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Research dossier · Places & Architecture

Holy Trinity Cathedral, Jerusalem

Russian Orthodox church in the Russian compound in Jerusalem

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 2, 2026
Entity authorityQ1257630 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Holy Trinity Cathedral (Russian: Свято-Троицкий собор, Hebrew: קתדרלת השילוש הקדוש) is a cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church, located at the heart of the so-called Russian Compound in central Jerusalem. The cathedral was built in 1860–1872 by a Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, when the Holy City was part of the Ottoman Empire.

Layout

The Martin Eppinger designed the church as a cruciform building, a basilica with one central nave and two side aisles, and two lateral rooms in the shape of rounded apses completing the cross-shaped layout. The cathedral is built from white stone, with eight steeples, each topped by a cross. The inside of the cathedral is covered with murals and barely contains chairs. Most of the worshippers are praying to stand, as is customary in Orthodox churches.

History

The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity was officially founded on 11 September 1860. In 1864 the outside was completed, but the construction was suspended due to budgetary issues. By 1872 the cathedral was luxuriously inaugurated, in a ceremony where Duke Nicholas participated. Since then the cathedral has been used by pilgrims and locals.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Holy Trinity Cathedral, Jerusalem” is russian Orthodox church in the Russian compound in Jerusalem. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Holy, Trinity and Cathedral, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA valuable geographic starting point for tracing changing names, boundaries, uses and administrative responsibility. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1860, 1872, 1864—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1860. For this dossier, Holy, Trinity and Cathedral is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “russian Orthodox church in the Russian compound in Jerusalem” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1257630. VIAF identifies the subject as 139864984. Authority coordinates are 31.782, 35.223. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1860, 1872 and 1864.

Critical limits

A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Holy Trinity Cathedral, Jerusalem”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Holy Trinity Cathedral, Jerusalem primary sources, Holy Trinity Cathedral, Jerusalem archive and Holy research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Holy Trinity Cathedral, Jerusalem”?
  2. Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
  3. What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Subject index

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Holy Trinity Cathedral, Jerusalem” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.