The snow-white Church of Nikola na Vspolye is an original example of Russian church architecture. The church was built in the canonical "octagon on quadrangle" style, when an octagonal tower is erected on a wider quadrangular first tier, crowned with a broad dome.
Above the large dome rises a small turret with one small church cupola. Extending from the church's quadrangle is an elongated refectory, at the end of which stands a bell tower of two arched tiers with a tall spire. The church facades are adorned with decorative porticoes with columns.
The Church of Nikola na Vspolye appeared in Rostov Veliky in 1813, on the site of two burned wooden churches - Nikolskaya and Sretenskaya, which, in turn, had arisen on the site of an ancient convent. In honor of one of the old churches, the church itself was consecrated as Nikolskaya, and in honor of the second church, the Sretensky side chapel was arranged in the refectory.
The Nikolskaya Church is known for its ancient icons: icons from the 15th-17th centuries are kept here, as well as the miraculous icon of the Mother of God "Umilenie Rostovskaya." The icon is known for miraculous healings of the sick, as well as for the fact that Tsar Nicholas II mentioned its miraculous properties in his diaries, having specifically visited the Nikolskaya Church during one of his journeys around the country.
