Description of the attraction
Elias Old Believer Church in Gomel was built on the site of the dilapidated Old Believer Spasskaya Church in 1737. At the moment, the Elias Church is the only functioning Old Believer church in Gomel. A unique monument of Belarusian wooden architecture of the 18th century stands on the high bank of the Sozh River. There is a legend about this church that Emelyan Pugachev allegedly prayed in it after returning from Turkey.
Attempts were repeatedly made to close the Ilyinsky Church. For the first time, in 1850, the Gomel authorities tried to close the church under the pretext that it spoiled the view of the city from the newly built road. The Old Believer community took an unprecedented step - it turned to the tsarist authorities (knowing all the hostility of the Old Believers to the tsarist power - this is an amazing fact), and, not immediately, but the Ilyinsky church was returned to the community.
For the second time, the Bolsheviks launched a large-scale agitation of young people and the poor, trying to distract the least staunch believers with atheistic propaganda and draw them into socialist construction. Having failed to achieve the set goals, Stalin began to repressions. The Old Believers were exiled to the Gulag camps, but the community continued to exist, despite all the trials. During Stalin's anti-religious persecutions, the rector of the Elias Church, Father Ivan Mamontov, was killed.
Nowadays, a large and prosperous community of Old Believers lives in Gomel. Elias Church is active, in excellent condition, with a well-groomed and landscaped area.
