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The Church of the Exaltation of the Cross with its patterned brickwork

City walk · City history · Churches & faith

Churches, Monasteries and Religious Architecture

Siberian baroque, neo-Gothic, a synagogue and a mosque — a city of many faiths

Photo: Unwelcome guest, CC BY-SA 3.0

Duration
4–5 h
Distance
≈ 6.3 kmcalculated on the OpenStreetMap footpath network
Difficulty
Moderate
Best season
All year
Getting around
On foot
Start
The Znamensky Convent, Angarskaya St
Finish
The Church of the Exaltation of the Cross, Sedova St 1

Irkutsk was a trading crossroads between Russia, Mongolia and China, and its places of worship show it. This route links the city’s oldest convent, eighteenth-century baroque churches, the Polish Catholic church, the synagogue and the cathedral mosque — about five kilometres through the centre.

The eighteenth-century Orthodox churches of Irkutsk are often called “Siberian baroque”: masons combined Moscow models with local ornament. A century later came the places of worship of other communities — Polish Catholic exiles, Jews and Tatars. All stand within half an hour’s walk of each other.

Most are working places of worship. Dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered; women cover their heads in Orthodox churches and in the mosque. Ask about the rules at the entrance and do not take photographs during services.

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The route line was calculated on the OpenStreetMap footpath network and has not been checked on the ground by our editors. The map mirrors the list of stops below; all information is available without the map.

Step-by-step itinerary

  1. Stop 1 · Time here: 40 min

    The Znamensky Convent (Convent of the Sign)

    The gate and churches of the Convent of the Sign (Znamensky) Photo: Alexander Klink, CC BY 4.0

    The convent was founded at the end of the seventeenth century; its stone church dates from the mid-eighteenth. Its cemetery holds the graves of Ekaterina Trubetskaya, wife of a Decembrist, and Grigory Shelikhov, the merchant navigator who founded the first Russian settlements in America. At the gate stands a monument to Admiral Kolchak (2004), still a subject of argument.

    What to look for

    The obelisk on Shelikhov’s grave, with its verse inscriptions.

    Open in maps: OpenStreetMap · Yandex Maps · 2GIS

  2. Stop 2 · Time here: 25 min

    The Epiphany Cathedral

    Getting there. Over the Ushakovka bridge and along the lower embankment, about 1.3 km.

    The Epiphany Cathedral: tiled decoration and bell tower Photo: Sergio Tittarini from Shanghai, China, CC BY 2.0

    An early eighteenth-century stone cathedral with tiled decoration — one of the finest examples of Siberian baroque.

    What to look for

    The tiles on the facades.

    Open in maps: OpenStreetMap · Yandex Maps · 2GIS

  3. Stop 3 · Time here: 15 min

    The Church of the Saviour

    Getting there. Next to the cathedral.

    The Church of the Saviour, the oldest stone building in Irkutsk Photo: Fanzuga, Public domain

    Built in 1706–1710, the oldest stone building in Irkutsk, with fragments of eighteenth-century exterior painting.

    Open in maps: OpenStreetMap · Yandex Maps · 2GIS

  4. Stop 4 · Time here: 15 min

    The Polish Church

    Getting there. Across the garden, 100 m.

    The neo-Gothic “Polish Church” in Irkutsk with its red roof Photo: Yuri Getanov, CC BY 3.0

    The neo-Gothic church built by the Polish community in the 1880s, now the Philharmonic’s organ hall.

    Open in maps: OpenStreetMap · Yandex Maps · 2GIS

  5. Stop 5 · Time here: 15 min

    The Irkutsk Synagogue

    Getting there. East via Lenina and Karl Marx streets to Karl Liebknecht Street, about 1.2 km.

    The synagogue on Karl Liebknecht Street testifies to the large Jewish community of pre-revolutionary Irkutsk, which included merchants as well as exiles. The nineteenth-century building still serves the community.

    Opening hours & tickets: A working synagogue; ask in advance about visiting.

    Open in maps: OpenStreetMap · Yandex Maps · 2GIS

  6. Stop 6 · Time here: 15 min

    The Cathedral Mosque

    Getting there. South-east along Karl Liebknecht Street, about 900 m.

    The brick mosque with its minaret was built at the turn of the twentieth century by the city’s Tatar community. Its green-domed silhouette is an unexpected — and very Irkutsk — detail of the skyline.

    Opening hours & tickets: A working mosque; visit outside prayer times, modestly dressed.

    Open in maps: OpenStreetMap · Yandex Maps · 2GIS

  7. Stop 7 · Time here: 25 min

    The Church of the Exaltation of the Cross

    Getting there. West to Sedova Street, about 1.5 km with a climb.

    The Church of the Exaltation of the Cross with its patterned brickwork Photo: Unwelcome guest, CC BY-SA 3.0

    This mid-eighteenth-century church stands on a hill, covered in patterned brickwork that is often compared to carving. Its ornament is considered among the most distinctive in Siberia.

    What to look for

    The brick patterns on the apse and bell tower, laid with specially shaped bricks.

    Open in maps: OpenStreetMap · Yandex Maps · 2GIS

Practical tips

Transport

Buses and minibuses stop by the Znamensky Convent; from Kirov Square it is about 25 minutes on foot over the Ushakovka bridge. The finish is in the centre, 10 minutes from Karl Marx Street.

Practical tips

  • Bring a scarf or light wrap.
  • Adjust the order around service times.
  • There is a climb between the mosque and the Church of the Cross — allow time.

Seasonal notes

An all-year route. In winter the churches are a good place to warm up between streets.

Accessibility

A long route with climbs around Karl Liebknecht and Sedova streets. Most buildings have steps at the entrance.

Safety and caring for nature

The bridge over the Ushakovka runs beside a busy road — keep to the pavement.

Budget

Entry to churches is free; donations are welcome.

The gate and churches of the Convent of the Sign (Znamensky) Photo: Alexander Klink, CC BY 4.0
The Epiphany Cathedral: tiled decoration and bell tower Photo: Sergio Tittarini from Shanghai, China, CC BY 2.0
The Church of the Saviour, the oldest stone building in Irkutsk Photo: Fanzuga, Public domain
The neo-Gothic “Polish Church” in Irkutsk with its red roof Photo: Yuri Getanov, CC BY 3.0

Destinations: Irkutsk

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