Orthodox churches appeared along with the construction of the city - at the beginning of the 13th century. Today there are three monasteries and more than 20 Christian churches in Nizhny Novgorod. Most of the churches in Nizhny Novgorod have the status of architectural monuments, so they are of interest not only to pilgrims, but also to tourists.
Spassky Old Fair Cathedral
View of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky (Old Fair, Spassky) Cathedral
The main temple of the Nizhny Novgorod fair was built in 1822. The miraculous creation of Auguste Montferrand and Augustus Betancourt is reminiscent of the famous St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg. This is a building that remains from a large fairground complex that gathered merchants from all over Russia.
The Savior Cathedral rises on the low-lying left bank of the Oka. To prevent the building from suffering from flood waters, it stands on piles and a cushion of bulk soil. The foundation of the temple is fortified with durable Portland cement. Nearby you can see a small two-story baptismal church and a chapel-burial vault.
Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky
View of the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky from the side of the stadium "Nizhny Novgorod"
The majestic temple on the spit between the Volga and the Oka is called the “New Fair Cathedral”. It appeared in the 80s of the XIX century, when the Spassky Cathedral of the Nizhny Novgorod fair could no longer accommodate everyone who came to church services.
A beautiful church with five tent-roofed domes rises to 87 m, it can be clearly seen from the spacious Volga fairway. Today the cathedral has the status of a cathedral church. Its rich library is considered the largest in the Nizhny Novgorod diocese.
Transfiguration Cathedral
View of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Sormovo
The magnificent temple in Sormovo was built with donations from workers from the factory villages. For several years, they allocated a penny from each ruble earned, so the church was called "penny" for a long time.
In the Soviet years, the collection was not taken care of, and it was badly dilapidated. In the 1930s, the wooden belfry was destroyed, and the church bells were confiscated for melting down. The situation changed in 1987 when the temple was returned to the believers. As in the beginning of the last century, people worked with the whole world, collected "for a penny", and the old cathedral was completely restored.
Church of St. John the Baptist at Auction
View of the Church of St. John the Baptist at the Auction from Rozhdestvenskaya Street
The first mentions of one of the oldest churches in Nizhny Novgorod date back to the 16th century. In the Time of Troubles, the church was made of wood. From her porch Kuzma Minin urged the townspeople to set off on a campaign against Moscow and the whole world to free Russia from the conquerors. The stone temple was built in 1683. It had a high basement, which was used by local merchants.
Since the ship-church stands on a hillside, its gilded domes are visible from afar. In front of the building you can see a monument to Minin and Pozharsky by sculptor I.P. Martos. This is a reduced copy of the famous monument that adorns Moscow's Red Square.
All Saints Church
Church of All Saints (All Saints or Peter and Paul)
The only preserved monument of Russian Baroque in Nizhny Novgorod is located in the Kulibina park. At the end of the 18th century, the old Church of All Saints stood in the city cemetery. Many residents of the city were buried here - eminent officials, wealthy Nizhny Novgorod merchants and talented writers.
During the years of Soviet power, the temple was converted into the Pioner cinema. The historic churchyard was razed to the ground and turned into a park named after the famous mechanic Ivan Petrovich Kulibin. Today the white-pillar ship-temple is operational, and tall trees grow around it.
Temple of the All-Merciful Savior
View of the Church of the All-Merciful Savior from Maxim Gorky Street
At the beginning of the last century, a church was built in the city in memory of the railway accident in which Emperor Alexander III almost died. The miraculous salvation of the royal family was celebrated throughout Russia, so the inhabitants of Nizhny Novgorod did not stand aside. Wealthy merchants and industrialists from Nizhny Novgorod became the builders of the construction.
Due to the fact that several talented architects took part in the construction of the new church, it turned out to be very harmonious and harmonious. The facades of the five-domed church and the hipped-roof bell tower are decorated with figured brickwork in the style of Russian ornamentation.
Christmas church
View of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos (Rozhdestvenskaya or Stroganovskaya) from Rozhdestvenskaya Street
Multicolored poppies, red-brick walls and intricate white-stone carvings are a real decoration of the old Christmas street! An elegant temple appeared in the city at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries with the money of a wealthy industrialist Grigory Stroganov and his wife, Maria Yakovlevna.
The two-tiered five-domed church in Nizhny Novgorod is one of four monuments of the Stroganov baroque that have survived in Russia. The facades of the temple are decorated with images of vines, curls, fruits, flowers and shells. On the bell tower there is an old clock with a bell weighing 80 kg. Every hour they soundly beat off the right time.
Karpovskaya Church
View of the Transfiguration (Karpov) Church
On the left bank of the Oka, in Karpovka, there is a church built at the beginning of the 19th century by the project of the provincial architect Ivan Ivanovich Mezhetsky. Another talented architect from Nizhny Novgorod, Robert Yakovlevich Kilevein, took part in the capital reconstruction of the temple.
The snow-white church embodies the best traditions of Russian classicism, has five graceful domes and a high three-tiered bell tower with a gilded spire. In the arched openings, picturesque frescoes with images of the Holy Trinity, the Ascension and Transfiguration of the Lord are visible.
Assumption Church
View of the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God from the chamber of Afanasy Olisov
The beautiful stone church stands out among other churches in Nizhny Novgorod, because its architecture copies the traditions of Russian wooden architecture. It is easy to see the techniques that were used in the Russian North in pre-Petrine times in the “baptized barrel” and keeled pediments.
The stone church appeared on Ilyinsky Hill in 1672 with the money of the Nizhny Novgorod merchant Afanasy Firsovich Olisov. She went through times of prosperity and desolation. It is noteworthy that the Assumption Church was the first to be restored in the historical part of the city after several decades of oblivion.
Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh
View of the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh from the side of Urozhainy Lane
One of the pearls of Nizhny Novgorod reminds of the ancient Sergievsky monastery. The history of the Orthodox monastery began in the XIV century, after a visit to the city of Sergius of Radonezh. At first, the cathedral church of the monastery was made of wood. At the beginning of the 18th century, it was rebuilt in stone. The church that has survived to this day appeared in 1869.
Under Soviet rule, the domes and the upper part of the bell tower were dismantled, but in the early 2000s, everything was rebuilt. Today the ancient temple pleases both believers and architecture lovers. The eclectic building uses the characteristic motives of pre-Petrine architecture. The Nizhny Novgorod church is decorated with expressive relief decor and openwork carved crosses.
Smolensk-Vladimir parish in Gordeevka
Vladimir Church of the Smolensk-Vladimir Parish
The elegant architectural complex on Gordeevskaya Street embodies the harmonious union of the luxurious Stroganov Baroque and Art Nouveau. The Smolensk Church appeared at the end of the 17th century, thanks to Grigory Dmitrievich Stroganov. At first, it served as a house church at the estate of the salt industrialist's family.
The Vladimir Church was built at the beginning of the last century.Despite the age difference ”, both churches complement each other harmoniously. Tourists come to the parish to admire the large zakomaras in the form of horseshoes, brick patterns and elegant shell rock ornament.
Savior Transfiguration Church in Starye Pecheri
View of the Transfiguration Church from the southwest
More than 400 centuries ago, on the right bank of the Volga, there was a monastery founded by Saint Dionysius. At the end of the 16th century, the monastery was destroyed by a large landslide, and only the toponym "Pechera" survived from the limestone caves.
A long staircase leads to the five-domed temple. Believers come to the church to venerate the relics of Schema-monk Joasaph and collect water from the holy spring. Connoisseurs of Russian architecture are attracted by the harmonious forms of the temple, neat onions on thin drums and a picturesque bell tower.
Church of the Myrrhbearers in Verkhniy Posad
View of the Church of the Myrrhbearers from Dobrolyubov Street
The very first Russian temple in the form of a "ship" appeared in Nizhny Novgorod in the middle of the 16th century. The altar, prayer hall, refectory and bell tower are stretched in one line - from east to west. This arrangement is not only beautiful, but also practical, therefore, ship churches began to be built throughout Russia.
The central dome of the temple is gilded, while four others are blue and decorated with gold stars. There is a tram ring nearby. To prevent the traffic from damaging the old masonry and walls, over 200 m, ordinary rails were replaced with a vibration-insulating coating.
Church in honor of the saints of Moscow
View of the church in honor of the saints of Moscow from Korolenko street
In the 1860s, a beautiful church in the Roman-Byzantine style appeared at the intersection of Kanatnaya and Nemetskaya streets. During the active struggle of the Soviet government with religion, it was closed and beheaded. For several decades, a hostel was located inside the disfigured building, but in the early 2000s, the temple was rebuilt.
Five church chapters stand on cube drums. A high bell tower is attached to the temple on the western side. Inside there is a carved four-tiered iconostasis, and the walls are decorated with paintings depicting biblical subjects and scenes from the life of the saints of Moscow.
