Lydon-Mongolia-Siberia 2014: September 8 Irkutsk City of Resurrection and Rebirth

Irkutsk, Siberia – September 8 -

The Irkutsk riverfront- the Angara river at sunset.

Local dancing on the riverfront on a Sunday evening in Irkutsk.

A City of Resurrection and Re-Birth – Irkutsk was founded by Cossacks in the 17^th century and became a transportation and trade center and the unofficial capital of Siberia. Sometimes known as the “Paris of Siberia” – the city grew up on the money generated by the fur and tea trade and later as a transportation hub for Lake Baikal – and then for the Trans-Siberian Railway. Most everything passes or passed through Irkutsk. Bounded by the Angara River – the huge river flowing out of Lake Baikal, it has a really lovely location and these days exudes confidence and optimism.

One of the many Russian Orthodox churches restored since the
collapse of the Soviet Union. These are living, breathing churches,
and when we entered this one, we were greeted with the musical liturgy
for which Orthodox churches are famous. The interior of this church (photographs
were not allowed) is resplendent with icons, frescoes and gold.

The Stalin Sword-Cut – the Purges – aka the Terror – Though the subject is not in the forefront of our guide’s pre-recorded presentations, there hovers over the history here – as it does in Ulan Ude and Mongolia, the purges against religion and culture orchestrated by Joseph Stalin. Before the 1917 Revolution, the city of Irkutsk was a monument to a rich a varied history – culturally representing just about everybody – Buryats, Evenks, Cossaks, Russians, Poles, Jews, Mongols – everybody played a part in the development of this “Paris” – and Stalin tore it down – literally. When we were here in 1986, there were a few Orthodox churches in operation, but most churches were still shuttered – or just museums.

Church of the Kazan Icon, one of the most impressive
Orthodox churches in Irkutsk.

Doing a bit of ecclesiastical business in the Church of the Kazan Icon.

Resurrection and Re-birth – Irkutsk, like the rest of the Soviet Union, staggered out of the gate when the government collapsed and all that brutal brutish industrial underpinning just walked away. The 1990s were terrible for most in Irkutsk, but slowly the city has regained its feet, and today the skyline is resplendent with shining and restored steeples, bell towers and those distinctive round Orthodox domes.

This is a lovely city – clean, busy but not too crowded – which just celebrated its 300^th anniversary in 2011.

The Znemansky Monastery and the Alaska-California Connection
One of the themes of this trip has been the trans-Pacific fur trade -- "soft gold" that impacted the southern sea otters in the Monterey Bay Area. Grigory Shelikhov was one of the men responsible for pushing Russian interests far enough east to spur the Spanish into setting up the colony of Alta California. And, the Russians pursued otter hunting down into the Monterey Bay Region. Shelikhov died while in Irkutsk and is buried at the Znemansky Monastery. There is a monument to him outside the church. The church also contains the intact remains of St. Inokent, the patron saint of Siberia.