Description of the attraction
The Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God, formerly Novo-Pokrovsky Saratov Church, is located at the intersection of ul. Gorky (formerly Alexandrovskaya) and Bolshaya Gornaya.
In 1859, a three-altar wooden church was erected with the money of the merchant Voronov. One of the thrones (main) was lit in honor of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. The church, wooden and cold in winter, soon became small for parishioners, and almost twenty years later, the construction of a new church began with donations from merchants and townspeople. According to the project of the chief architect of Saratov A. M. Salko, a stone church with five domes was now erected. The parishioners took part in the construction of the temple not only with contributions, but also with building materials, icons. In 1882, the construction of the facade of the building was completed, but the interior decoration continued for two more years, and in January 1885. the consecration of the temple took place.
In 1893, a Sunday school was opened in the church, but there was also a parish school in the two-story building next door (now school No. 30), where, in addition to the Law of God, they taught geography and Russian history.
After the revolution, all the property of the temple was seized, including houses, a farm and a farm of 12 houses. In 1929, the church was closed, giving the building for the hostel of the Saratov Economic Institute, and the bell tower for a kindergarten. In 1931, the domes of the temple were dismantled, and the bell tower was simply blown up (the temple itself was saved from the explosion by a miracle). In 1970, the looted and dilapidated building was given to the artists for workshops, which were located there until the return of the diocese to the church in 1992.
Currently, the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God has been fully restored, and the bell tower (66 meters high) has returned to its historical place.
