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Irkutsk (Ирку́тск), the chief town of the Irkutsk Oblast, is the most important place in Siberia, being not only the largest centre of population and the principal commercial depot north of Tashkent, but a fortified military post, an archbishopric of the Russian Orthodox Church and the seat of several learned societies. It is situated in 52° 17' N and 104° 16' E, 5185 km by rail from Moscow. Pop. ( 1875) 32,512, ( 1900) 49,106, ( 1975) 500,000, ( 2002) 593,400. The town proper lies on the right bank of the Angara, a tributary of the Yenisei, 45 m. below its outflow from Lake Baikal, and on the opposite bank is the Glaskovsk suburb. The river, which has a breadth of 1900 ft., is crossed by a flying bridge. The Irkut, from which the town takes its name, is a small river which joins the Angara directly opposite the town, the main portion of which is separated from the monastery, the castle, the port and the suburbs by another confluent, the Ida or Ushakovka. Irkutsk has long been reputed a remarkably fine city - its streets being straight, broad, well paved and well lighted; but in 1879, on the 4th and 6th of July, the palace of the (then) Governor General, the principal administrative and municipal offices and many of the other public buildings were destroyed by fire; and the government archives, the library and museum of the Siberian section of the Russian Geographical Society were utterly ruined. On July 27th, 2004, Irkutsk's synagogue built in 1881 suffered from an electrical fire. A cathedral (built of wood in 1693 and rebuilt of stone in 1718), the governor's palace, a school of medicine, a museum, a military hospital, and the crown factories are among the public institutions and buildings. Irkutsk grew out of the winter-quarters established ( 1652Events April 6 Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp for the Dutch East India Company at the Cape of Good Hope, and founded Cape Town. May 18 Rhode Island passes the first law in North America making slavery illegal. May 29 First Anglo) by Ivan Pokhabov for the collection of the fur tax from the Buryats. Its existence as a town dates from 1686Events The League of Augsburg is founded. Russia, Saxony, Brandenburg and Bavaria join the Holy League against the Ottoman Turkish Empire. September 2 The forces of the Holy League of 1684 liberate Buda from the Ottoman Turkish rule that leads to the end.The most significant person in the religious life of Irkutsk is Saint InnocentSaint Innocent of Alaska was a Russian Orthodox priest, bishop, archbishop and Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia. He is known for his missionary work, scholarship and leadership in Alaska and the Russian Far East during the 1800s. He is known for his of Irkutsk ( 1797Events January 3 The Treaty of Tripoli (a peace treaty between the United States and Tripoli) is signed at Algiers. January 7 The parliament of the Repubblica Cisalpina adopts the Italian Tricolore as official flag: here starts the story of the Flag of It– 1879, born Ivan Veniaminov) who was born near to Irkutsk, later in Orthodox priesthood. He did missionary travels with his family to the Aleutians. He learned local languages and translated the gospels and the hymns. Later his wife died, Veniaminov became a monk Innocent. He was raised as a bishop, and then the archbishop of Irkutsk (till 1867Events January 8 African-American men granted the right to vote in the District of Columbia January 11 Benito Juarez becomes Mexican president again January 30 Emperor Komei of Japan dies. Crown Prince Mutsuhito is expected to become the next Emperor of J when he was appointed to the metropolitan Moscow). His title as a saintIn general, the term saint is used to refer to someone thought to be especially virtuous and holy. This person may or may not be canonized, recognized or venerated by a religion. The word "saint" comes from the Latin word sanctus which means "holy. Variou is "Miracleworker Innocent of Irkutsk".
This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. 1911 Britannica
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