Kazan Church, Saratov, Orthodox church in Saratov, Russia

Kazan Church (formerly New Kazan Church) is an Orthodox church in the Ulesh microdistrict of Saratov. The wooden church, faced outside with brick, was consecrated on 16 October 1905 by Bishop Germogen of Saratov and Volsk; it had a single altar dedicated to the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and a wooden bell tower. Its porcelain iconostasis was smashed with sledgehammers and crowbars in 1928, and the dome and lace-like bell tower were later destroyed; a small dome was placed over the altar in 2003.

In August 1902 Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Pavel Kuznetsov and Pyotr Utkin came to Saratov to paint the church; their murals were destroyed in 1904 by a district court ruling as uncanonical. The church was consecrated on 16 October 1905 by Bishop Germogen of Saratov and Volsk, and a copy of the Kazan Icon was brought at once. Closed in 1923 despite 130 signatures from workers of the Soldatskaya slobodka, it lost its porcelain iconostasis in 1928 and later housed kindergarten No. 20; returned to believers on 10 December 1994 and reconsecrated on 3 April 1999.

The church is dedicated to the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, and a copy of that icon was brought to it right after its consecration in 1905. In the early 1920s, parishioners from the Soldiers' Settlement collected 130 signatures against its closure, all from local workers, and formed a registered Orthodox Christian society, though the church was shut that same year.

The church is open daily for visitors who wish to attend services or spend time in prayer. Plan your visit around service times to experience the space during active worship.

The church's porcelain iconostasis was smashed with sledgehammers and crowbars in 1928, after the building had been closed and turned into a kindergarten (No. 20) for a bolt-and-rivet factory. The dome and the lace-like wooden bell tower were destroyed too. The building was returned to believers on 10 December 1994 and reconsecrated on 3 April 1999; a small dome over the altar followed in 2003.