Report by historical archive employee Vera Leonidovna Pomytkina at the opening of the exhibition “The Road to the Church” in the Tara Local History Museumtranslated

The archival documents presented today at this exhibition are strict.

It is in this rigor that their strength lies. These are not memories, not memoirs, these are dry lines of survey reports, inventories of property, decisions of authorities.

These documents accurately record the chronology of the “life” of the church:

— 1936...  it became a turning point for all Tara Orthodox churches.

- January 26, 1936 - secondary inspection of the buildings of Tara churches;

And already on April 29, the Presidium of the City Council, citing violations of lease agreements for church buildings, decided to terminate these agreements. This was the first official step towards change, and it sounded like a condemnation of the usual way of life.

And then - step by step - we can see the fate of the church.

Two years later, on February 20, 1938, the commission again inspected the Church of the Savior.

The technical act contains strict wording: the community has disintegrated, there is no agreement, the building is not registered, the property is in a state of disrepair. Despite the fact that the walls are brick, the building is deteriorating. The commission's conclusion is clear: it cannot be operated until there is a major overhaul.

The keys were confiscated, and there was an announcement on the doors: within seven days, any community can receive support...