During the Soviet era, many Orthodox churches were destroyed, and it is now hard to even imagine the scale of these losses. Rostov-on-Don was no exception; dozens of churches disappeared here, including the Church of Andrew of Crete at the 19th-century men's gymnasium. This church was founded in memory of the miraculous salvation of Emperor Alexander III and his family during a railway disaster near the Borki station and was consecrated on December 6, 1889, in honor of Saint Andrew of Crete.

The Church of Saint Andrew of Crete was built with the funds of honorary citizen Shushpanov and operated until the arrival of Soviet power, after which it was closed along with the gymnasium. During World War II, the building housing the gymnasium and church was destroyed. In 1957, a new building was erected on this site, which now houses school No. 43 at Budennovsky Avenue, house 64 (formerly the avenue was called Taganrogsky).