May 12, 2020

Winner, Winner, Saving Sinners


Winner, Winner, Saving Sinners
The winning cathedral in Telma Screen shot RT

Every two years, the international architectural competition Baumit Life Challenge judges the best facades in Europe. This year’s results were recently announced, and a church in Irkutsk Oblast won first place for the world's best façade in the category Historical Restoration. Built in 1816, the Cathedral in Honor of the Kazan Mother of God Icon is located in the village of Telma.

As noted on the architecture competition’s website, the cathedral “is a unique example of a rotunda Church in Eastern Siberia, and it also has an expressive, finely designed original decorative design of the facades. The facade decoration is typical of classicism, with a laconic, but subtly and meticulously drawn decor.”

The competition included over 300 sites from around the world. Russia had 11 buildings in the competition, including the Lenfilm building, the Cathedral of Kazan, the Kunstkamera, and the Admiralty.

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