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Church of Elijah the Prophet is an outstanding architectural monument of Yaroslavl

Church of Elijah the Prophet in the center of Yaroslavl is visible from afar. On the square, in the midst of which it is located, several streets are closed at once, so that the temple becomes the head of a radial-ring urban planning. A rare monument of Russian art, the Church of Elijah the Prophet became an outstanding example of the Yaroslavl School of Architecture and Painting, a vivid testimony of the originality and beauty of the provincial cities of the 17th century. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that the church has survived to our time in its original form, with virtually no changes. The temple was built in 1647-1650 commissioned by influential merchants Skripins brothers in their personal farmstead. It is a complex harmonious ensemble of the main five-domed quadrangle with five onion domes of dark green color, covered galleries on its sides, octahedral bell tower and Rizopolozhensky aisle.

The exterior of the church is simply splendid: each facade has its own artistic solution, the recessed windows are framed with platbands, arches give the texture, the drums are decorated with belts and surrounded by kokoshniks, elegant tiles attract attention. On three sides, except the altar, on the perimeter of the temple is a two-tier gallery. From the north and west, the entrances to the gallery are two porches, decorated with decor and patterns. The gable of the western porch, opened onto the square, is additionally decorated with the fresco "Crucifixion".

Interiors
Going inside, you find yourself in a real treasury of Old Russian art, on which the best masters of their time, painters, blacksmiths, woodcarvers, worked on the internal and external decoration of which. The murals on the walls of the late 17th century, made by the artel of Kostroma artists in collaboration with Yaroslavl, remained almost without damage. No need to be well versed in the intricacies of biblical scenes to appreciate the skill of artists, to admire the richness and beauty of the frescoes.

Church history in the 20th century
By the end of the 19th century, because of the poverty of the parish, the Church of Elijah the Prophet had not been repaired for a long time, until finally, it finally decayed. She found a rebirth at the turn of the century, after a large-scale, very thorough and high-quality restoration. In 1904 the church again shone with its former beauty and was opened for worship until 1920, after which it was transformed into a museum.

With the beginning of the 1930s, the threat of demolition hung over the temple. Cultural workers, in particular, the director of the museum N. Kuznetsov, saved the shrine from the zeal of the Union of militant atheists. In 1938 an anti-religious museum was opened in the Ilinsky church, which existed only three years before the start of the war. In the post-war years, the church functioned for some time as a warehouse for museum exhibits, only in 1955 it was decided to return it to believers. After a long and thorough reconstruction, the Church of Elijah the Prophet reopened. In 1989, she was consecrated again, and since then services have been held on major Orthodox holidays in the church, and in the warm period of the year, the museum receives visitors.

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