The Church of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica with a bell tower is located in Veliky Novgorod, at the intersection of Fyodorovsky Ruchy and Bolshaya Moskovskaya streets. Nearby is the Church of Clement. The church was founded in 1381 on Slavkova Street.

Archimandrite Makary in his writings mentions that at that time there were several churches dedicated to Demetrius in various parts of Novgorod. He also reports that the church is first mentioned in 1261 when it burned down on November 22. The next mention refers to 1381, when "in the year 6889 they laid the stone church of holy Demetrius on Slavkova Street." A year later, in 1382, the construction was completed, and the temple was consecrated by the Novgorod bishop Alexei in honor of the victory of Dmitry Donskoy over Mamai in the Battle of Kulikovo. The main entrance to the church was on the southern side, as the large Moscow road ran between it and the bell tower. The chronicler notes that soon the church "crumbled in a few days." It is known that it burned down and was restored multiple times. In the 15th century, the church had two altars: in honor of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica and the Beheading of St. John the Baptist. Later, two more were added in honor of Boris and Gleb, and in 1810, in honor of St. Nil of Stolobensk.

The church is distinguished by its rich brick ornamentation, which decorates the upper part of the southern and eastern facades.

The bell tower is located 20 meters south of the church. There are no exact data on its construction, but pre-revolutionary authors and Archimandrite Makary attribute it to 1691. Research has shown that the bell tower has survived almost unchanged. Previously, its stone tent was covered with wrought iron, and the dome was covered with white tin with a gilded cross. Nine bells hung on the ringing tier, the largest of which was cast in 1735 and weighed 76 poods.

In the second half of the 19th century, small buildings were added to the bell tower: a two-story stone house to the west, a one-story wooden structure to the east, and another extension to the south. A doorway leading to the internal staircase was laid, and a new one was broken through. Currently, the entrance to the bell tower is on the western side. After the war, only the western extension remained, which was later demolished, leaving the bell tower standing alone.

During the war, the church sustained minor damage: the dome's top and roof were lost, and the roofs and ceilings in the western and southern chapels were damaged. The bell tower remained unharmed.

On June 22, 2012, an agreement was signed at the St. George Monastery for the transfer of the Church of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica for gratuitous use by the Novgorod Diocese. The agreement was signed by Metropolitan Lev of Novgorod and Staraya Russa and Viktor Mitr, head of the Territorial Administration of the Federal Agency for State Property Management in the Novgorod Region.

By the blessing of Metropolitan Lev, Archpriest Georgy Kosovets was appointed as the rector of the church. On June 23, Father Georgy held an All-Night Vigil in the church, and on June 24, the first Divine Liturgy after a long break took place. The restoration of the church will require significant effort and time.