The Church Of St. Sophia, standing in central Harbin, is the largest Orthodox Church in the Far East. With the height of 53.35 meters, it covers an area of 721 square kilometers. It is a typical building of Byzantine style.
In 1997, the church was repaired and the name was changed to Harbin Architecture and Art Museum. With the completion of the Sino-Russia railway connecting Vladivostok to northeast China in 1903, the Russian No.4 Army Division arrived in this region. After Russia's failure against the Japanese in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), a plan to reconsolidate the confidence of the army by building an imposing spiritual symbol was proposed.
Thus the magnificent St. Sofia Church was born, completed in 1907. It took 9 years to build the church. The tall church is a perfect example of Byzantine architecture. The main structure of the church is laid out as a Latin cross with the main hall topped with huge green tipped roof. Under the bright sun, the church, together with the square around it, reminds the Chinese of the Red Square in Moscow.
Nowadays, the Church Of St Sophia is used as the Municipal Architecture and Art Museum with exhibitions of architectural history of the city, a photographic survey with captions all in Chinese.



Name:Harbin Church Of St.Sophia(sheng Suofeiya Dajiaotang)
City:Harbin
Address:Yuandong District,Harbin
Admission:CNY20
Telephone：0451-4683279

This article was posted on 2007-09-25
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