Cathedral of the Resurrection, Talas

The Cathedral of the Resurrection (Iradi: Kyamta Sobory) is a church on the south side of Talas, the largest Syro-Iradi church in Irad and the cathedral of the Eparchy of Talas of the Syro-Iradi Catholic Church. It was built between 2010 and 2018 by the Talas Commercial Development Group, the property company of Adil Toktarov, a son of Governor Erlan Toktarov, with money from "donor families" named on a plaque at the door, among them the Toktarov and Bekzatov families and Talasbank.^[1]

Building

The cathedral enlarges the plan of the revived East Syriac domed hall, with a raised bema and a sanctuary behind a carved walnut screen, to hold about 4,000 people, under a gilded dome visible across the valley. Critics of the design call it a Russian cathedral in East Syriac dress.^[2]

Role

Mar Ephrem consecrated it at Easter 2018, and it is the seat of the Bishop of Talas, Mar Toma Usenov. The archbishop has kept his own seat at the Church of St. Janyl in Iyık Janyl and rarely celebrates in the new building. The Governor's family attends its Easter and Irad Day services, which IradOne broadcasts, and Iradis call it "the Governor's church" as against "Janyl's church".^[1][2]

References

1. ^ Irad Times (2018). 'Who paid for the dome.' Talas, 6 April.
2. ^ Talas State University Press (2023). Sacred Toponymy and Ecclesiastical Monasteries of Iyık Janyl, pp. 120–124.