The Annunciation Church in Arzamas is one of the largest and most beautiful churches in the city. It is very similar to the famous temples and palaces of St. Petersburg, built during the reign of Catherine II. While visiting Arzamas, you should definitely climb the bell tower of the Annunciation Church to see a very beautiful view of the historical center of the city.
The Annunciation Church was built between 1775 and 1788 at the expense of local merchants and parishioners. The construction of the temple was carried out on the site of an older wooden church, which by that time had fallen into disrepair and could not accommodate all the faithful. The new stone temple has become a symbol of the heyday of Arzamas as a commercial and cultural center of the Nizhny Novgorod province. The trade of local merchants was successful and rivalry began between them in the construction of churches. By the middle of the 19th century, Arzamas was called: "The city of 33 temples and 5 monasteries."
The architecture of the Annunciation Church reflects the transition period from Baroque to Classicism. The temple is characterized by strict symmetry, elegant proportions and rich decor. The author of the project is unknown, but it is assumed that craftsmen familiar with the traditions of St. Petersburg architecture participated in its creation.
The Annunciation Church is a five-domed temple with a tall bell tower that dominates the surrounding houses. The facades of the temple are decorated with pilasters, cornices and platbands typical of the Baroque. The windows are arched and framed with decorative elements. The church consists of a cold upper and a warm lower temple. The interior of the church had a very rich decor, but alas, it has not been preserved to this day in its original form.
In 1929, the Annunciation Church of Arzamas was closed, but not destroyed. First, a school was opened in it, and then a student dormitory. The domes of the church and the bell tower were demolished. In the late 1990s, the Annunciation Church was returned to the church and its restoration began. In 2006, the first divine service was held there.
A large-scale reconstruction was also carried out in the Transfiguration Monastery, which is located next door. Nowadays, the Square of Sergius of Stargorodsky, who was Patriarch of All Russia during the WWII, has been built in front of the church.
