The church dedicated to Nicholas the Wonderworker appeared in Vladimir in the second half of the 18th century. Earlier, a wooden church stood on this site, destroyed in a fire. The new church was built over eight years – from 1761 to 1769.
The structure of the church hardly changed over the course of several centuries; only one side chapel was added. The uniqueness and beauty of its Baroque architecture allowed the church to survive the Soviet period, at a time when other roadside churches were destroyed.
Nikolo-Kremlyovskaya Church is a classic example of a pillarless church. It has a large main space, two side chapels, and a four-tier bell tower.
In 1962, a planetarium was established on the grounds of the church, which had been closed since 1934. This happened in honor of Yuri Gagarin's flight into space the year before. The church's dome was perfectly suited to accommodate the structure onto which images of the starry sky are projected.
This building still functions as the city planetarium, despite the fact that in recent years the question has continually been raised of using the church exclusively as a religious site. But for now, by visiting Nikolo-Kremlyovskaya Church, you can enjoy its refined architecture and at the same time learn many interesting things about space.
