Church of the Holy Mandylion, Eastern Orthodox church in Voronezh, Russia
The Church of the Holy Mandylion is an Orthodox church in Voronezh made of parts built at different times: the mid-18th-century volumes are in Baroque forms, while the 19th-century additions follow Russo-Byzantine architecture. It has two domes, one over the main chapel at 23.53 m and one over the bell tower at 28.8 m.
The first record of a church on this site dates to 1676, when it stood in the Voronezh Kremlin and was called the Transfiguration of Christ. In 1741 the priest Mikhail Feoktistov asked to replace the worn wooden church with a stone one; the foundation stone was laid in 1744 and the church was consecrated in 1755. In 1854 cracks in the old bell tower led to a rebuild approved by Alexander II in 1857, and the bell tower was reduced to two tiers. Closed in the early 1930s, the building held state archive documents until it was returned to the eparchy in late 1993.
The church serves as an active religious center where Orthodox believers gather for worship and traditional ceremonies throughout the year. Visitors can observe the daily religious life that continues to shape the spiritual community of Voronezh.
The church is accessible by local transportation in Voronezh and is centrally located within the city. Visitors should be prepared for narrow streets and can ask locals for directions to find the building.
In July 1997, earthworks on the church grounds uncovered the remains of victims of the Red Terror. The parish also runs a Sunday school, a music school and an Orthodox library, and the Smolensk Icon chapel has been restored.
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