Tikhvinskaya church in Kazan, Russian Orthodox church in Kazan, Russia
Tikhvinskaya Church is a stone Russian Orthodox church on Khudyakov Street in Kazan's Old Tatar Quarter. Built between 1646 and 1685, it was expanded and remodeled in 1898–1900 with donations from pilgrims, giving it late 19th-century forms and decor. The single-altar building stands about a metre below street level, buried by layers of asphalt laid around it in the Soviet period.
The stone church was built between 1646 and 1685 in the Trans-Bolak settlement, and by the mid-19th century it stood inside the Tatar Quarter. In 1859, during a fire in the Old Tatar Quarter, a vision of the Mother of God appeared above the church and the fire stopped. Donations from pilgrims funded an expansion in 1898–1900, giving the building its late-19th-century forms. Closed on 8 October 1938, it was used as a warehouse in Soviet times and returned to the Kazan diocese in 1997.
The church is the centre of the Kryashen parishes of Tatarstan, and services are held mainly in Church Kryashen, a Tatar-language liturgical form. Since 2015 a museum of Kryashen history and culture has operated at the church, and a Sunday school and folk choir are attached to it. The patronal feast is celebrated on 8 July, the day of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God.
The church is generally open to visitors, though hours may align with services and religious observances. It helps to check ahead whether tours are available or if a service is taking place.
The church was active until 8 October 1938, then used as a warehouse in Soviet times. Earth and layers of asphalt raised the surrounding ground so much that the building sank about a metre into the ground. It was returned to the Kazan diocese in 1997.
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