The Church of All Saints on Mamayev Kurgan is the newest part of the memorial complex “To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad.” It is dedicated to all those who fell in battle for the Great Victory, to their strength of spirit and steadfastness. The golden-domed church stands 200 meters from the sculpture “Rodina-mat zovyot!”, near the mass grave.
The idea of building a church on the kurgan had been in the air in the city since 1993, especially since the site for it had already been consecrated by Patriarch Alexy II. Various reasons delayed the start of construction: in particular, protests came from the city administration, which claimed that veterans were against a church on Mamayev Kurgan. However, a survey conducted in 1997 showed that most of them had nothing against the construction of the church.
Another obstacle was the lack of funding, but thanks to donations from city residents, the funds had been raised by 2000. It is highly symbolic that both the start and the completion of the church’s construction took place on 14 October, the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. According to tradition, in 910 the Virgin Mary appeared to people and spread her veil over them, protecting them from the enemies standing at the city walls. Since then, the Feast of the Protection has always been especially revered by warriors.
The snow-white Church of All Saints has 5 domes made of a golden titanium alloy. Their shape echoes the contours of the traditional helmet of Russian knights of the Middle Ages and symbolizes military valor and Russia’s great military history.
