Никольский собор, Orthodox church in Ardatov, Russia

The Saint Nicholas Cathedral is an Orthodox church in Ardatov featuring traditional Russian architectural design with multiple domes and intricate wooden carvings on both its exterior and interior surfaces. The building displays detailed ornamentation throughout its structure and decorative elements.

A first wooden Trinity church was built in Ardatov in 1686 or 1687. In 1769 it was replaced by a stone church with five domes and a bell tower; a warm St Nicholas church was added in 1809. A new free-standing bell tower, 24 sazhens high, was built between 1873 and 1876, and the summer church was extended in 1880. Closed in Soviet times, the complex was returned to the Church in the 1990s and restored; in 2011 it became the cathedral of the new Ardatov diocese.

The cathedral has been the seat of the Ardatov Diocese since its creation by the Holy Synod on 30 May 2011. A Sunday school for children and adults operates at the cathedral, and Bishop Veniamin personally teaches the adult classes after services.

The building is generally open during service times and can be visited without special arrangements. Those wishing to photograph inside or visit with a group should contact ahead to make appropriate plans.

The 1873–1876 bell tower, 24 sazhens tall, was built separately from both churches with funds raised by parishioners, largely through the efforts of church elders Ivan Tatarinov and Lev Murashkintsev; the work cost about 25,000 roubles. The stone fence around the churches and tower dates from 1877 and cost about 1,500 roubles.