Society and Culture: Exhibition from the "Memory of the Temple" series to launch in Astrakhan

On July 2, 2021, the branch of the Astrakhan Museum-Reserve - the Museum of Astrakhan Culture will launch an exhibition devoted to the St. Nicholas Church in Astrakhan. The temple is closely connected with Astrakhan merchants and the trading area (Gostiny Dvor).

The St. Nicholas Church was the second of the parish churches built in the White City. The church of Nicholas the Wonderworker, the patron of trade and navigation, was located near the Gostiny Dvor and river docks.

The first wooden church was constructed there at the beginning of the XVII century. A century later, Metropolitan Sampson initiated the building of a stone church, which was completed in June 1721. Then, the temple was rebuilt several times. So, in 1864, it acquired a new bell tower instead of an old one.

The temple was famous for its magnificent decor made in 1721. Astrakhan residents called it a "golden" painting. Later, the painting was regularly restored.

After the Revolution of 1917, St. Nikolas Temple survived many dramatic moments. It occurred in the epicentre of the battles but survived by a miracle. In 1923, it was captured by representatives of the Renovationist Church. In 1930, the church building housed an archive.

In 1971, the authorities decided to destroy the temple. Three years later, it was finally demolished. Later, the central department store was built there.

The exhibition presents materials about the history of the temple: rare photographs from the collection of Sergei Stepanov, Alexander Markov, documents from the State Archives, items and pictures from the collections of the Astrakhan Museum-Reserve.

The "Memory of the Temple" series has been existing for over five years. It is devoted to the lost temples of Astrakhan Region.