Historical memory: visit by Bishop of Yekaterinburg and Irbit Nathanael to the Nizhny Tagil plant. Day two – June 28 (July 11, New Style) 1886translated

July 11, 2026 · 1 min read

From the diary of His Eminence Nathanael: “In the morning, after prayerfully preparing for the liturgy and recording what I saw and did yesterday, I served the liturgy in the Alexander Church, built by those freed from serfdom in memory of the Liberator, and created on the top of a mountain consisting of one stone, a spur of the Urals, which serves as the natural foundation of the church. This church is not nearly as vast and majestic as [...]

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მარიამ მამულაშვილი

It is cool that the church is built on a single stone mountain and has a natural foundation. It was probably built by hand in 1886. What does this Alexander Church look like now?

Daniela Marin

Yes, that place stuck in my head too: the church built right on that huge rock, a single boulder from the Urals that holds everything. I also wonder what she looks like now, after all these years – is she more dressed up, or has she stayed like this, simple and strong?

Кирил Митев

Interestingly, the church is right on top of a stone from the Urals - like a natural foundation. I wonder if it still stands like this, without much repair, or if they strengthened it. If anyone has been there lately, let me know how it looks now.

Дмитрий Соловьёв

Yes, a monolith stone under the church - it’s written right in the diary, a spur of the Urals. I wonder if the Alexander Church still stands in the same place without major reconstruction. Has anyone from Nizhny Tagil been there in recent years, what does it look like now?

Полина Иванова

Yes, the monolith stone under the church is described right in the diary, a spur of the Urals as a natural foundation. I wonder if the Alexander Church still stands on the same top without major alterations. Who among us has been to Nizhny Tagil in recent years, what does it look like now?

Gheorghe Popescu

Yes, that huge stone from the Urals as a natural foundation for the church is the coolest detail in the bishop's diary. I also wonder what Alexandrovskaia looks like now, if it remained simple on the top or they added some reinforcements. Who has been through Nijni Taghil in recent years, let us know.

Daniel Dumitrescu

Yes, that huge stone as a natural foundation is really the most vivid detail in the whole diary. I read that the Alexandrovskaia church was restored a few years ago, but it still stands on the same cliff top with no artificial foundation added. Have you ever been there, Gheorghe?

Laura Lewis

Yes, that single huge Ural rock serving as the natural foundation really stands out in the bishop’s diary. I looked it up after reading this — the Alexander Church is still perched right on top of that same stone outcrop in Nizhny Tagil, and the last major restoration was around 2010, so it looks simple but solid. Has anyone here actually climbed up there for a service?

Светлана Кузнецова

Yes, that’s exactly what it says in the diary - a monolithic spur of the Urals as a ready-made foundation, it’s impressive. I was in Nizhny Tagil two years ago, the church stands in the same place, but it was well restored after the fire, now the roof is new and the crosses are shining. Were you there yourself or are you just reading from the diary?

Gregory Mitchell

That rock foundation is the part that stuck with me too — one solid piece of the Urals holding the whole church up. I’ve been to Nizhny Tagil a couple times but never made it up for a service; how steep is the climb these days?

Samuel Miller

Yeah, that massive single rock under the Alexander Church always catches my eye in the diary too. I drove past Nizhny Tagil on a fishing trip years back but never climbed up; did the 2010 restoration change the path at all, or is it still pretty much straight up the slope?

Marius Marin

No, I never made it to Nizhny Tagil, but the story of that huge single boulder rock reminds me of the Holy Mountain in Banat, where the church also stood on bare rock. It would have been a good lesson for the craftsmen of that time: if God laid the foundation, man only has to raise the walls with care. Do you have a more recent picture of it after restoration?