The Church of the Ascension of the Lord in Gelendzhik is considered one of the most beautiful Orthodox churches in this part of the Black Sea coast. And indeed, its exquisite architecture, combining Russian and Byzantine styles, makes the church a true украшением the city.
The traditional five-domed composition of Orthodox architecture looks somewhat unusual here - the main dome is large and voluminous, while the four small domes around it are mounted not on solid towers, but on delicate four-sided arches. The ornate three-tier bell tower rises above the western side chapel of the church.
The Church of the Ascension of the Lord was built in 1905, and inside there were beautiful murals by the artist Sarakhtin. But soon the revolution took place, after which all churches were under threat. The church survived until the 1930s, then its rector was executed, and the building itself was locked up. It briefly reopened after the Great Patriotic War, but to the local authorities the church in the city center was like a sore thumb, and the parishioners were driven out to the cemetery church.
The church and the adjacent buildings were given to the education department, which opened a primary and seven-year school here. Then they even wanted to demolish the church altogether and build a new school in its place, but in the end it was built nearby, leaving the church building as a warehouse for storing waste paper and school property.
Only in 1990 was the church returned to the Church and all the destroyed murals and decorations restored in it.
