The city of Ulyanovsk has a rich history. Before the revolution, it was a large provincial city of Simbirsk. It arose on the right bank of the Volga in 1648, 200 km south of Kazan. At that time, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich arranged new cities to protect the eastern borders of the empire.
A place for him was chosen between the rivers. In the west, the Sviyaga River flowed; from the east, the Volga River and the steep bank defended the city. The fortress was surrounded by high log walls with towers and encircled by a deep moat.
From the history of the city
In 1670, the city was besieged by the Cossacks of Stepan Razin. But the Simbirsk Kremlin was too tough for the chieftain's army: for a month they were not able to take it. In the years 1773-1774. in Simbirsk prison was detained Emelyan Pugachev.
The city was visited by many royal people (from Catherine to Alexander III), who took part in the arrangement of the city. So, Nicholas I founded the Karamzin library here and erected a monument to Karamzin, arranged the main descent to the Volga.
In 1812, after receiving news of the invasion of Napoleon in Simbirsk, a militia formed and collected funds of more than a million rubles. More than five thousand citizens took part in the battles.
The Simbirsk infantry regiment participated in the battle of Borodino, defended the Shevardinsky redoubt. Many of the soldiers and officers of the regiment fought in Europe, besieged Dresden, Magdeburg, Hamburg, destroying the French garrisons.
Trinity Cathedral
The churches of Ulyanovsk, operating and destroyed, also have their own history.
In 1815, it was decided to build a temple dedicated to the victory over Napoleon in World War II. 50 thousand rubles from the nobility were donated for the construction, funds were also collected from all classes of the city and province.
The project of the future temple was developed by the architect Mikhail Korinfsky, a student of Voronikhin. Construction began in 1927.
The building of the Cathedral was consecrated in 1841 in the name of Alexander Nevsky, later it became known as Trinity.
The cathedral was an example of pure classicism: cruciform, with four colonnades. The dome towering above it gave the building a resemblance to St. Petersburg Isaac. They say that in clear weather the dome of the temple was visible from the Zhiguli mountains.
Construction of new churches in Ulyanovsk
Trinity Cathedral was destroyed in 1936. Restoration work began, but ended due to lack of money. A lot of money is really needed, and there is not enough money for all. So the question of the restoration of the Trinity Cathedral remains open. There are currently 16 active parishes in Ulyanovsk.
Everyone believes that churches should be built in Ulyanovsk. Now another place has been allocated for the construction of the Temple of St. George the Victorious on Gaya Avenue.
The place reserved for the construction of the church building is a small square adjacent to the five-story panel buildings. Everything is fenced here, and construction work is underway there.
Now in Ulyanovsk, the church on Gaya began to operate at the address: 37a Ave.