St. Nicholas church of the former Nicholas monastery, Old Believer church in Pskov, Russia.
The Church of St. Nicholas of the Stone Wall is a single-domed Old Believer church in Pskov's Zavelichye district. Its nearly square main volume has no pillars and ends in a semicircular apse; a vestibule adjoins the west side, and a two-chamber crypt with barrel vaults lies beneath. The limestone walls, coated and whitewashed, are divided by pilasters into three parts, and the drum preserves narrow slit windows.
The monastery was first mentioned in 14th–15th century documents on Izbor Street and in chronicles under 1453. By the 16th century it stood on the Riga road, known as the 'stone wall' monastery. In 1692 Vasily Kolyagin funded its restoration; in 1764 the monastery was abolished and the church became a parish church. Since 1947 it has belonged to the Pomorian Old Believer community.
The name "from the Stone Fence" comes from the monastery's position by the old Riga road, where a stone wall stood. Since 1947 the church has belonged to the Pomorian Old Believer community; from 1947 to 1986 Makary Yepifanov served as its mentor, and since his death the community has had no resident mentor, inviting priests from Saint Petersburg occasionally.
The church is located in central Pskov and remains easily accessible on foot, with religious services held regularly. Visitors should know this is an active place of worship where access may sometimes be limited for prayer times.
Before the Great Patriotic War the church was used as a warehouse; in 1947 it was handed to the Pomor Old Believer community in place of the Church of Vasily on Gorka, which that community had received during the occupation of Pskov. From 1947 to 1986 the community's mentor was Makary Aristarkhovich Yepifanov, and since his death it has had no mentor of its own, relying on visiting priests from Saint Petersburg.
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