The Chapel in the city of Dalian was until 1902 at the Russian cemetery, which existed in the newly built city as the public cemetery. During the Russo-Japanese War, after they began to bury the dead soldiers there, the chapel acquired the status of a Memorial Church.
Two staircases led to the chapel: a steep one from the church estates, and a flat and broad one from the cemetery. The Russian style chapel was expressed not only in the characteristic traditional composition of ancient churches, but also in the detail of its symmetrical facades.
In 1912, under the state program of the Committee for the perpetuation of memory of Russian soldiers who perished in the Russo-Japanese War, at the same time the chapel was reconstructed together with the cemetery.
In 1935 it was expanded and transformed into a church, dedicated to the Holy Archangel Michael. Attached parts of the refectory and the chapel were designed in the original stylistic vein and the church after the expansion was seen as a stylistic whole.
In the memoirs of Russian inhabitants of Dalian the church architecture appears very expressive and intimate. Information on the history of its construction is not available; the name of the author of the project has not been established.
During the Chinese “Cultural Revolution” the church was destroyed, but the cemetery partially survived. Today, there remain some memorable stones and gravestone crosses. The location of the lost church monument is unknown.
Bibliography:
Forgotten graves. Harbin: Publication of MV Zaitsev, 1938, P. 41.
Troitskaya S.S. Harbin Diocese, its churches and clergy. On the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Harbin-Manchurian Diocese 1922 – 11/24 March 2002. Brisbane, Australia. Publication of NI Dmitrovsky- Baikov, 2002. P. 79
Levoshko S.S. Orthodox church-monuments to Russian soldiers in China: the ideological content and architectural symbols // Russia and China in the Far Eastern borders. Book 5. Blagoveshchensk: Publication AMGU, 2003. P. 419-420.
Levoshko S.S, Miz N.G. Temples of Manchuria and South Ussuri region in memory of Russian soldiers who died in the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905 years. // Forever in the memory / O.B. Stratievsky, N.G. Miz, G.P. Turmov /, under general editorship of G. P. Turmov. Vladivostok: Publication of DVGTU, 2004. P.18
Translated by Katherine Ilachinski