The Orthodox Sign Church in the village of Kurya, Altai Krai, is known not only as a unique monument of architecture and cult architecture but also for the fact that in 1919, the future famous weapon designer Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov was baptized here.

The church has the shape of an ark, and there are only about ten such structures in Russia. Built in the Russian-Byzantine style, it was laid in 1900 and finally completed in 1903 in the central square of the village of Kurya. The first service took place in 1904. The building, made of red brick produced by local residents, the Ovcharov brothers, was constructed according to a design brought by the parish priest. The construction was carried out by a team of craftsmen who came from other places. The bells were cast in the Urals, in Zmeinogorsk, and the painting of the church was done by visiting artists over six years. The decision to build the church was made at a village meeting, where part of the funds was also collected. From 1903 to 1905, a ministerial school opened, where Russian and Slavic languages, literature, history, arithmetic, and also the law of God were taught by the local priest.

In 1934, the church was closed, the bells were removed, and in 1936, the domes and cupolas were dismantled. For a long time, the building was used as a storage for agricultural products and a grain warehouse. In 1957, it became the district club, later turning into a House of Culture. In 1989, the Altai Regional Council of People's Deputies decided to place the cultural heritage site 'Sign Church' under state protection.

In 2011, a restoration and reconstruction project for the church was developed, carried out by the 'Toskina Architectural Workshop' with the participation of architect Pyotr Anisiforov. The project aimed to maximize the preservation and restoration of the historical appearance, including the reconstruction of the domes and cupolas, bell tower, and entrance nodes. Funding for the work was provided by the 'Small Homeland of M.T. Kalashnikov' Fund. Since 2012, restoration work has been underway to restore the church's original appearance. The complexity lies in selecting bricks and gathering fragments for authentic masonry.

By 2017, the bell tower was restored, and work on the sewage system and internal power supply was completed. The restoration project is unique for its use of works by Kolyvan stonecutters. The craftsmen created four mosaic panels and church attributes for the altar. Funds for the project were allocated from the regional budget, and the craftsmen's works are stored in the exhibition hall of the enterprise. The church in Kurya will become the only one of its kind in the country due to its architectural features and artistic solution.

In late November 2017, colored stained glass windows were installed in the church, which, along with the mosaic icons, make it unique. On August 10, 2018, in the presence of many residents from the Kurya district and neighboring regions, Bishop Roman of Rubtsovsk and Aleysk consecrated the domes and crosses that were placed on the church.