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[[Image:Saint Sophia - Harbin, China.jpg|right|thumb|230px|The Cathedral of the [[Holy Wisdom ]] of God in [[w:Harbin|Harbin]], China. Built in 19321907 and expanded from 1923-32, it was closed during the [[w:Great Leap Forward|Great Leap Forward]] and [[w:Cultural Revolution|Cultural Revolution]] period, and recently turned into a museum in 1997.]][[Image:Saint Sophia1 - HarbinChrist the Saviour Cathedral (Borki, ChinaUkraine).jpg|right|thumb|230px|The ornate ''Christ the Savior Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom of God '' in [[w:HarbinBorki train disaster|Borki]] ([[w:Kharkiv Oblast|HarbinKharkiv Oblast]]province, Ukraine), ca. 1900, Chinawas the inspiration for the St. Sophia Cathedral in Harbin.]][[Image:Saint Sophia (Dome) - Harbin, ChinaFotiy Huo Desheng.jpg|right|thumb|230px|Interior Fr. Fotiy Huo Desheng was the ninth rector of dome St. Sophia Church of the Harbin.]]The '''Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom of God ''' or ''Saint Sophia Cathedral in Harbin'' <br>(Chinese: 聖索菲亜教堂, Russian: Софийский собор в Харбине) is a former Russian Orthodox church located in the central district of [[w:Daoli District|Daoli]], [[w:HarbinCity|HarbinCity]], Heilongjiang Province, China.]]

The '''==History==St. Sophia Orthodox Cathedral is one of the Holy Wisdom most magnificent structures in Harbin. It was built in 1907 after the completion of Godthe [[w:Trans-Siberian Railway|Trans-Siberian Railway]] in 1903, which connected [[w:Vladivostok|Vladivostok]] to northeast China. The Russian No.4 Army Division arrived in this region just after Russia''' or '''Saint s loss to the Japanese in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). St. Sophia Cathedral Church was built and completed of timber in March, 1907 as part of a plan to reconsolidate the confidence of the army by building an imposing spiritual symbol. In 1921, Harbinhad a population of 300,000, including 100,000 Russians.<ref>''"[http://books.google.com/books?id=bxFC5ynXN2YC&pg=PA68&dq&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false Memories of Dr. Wu Lien-teh, plague fighter]"'' . Yu-lin Wu (Chinese: 聖索菲亜教堂, Russian: Софийский собор в Харбине1995) is a former Russian Orthodox church located in the central district of . [[w:Daoli DistrictWorld Scientific|World Scientific]]. p.68. ISBN 9810222874</ref> The church was expanded and renovated from [[September 23|DaoliSeptember 23rd]]1923, when a ceremony was held to celebrate the laying of the corner stone, to its completion on [[w:Harbin CityNovember 25|Harbin CityNovember 25th]], Heilongjiang Province1932, Chinaafter nine years. The present day St. It Sophia Church was built hailed as a monumental work of art and the largest Orthodox church in 1932 the far east. According to Harbin municipal religious and Daoli district archives, Fr. [http://www.orthodox.cn/localchurch/harbin/fotihuo_en.htm Fotiy Huo Desheng] was the ninth rector of St. Sophia Church of Harbin. ===Description===The church is located on the corner of Toulin Street (Toulin jie) and Zhaolin Street (Zhaolin jie). It stands at 53.3 meters (175 feet) tall, occupies an area of 721 square meters (0.18 acres), and is the perfect example of [[Neo-Byzantine architecture]]. The main structure is laid out like a cross with the main hall topped with a huge green tipped dome. Under the bright sun, the church andthe square area it lies on looks quite like the Red Square in Moscow.  ===Closure===Following the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in mainland China in 1949 by the victorious Communists, during who ended all Chrisitan missionary work, treaties were signed between the Soviet and Chinese governments that provided for the turning over of Russian churches to Chinese control. The cathedral was thus closed from the period of the [[w:Great Leap Forward|Great Leap Forward]] (1958-61) and [[w:Cultural Revolution|Cultural Revolution]] period(1966-76). :Although the cathedral's sturdy structure withstood its intended destruction during the Cultural Revolution, its empty hull became a warehouse for a nearby state-run department store, its windows were bricked up and saplings grew from the roof. Prefabricated concrete high-rises boxed the church in on all four sides, coming within yards of its walls, making the cathedral inaccessible and invisible from the street. For decades it remained the invisible center of the city, surrounded by decorative material stalls, an auto body shop, a pen factory, and apartments for city government employees, until the Beijing government designated the cathedral a national cultural heritage site in 1996 as part of a nationwide campaign to protect historical sites.<ref name="Koga">Yukiko Koga. ''[http://books.google.ca/books?id=hkq9tNjsSo8C&printsec=frontcover#PPA221,M1 "The Atmosphere of a Foreign Country": Harbin's Architectural Inheritance].'' In: Anne M. Cronin, Kevin Hetherington. '''Consuming the Entrepreneurial City: Image, Memory, Spectacle'''. Routledge, 2008. p.229.</ref> ===Restoration of the Cathedral (Old Harbin Nostalgia)===Following its designation in 1996 as a national cultural heritage site (First class Preserved Building),<ref>''"[http://www.upp.cn:8084/english/view/Arts/index_1.html PRESERVED BUILDINGS]."'' [http://www.upp.cn/english/ Harbin Urban and Rural Planning Bureau].</ref> a newspaper article about the "hidden" cathedral prompted donations from locals to restore the church. Local corporations, individual businesses as well as workers from nearby department stores donated money to restore the cathedral and renovate the square. A total of 12,000, 000 yuan (approximately $1.5 million US) was closedeventually gathered and the cathedral regained its visibility in 1997, as the surrounding buildings were torn down.  A new "Harbin Architecture Square" conspicuously highlighted the cathedral with a huge new fountain at its entrance. The European-looking space was assigned a new meaning as the embodiment of culture and in art and was re-presented to the public as the proud heritage of the city.<ref name="Koga"/> ===Museum===As of 1997 the cathedral was turned into a museumthe ''Municipal Architecture and Art Museum'' (Harbin Architectural Art Gallery), showcasing the multi-cultural architecture architectural developments of Harbin throughout the ages. At the official ceremony on [[September 2]], 1997 to celebrate the restoration of St. Sophia Cathedral, Mayor Wang Guangdao underlined the cultural and economic benefits expected from the project:  :"The restoration of St. Sophia Cathedral inspired the people of Harbin, raised the level of our culture, let the whole of China and foreign friends know China, and opened a way for faster economic development. "<ref>Yukiko Koga. ''[http://baikebooks.baidugoogle.comca/viewbooks?id=hkq9tNjsSo8C&printsec=frontcover#PPA221,M1 "The Atmosphere of a Foreign Country": Harbin's Architectural Inheritance].'' In: Anne M. Cronin, Kevin Hetherington. '''Consuming the Entrepreneurial City: Image, Memory, Spectacle'''. Routledge, 2008. p.221.</443658ref>  The restoration was the culmination of the Harbin municipal goverment's attempt to turn the city's colonial era structures into tourist attractions by restoring and granting them landmark status. The restored structures are said to signify civilization (''wenming'') and culture (''wenhua'').htm  ==Gallery==<gallery>Image:Saint Sophia Cathedral in Harbin .jpg Image:Saint Sophia1 - Harbin, China.jpg Image:Saint Sophia (The Baidu EncyclopediaDome)] - Harbin, China.jpg Image:St Sophia, Harbin, (in Chineseinterior).JPG</refgallery>

'''Wikipedia'''* [[w:Church of the Intercession in Harbin|Church of the Intercession in Harbin]]* [[w:Christianity in China|Christianity in ChinaNeo-Byzantine architecture]] ==External links==* [http://image.baidu.com/i?tn=baiduimage&ct=201326592&lm=-1&cl=2&fm=ps&word=%CA%A5%CB%F7%B7%C7%D1%C7%B4%F3%BD%CC%CC%C3 Saint Sophia Cathedral in Harbin (The Baidu Photo Gallery)] (in Chinese)

==Sourcesand further reading==* David Wolff. [http://books.google.ca/books?id=5OnhlIo4kKoC To the Harbin Station: The Liberal Alternative in Russian Manchuria, 1898-1914]. Stanford University Press, 1999.* Yukiko Koga. ''[http://books.google.ca/books?id=hkq9tNjsSo8C&printsec=frontcover#PPA221,M1 "The Atmosphere of a Foreign Country": Harbin's Architectural Inheritance].'' In: Anne M. Cronin, Kevin Hetherington. '''Consuming the Entrepreneurial City: Image, Memory, Spectacle'''. Routledge, 2008. * [http://www.harbin.gov.cn/english/hrb_ywb/display.php?id=53 Saint-Sophia Church]. Government of Harbin website. * ''"[http://www.upp.cn:8084/english/view/Arts/index_1.html PRESERVED BUILDINGS]."'' Harbin Urban and Rural Planning Bureau.* "[http://www.chinaspringtour.com/guide/item.jsp?id=604 St. Sophia Church]." China Spring Tour. ==External links==* [http://www.orthodox.cn/localchurch/harbin/sophia_en.htm St Sophia Church of Harbin] at Orthodox.cn.* [http://image.baidu.com/i?tn=baiduimage&ct=201326592&lm=-1&cl=2&fm=ps&word=%CA%A5%CB%F7%B7%C7%D1%C7%B4%F3%BD%CC%CC%C3 Saint Sophia Cathedral in Harbin (The Baidu Photo Gallery)] (in Chinese)* Nutescu Ciprian. [http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=126d4e1c1b8444152aafa7b17e7cc09b St. Sophia Church,Harbin,China]. Google 3D Warehouse. June 2, 2008. (''Three-dimensional 360 degree view'').'''Wikipedia''':* [[w:Saint Sophia Cathedral in Harbin|Saint Sophia Cathedral in Harbin]] at Wikipedia.:* [[w:Byzantine Revival architecture|Byzantine Revival architecture]]:* [[w:Neo-Byzantine architecture in the Russian Empire|Neo-Byzantine architecture in the Russian Empire]]:* [[w:Harbin Russians|Harbin Russians]]

[[Category:Churches|Sophia]][[Category: Churches in China|Sophia]]