Holy Resurrection Cathedral (Nikolai-do)

The Cathedral of the Holy Resurrection in Tokyo's Kanda district, popularly called Nikolai-do after Saint Nikolai of Japan, founder of the orthodox mission in the country. Built between 1884 and 1891, it is the main church of the Japanese Orthodox Church and follows a cross-shaped Byzantine plan: a large central dome over the crossing flanked by a slender bell tower. The design came from the Russian architect Mikhail Shchurupov, the construction was supervised by Josiah Conder of England. The 1923 Kanto earthquake destroyed the original dome; the simplified reconstruction defines what visitors see today. Inside, oil lamps flicker before an iconostasis of gilded saints; Sunday liturgies are sung partly in Church Slavonic, partly in Japanese.