Ascension Cathedral through time

Almaty 1887–1913 5 photos of this spot

5 photographs taken at the same spot in Almaty, spanning 1887–1913 — 5 of them from before 1980. Line them up and watch the place change.

This 1887 to 1888 photograph shows the ruins of a cathedral in Verny, present-day Almaty, likely damaged in the major earthquake that struck the town in 1887 and destroyed much of its brick and stone construction, and formed part of a photo album surveying the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Верный. Развалины собора.(N1136)Ордэн,1887-1888гг.Альбом.1-4.Кавказ и Ср.Азия o 1887 This 1887 to 1888 photograph shows the ruins of a cathedral in Verny, present-day Almaty, likely damaged in the major earthquake that struck the town in 1887 and destroyed much of its brick and stone construction, and formed part of a photo album surveying the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Ascension Cathedral in Verny88 1906 This 1906 photograph shows the Ascension Cathedral in Verny, the Russian colonial town later renamed Almaty, a Russian Orthodox cathedral built almost entirely of wood in the early 1900s to help it withstand the region's frequent earthquakes.

Ascension Cathedral in Verny87 1909 By 1909, when this photograph was taken, the Ascension Cathedral towered over Verny, the Russian town in present-day Kazakhstan later renamed Almaty, built largely of wood so that it could better withstand the region's earthquakes.

Ascension Cathedral in Verny89 1912 The Ascension Cathedral in Verny, present-day Almaty, is shown here in 1912, several years after its completion as a wooden cathedral designed by architect Andrei Zenkov to withstand the region's earthquakes.

Ascension Cathedral 1913 By 1913 the Ascension Cathedral had become a landmark of Verny, the Russian town later renamed Almaty, admired for its wooden construction, built without nails, designed to endure the area's frequent tremors.