The Assumption or Dormition Cathedral was the main Orthodox church of Kharkiv until the construction of the Annunciation Cathedral in 1901. The cathedral stands on the University Hill by the bank of the Lopan River and dominates the entire downtown. The Neoclassical cathedral bell tower, built in the 1820s and 1830s to a height of 90 meters, remained the tallest building in the city until the 21st century. The cathedral is the only building in Kharkiv visited by almost all Russian Emperors starting with Catherine the Great. History 17th century In 1656 when the Kharkiv Fortress was rebuilt most of its territory was given to the citizens to build their houses. The northern part of the district was given for construction of the future church. It is first mentioned in a 1658 military report of the voivode Ofrosimov, who wrote to Moscow about shipments of wood for the construction. That church was austere and only had paper icons. Research of later centuries discovered multiple human remains near the church that proves it had its own cemetery nearby. Kharkiv was growing rapidly and by 1685 the city authorities started construction of the stone Assumption church. The old wooden church was preserved as a small chapel. By 1687 the new building was ready. Its outlook and design were reminiscent the in Izium, presumably built by the same crew. The Assumption church was consecrated in 1688 by the Belgorod Metropolitan Archbishop Avramiy. It became one of the first stone buildings in the city. 18th century On March 3, 1733, Kharkiv suffered the most disastrous fire in its history. It destroyed more than 300 households with all buildings, all shops, ruined the St Nicholas church and almost burned down the Assumption church. Only its walls remained intact while all the interiors, the roof and domes were destroyed. However, by 1734 the church was restored. In 1770 dangerous cracks were found in the church walls that could not be repaired. On May 14, 1771, a cornerstone for the new cathedral was laid. The design of the future building was inspired by the St Clement's Church in Moscow. In Spring 1778 the altar was consecrated in honor of Our Lady of Kazan, though the construction was not completed yet. On September 27, 1780, it was reconsecrated in honor of Dormition. The ceremony was attended by the general Pyotr Rumyantsev. The cathedral was built when the pompous