Event 1: Saint Sophia Cathedral

I visited the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Harbin, China. This cathedral was built in 1907 by Russian workers after they completed the Trans-Siberian Railway in 1903. Because Harbin is geographically close to Russia, a lot of its architectures are very Europeanized and influenced by Russian architectures. This cathedral is a great example of a Russian style Neo-Byzantines building that was very popular in Russia in the 1900’s. I have always found the building very beautiful and although I have lived in Harbin for 10 years, I never went inside of the cathedral before. I was very excited to go in.

(Front view of the Cathedral)

(Me with the ticket by the front door)

Due to various wars and uncareful preservations throughout the years, the cathedral was severely damaged. It was renovated in the 1930’s and has been protected by the city ever since. Inside of the building, there are various pictures and paintings that recorded down the history of the city. It shows the changes that the city underwent in different aspects, ranging from the cultural lives of the people, to architectures, roads, and writings. 

（Pictures of cultural life - trading and farming, picture of past Chinese written characters)

(Various pictures of people of the city from different time periods)

(Pictures of cultural life - dancing, fishing, merchandizing on the street)

While touring the cathedral, the guide pointed out the decorations on the wall. At first, I did not pay much attention to it because all the walls look obsolete. But after listening to the guide’s explanation, I was surprised to find out that those paintings on the walls are actual remnants from the 1930’s when the cathedral was renewed. 

(Symmetrical patterns on the wall)

(More patterns on the arcs)

Most of the patterns were kept the way it was when the building as first built. They were intricately drawn on the walls. Looking at these patterns reminded me of this class. We learned about using math in art in order to create symmetry and proportion. I think that the artists back then probably used math to calculate how to create the patterns so that they are symmetric in all four directions and how to proportion each pattern with respect to the overall wall and the cathedral so that it presents the best aesthetic view. 

(Overall look of the top of the cathedral)

The cathedral also included a lot of pictures documenting the progressions that architectures of the city went through. I saw pictures of various building from the old days that had very Europeanized look to it. Although some buildings in Harbin still have the Russian feeling to it, many has become modernized in order to conform to how other buildings in China look. Looking at the pictures, I once again thought of this class. Architectures also involve a lot of math and calculation in order to create buildings that can last and are visually pleasing. 

Touring through the cathedral allowed me to look upon the history of the city. I never had the chance to learn about my hometown so I took this chance to explore it. I learned a lot about the different types of cultures during different time periods. My mom also found a lot of pictures triggering her childhood memories. Overall, going to the cathedral was very entertaining because in addition to looking the interesting art pieces, I learned about the evolution of my hometown.

(A model of the site of the cathedral before building it)