Ascension Cathedral, Almaty

The Ascension Cathedral is a Russian Orthodox cathedral located in Panfilov Park in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Completed in 1907, the cathedral is made out of wood but without nails. Its height is 56 meters tall, and is claimed to be the second tallest wooden building in the world. In the late 19th century the first bishops of the Turkistan eparchy discussed the need for a Russian Orthodox Church in Almaty. On September 26, 1903, the bishop of Turkestan and Tashkent, Paisii Vinogradov consecrated the foundation of the church. Construction took place between 1904 and 1907.The belfry was erected on September

14, 1906. The cathedral survived the 1911 earthquake with minimal damage, even though it was built without any nails, which some bishops attributed to divine intervention, although some credit might also be given to the advanced anti-earthquake techniques invented or employed by the architect, Andrei Pavlovich Zenkov. The inner structure of the cathedral was made in art workshops in Moscow and Kiev. The iconostasis was painted by N. Khludov.