A.V. Suvorov. In 2000, St. Nicolas church was returned to the religious community, and Suvorov Museum has been moved to the building in the centre of Ochakiv. The cathedral had been restored, with a dome and a bell tower built. Presently an acting church. Entrance is free, but better mind the dress-code.
