Church of Elijah the Prophet, Eastern Orthodox church in Ilyinskaya Street, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.

The Church of Elijah the Prophet is a house of worship on Ilyinskaya Street in Nizhny Novgorod featuring curved domes and stone walls in Russian style. The building displays typical characteristics of 17th-century Orthodox churches with traditional Eastern architectural elements.

Founded in 1655, the church emerged during a period of strengthened Orthodox influence and architectural growth in Nizhny Novgorod. It survived closure during Soviet times and later resumed its role as a place of worship.

The church gave its name to Ilyinskaya Street, the historic road that begins at its doors. Its dedication to Elijah follows the popular belief that the prophet commands thunder and lightning, chosen because a cannon shot from the Tverskoy citadel is said to have saved the city in 1505. A chapel of Saint Menas of Egypt was added to the refectory and consecrated in 1722.

The building sits along Ilyinskaya Street and is easy to reach on foot with stable pathways around it. Keep in mind that this is an active place of worship, so respectful behavior is expected when visiting.

The church owes its name to a cannon shot: according to legend, in 1505 the captive Lithuanian gunner Fedya Litvich killed the Nogai murza whose tent stood on this hill, and the besiegers of Nizhny Novgorod fled. The church was dedicated to Elijah, the prophet of thunder and lightning. The wooden church is first documented in 1621; the stone one was built in 1655 under priest Stefan.