Church of Mid-Pentecost, Rostov-on-Don

Church of Mid-Pentecost
Церковь Покрова Пресвятой Богородицы
47.189985°N 39.63635°E / 47.189985; 39.63635
Location	Rostov-on-Don, Russia
Country	Russia
Denomination	Russian Orthodox
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	Mid-Pentecost
Architecture
Completed	1829
Administration
Diocese	Diocese of Rostov and Novocherkassk

The Church of Mid-Pentecost (Russian: Церковь Преполовения Пятидесятницы) is a Russian Orthodox church in Rostov-on-Don, Russia that belongs to the Diocese of Rostov and Novocherkassk.

History

Hodegetria of Smolensk Chapel, 1894

The church's bell tower that was used for parachute training, 1935

The first mentioning about the church dates to 1824―1829, when it was built in the cossack village of Nizhne-Gnilovskaya on the funds of local dwellers. This church was being built for about five years.

In 1892–1893, when a cholera outbreak in Rostov-on-Don passed away, a chapel dedicated to Hodegetria of Smolensk was built to honor deliverance from the disease.

During Russian Civil War, in Autumn of 1918, the church became a city center of the White movement.

In 1933, the church was closed and gradually destroyed. Its bell tower was used for parachute training for several years. The church building was almost totally destroyed in 1940, but in 1942 divine services continued to be held in the cellar. In 1959 they were prohibited at all and all the remaining church property was expropriated. At the building of the former parish school a cinema theatre was opened.

The church began to be renovated in 1996. In 1999, liturgies were already started to be held there.