The Church of St. Nicholas in the central part of Yelabuga is located in a picturesque place on the embankment of the Toima River. The church was built in the 19th century, although there was a small wooden church much earlier. The wooden church was built in the middle of the 17th century, and in the 18th century it was replaced by a stone church. Nearby built another church, also wooden, but by the beginning of the 19th century, both buildings had decayed so much that it was decided to build a completely new building on the site of the two old ones.
Initially, construction work was carried out at the expense of parishioners, it turned out to build a small church with one throne. Later, in 1848, the merchant Alexei Staheev, famous in Yelabuga, who did a lot for the city, allocated more funds for the reconstruction and expansion of the church and hired engineer Olekhnovich. After the rebuilding, the temple received two more altars and plus one floor from above - this is the modern look that we see today.
The architectural composition of the temple is rather unusual, its lower part looks very much like a civil structure, since there is no apse there - a special ledge outside the building for the internal altar. The altar of the church is rectangular, it is not very characteristic of the cult buildings of the middle of the 19th century. The dome at the temple is one, it can be seen from afar. Nearby there is also a bell tower, and a small refectory is attached to the church. Today the church is a state-protected architectural monument in the style of Russian classicism
After the reconstruction of the church in the middle of the 19th century, many eminent citizens of Yelabuga allocated funds for its luxurious decoration. In the painting of its interior, even Vasily Vereshchagin, a famous Russian artist, took part, and most of his work has survived to this day and is accessible for inspection, as well as the painter Pervunin. From the moment the stone church was built in the 18th century, there was a miraculous icon of St. Nicholas, to which pilgrims from all over the region flocked and with whom religious processions were performed every year.
In the times of Soviet power the church was closed. But it was not destroyed and was not dismantled into bricks, like many churches at that time. Here were the educational audiences of the NKVD, the library and other institutions. Repair work in the church is ongoing now, but services are held on weekends - they have been renewed since 2009.
Practical information
It's easy to get to the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker - it is located in the central part of the city on Naberezhnaya Street, in the Suvorov school . It is most convenient to visit the cathedral as part of a sightseeing tour around the city or during a divine service. Entrance to the territory is free.
Address: Republic of Tatarstan, Elabuga, ul. Embankment, 58.