The Church of Elijah the Prophet in the historic district of Sergiev Posad is an old town church, one of the few that has preserved its original appearance. A vivid representative of Russian Baroque, this red-and-white church was consecrated in 1773. It was built of brick on the site of the wooden Elijah Church, which did not survive the fire of 1746.
Over the course of the next century, the church changed and expanded; today it is an architectural complex with a refectory and a beautiful bell tower. Its graceful proportions and buildings of varying heights look especially striking thanks to the contrasting finish: white carved window frames and decorative elements stand out against the dark red walls.
The main feature of the Church of Elijah the Prophet is its well-preserved interior decoration. In the entire city, famous for its many great churches, this church was the only one still functioning during the Soviet era. The four-tier gilded iconostasis of the main altar and the single-tier iconostases in the side chapels, created in the second half of the 19th century, have survived here. Unfortunately, the magnificent murals by the famous Malyshev artel were painted over in 1970.
As the center of the district's religious life, the Elijah Church held services and preserved traditions, as well as church relics and utensils. When the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius reopened to parishioners, the Elijah Church shared church utensils, candles, books, and even its own choir with the monastery. In gratitude, the monks pledged to supply the church with prosphora forever.
