The cathedral in Porozhki dates back to the reign of Ivan the Terrible. The first wooden church there was built between the 1570s and the 1580s in a landlord’s estate.
A better documented history of the parish began in 1807, when the wooden Annunciation Cathedral burnt down.
Local merchants donated money to build a new church. This time, the church was built of stone and had three altars, the Annunciation Altar, the Altar of Florus and Laurus the Martyrs, and the Altar of St Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Since its consecration and until the 1990s, the cathedral was active and never closed, not even during the Great Patriotic War.
The church underwent minor renovation in 1956. But as years went by, the church fell into disrepair.
In 2007, the church was found to be dilapidated. It was in need of urgent renovations or otherwise, this historical landmark could fall apart completely within five to seven years.
Father Superior Varlaam of St Alexander Nevsky Lavra initiated the restoration of the church. It took a great amount of work as the winterproof section of the cathedral was renovated to the extent that it could host services again.
Renovation work still continues. The icons cherished by the parishioners are currently under restoration but, hopefully, they will return soon.
