The best-known historic churches of Arzamas are strung out along a great arc that begins at the Alekseevsky Monastery on the bank of the Tesha; the center of the arc is occupied by the large masses of the Voskresensky Cathedral and the neighboring churches and monasteries, and the chain continues with the buildings of the Spassky Monastery, the multi-tiered Ilyinskaya Church, and other churches of the upper part of the town.

Let us list the largest structures.

Resurrection Cathedral (1814–1842)

The Patriotic War of 1812 brought about a great surge and strain of the people's strength, and it was natural to want to commemorate it in a monumental form. In the conditions of that time, the only kind of monument of this sort could be a large cathedral building. The construction itself was funded by "voluntary" donations, contributed as far as possible by all the residents of the city. Its construction began in Arzamas in 1814, based on a design by the architect M. P. Korinfsky (1788–1851), a local native and an outstanding master of late Classicism, a pupil of the famous Voronikhin.

The majestic five-domed church, built at the top of a hill on the riverbank, occupies a dominant position in the appearance and skyline of the entire city. The important urban-planning role of the structure is matched by the cathedral's centric composition, the calm outlines of the crowning domes, and the round forms of the eight-columned Ionic porticoes, which almost completely cover the walls of all four façades. The rough construction was finished by 1840, but the cathedral was fully finished only two years later. The unified impression of the building is completed by the single style of the interiors, with paintings by pupils of the Arzamas Stupin School, O. S. and A. O. Serebryakov, and a richly carved iconostasis by the brothers V. and K. Lomakin.

Winter Cathedral of the Life-Giving Spring (1794)

An earlier building (1794), and for this reason its architecture has a characteristic transitional quality toward Classicism, while its bell tower has retained a Baroque silhouette.

Today the cathedrals are active and in good condition. As of 2026, the restoration of the Resurrection Cathedral and the Savior-Transfiguration Cathedral has been fully completed in Arzamas as part of the development of the "Arzamas – Diveevo – Sarov" pilgrimage and tourism cluster.[1] In 2026, during a meeting between the Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region Gleb Nikitin and Patriarch Kirill in Diveevo, the completion of the restoration of the Resurrection Cathedral and the Savior-Transfiguration Cathedral in Arzamas was especially noted. As of 2026, about 700 churches have been restored in Nizhny Novgorod Region as a whole. In parallel, a project is underway to preserve ruined churches with the aim of their subsequent full revival.[1]; restoration work is being carried out in Arzamas, Diveevo, and Sarov, among other places, and new Orthodox schools are also being built. In August 2010, a church in honor of the Nativity of Christ was consecrated in Arzamas — one of the city's Orthodox churches built in recent times.[4][2][3]

Ilyinsky Church (1746)

One of the most beautiful churches in Arzamas was the Ilyinsky Church, which has now been transferred to the Arzamas Museum of History and Art. Unfortunately, its domed crown has been lost, but one can still see all the beauty of its stone decoration. The building of the former church has come down to us with its lower tetragonal volume, refectory, and altar. Its upper tiers, as well as the bell tower, no longer exist. The church was built in 1746, when the forms of European Baroque dominated the architecture of the capital, in which the decorative ornamentation of the shaped stone cornice found its development.

Alekseevsky Convent of the Nativity (Alekseevskaya Community)

The Alekseevsky Convent of the Nativity (Alekseevskaya Community) is located in the northwestern part of the city. The history of this monastery is interesting. According to available information, in 1643 a decree of Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich instructed the voivode, Prince Shakhovskoy, to build in Arzamas, in the posad (trading settlement), a royal place of pilgrimage — the Novodevichy convent of Alexis, the Man of God — in honor of the birth of the tsar's son Alexei.

Construction of the convent lasted from 1745 to 1826. By the time construction was completed, it had come to be called the Alekseevskaya Community. Only in 1908 was the Alekseevsky Novodevichy Convent in Arzamas finally restored to the status of a first-class monastery.

On the left, behind the monastery wall, are the hospital and the Varvarskaya Church, then the Gate Bell Tower, and the Assumption and Ascension churches. Above the fence are the cells and monastery buildings. After 1917, the 51st Rifle Regiment was quartered on the monastery grounds. The monastery buildings, apart from the bell tower, have survived in part, with heavy losses.

The Cathedral of the Savior's Transfiguration also underwent a full cycle of restoration work as part of the same cluster.[1]

Sources

  1. nne.ru — Nizhny Novgorod Metropolia — In August 2010, a church in honor of the Nativity of Christ was consecrated in Arzamas — one of the city's Orthodox churches built in recent times. (archive)
  1. Vremya N — Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with Igor Komarov, Gleb Nikitin, and Archbishop George (archive)
  2. Vremya N — About 700 churches have been restored in Nizhny Novgorod Region (archive)
  3. Nizhny Novgorod News Agency — Patriarch Kirill noted the connection between science and faith at a meeting in Diveevo (archive)