Cerkov Samuila Proroka, Voronezh

The Temple of Samuel the Prophet is an Orthodox church of the Voronezh diocese, located in the historic center of Voronezh. The one-domed church is 26.1 m high and is in baroque style, with a "ship" base, and occupies an area of 0.1247 hectares. It was built in 1808 with the participation of the merchant Samuel Nikitich Mescheryakov. The merchant was popularly called the Cast-iron one for his physical strength. Next to the temple there is Ascension cemetery, it was called Chugunovsky after the nickname of the merchant benefactor.

Next to the temple of Samuel the Prophet there was a cemetery church - Ascension church. The church was made of stone in classical style and had a three-tiered bell tower. The church was built in 1808-1813. Services in it were held only in summer, as the building was not heated in winter. But both the Ascension church and the church in the name of Samuel the Prophet were served by the same priests, so they were always perceived as one whole.

The Chugunovskoe cemetery has been the largest in Voronezh since the 19th century. In fact, it had several subdivisions: on the right were Lutheran burials, in the center was a military cemetery, on the left were buried patients and prisoners.

During the years of Soviet power the church lost its value. In 1929 the church of Ascension was closed, the temple in the name of Samuel the Prophet in 1930 became a shelter for homeless children, Chugunovskoye cemetery began to destroy in 1931. During the Great Patriotic War, the church building was badly damaged. From 1943 to 1951 there was a glass factory inside the church. By the end of the 1950s the church was actually dismantled brick by brick. In 1960 on the territory of the former Chugunovka cemetery the construction of a sports complex "Jubilee" began. In the early 1990s, dilapidated buildings housed workshops of artists and sculptors.

It was not until 1993 that the church was transferred to the Voronezh diocese. Today the church is a monument to the frontier guards who died defending the borders of their homeland.

On April 30, 2016, five new domes of blue color were installed on the temple, and the old golden dome was dismantled.