Saint Nicholas church ot Torga in Pskov, Orthodox church in Pskov, Russia
Saint Nicholas church ot Torga is a five-domed Orthodox church on Nekrasova Street in Pskov, built in stone in 1676. Its main square block measures about 27.7 by 25.95 metres and rises 10.7 metres to the upper cornice. The central dome's drum once had small windows, walled up after 1917; the other four drums are blind and widen toward the cornice. A bell-arcade and porch precede the church.
A church existed on this site from 1419, though nothing is known of that first building. The present stone church was built in 1676, after the fire of 11 May that year destroyed many Pskov churches; the miraculous icon of Saint Nicholas was rescued from the burnt church of Saint Paraskeva and placed in a chapel here. From 1786 to 1842 the church was attached to the Pokrovskaya church, in 1843 Pskov Old Believers repaired and reconsecrated it, and from 1917 it was closed and used as a warehouse.
The name "ot Torga" refers to the old market square nearby. After the 1676 fire the wonder-working icon of Saint Nicholas was moved here from the burnt church of Saint Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, and a side chapel was dedicated to her; it was later renamed Trinity, and the church became Trinity-Nicholas. Since 2021 the building has belonged to an Edinoverie (Old Rite) parish.
The church stands on Ulitsa Nekrasova in Pskov. Its dimensions with the bell tower are about 27.7 by 25.95 metres, and the height to the upper cornice is about 10.7 metres. The central square is surrounded by galleries that enlarge the usable area in cold or rainy weather.
Ivan Zabelin studied the church and concluded it was the first in Russian church building where the five domes stand not at the corners but oriented to the cardinal points. The central drum's small windows were walled up after 1917, when the building served as a warehouse.
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