Just as the Eiffel Tower is a symbol of Paris, the Mountain Temple has become a landmark for visitors to Rezhe. This temple, dedicated to John the Baptist, rises atop the rocky Eagle Mountain above the Rezhe River and is renowned for its many picturesque paintings. In architecture, it is common to use the technique where a beautiful building completes the perspective of a street, creating an impressive view. For example, the Admiralty in St. Petersburg completes the perspective of Nevsky Prospect. In Rezhe, the Mountain Temple has become a unique example of such an ensemble: it closes the perspective of the main street of the settlement, situated on a rocky outcrop. There are no similar examples in the Middle Urals or in other cities of Russia.

The first master plan for Rezhe was drawn up in 1830, and at that time, the first wooden John the Baptist Church was built. The architects of the mining department, for whom this time was an era of great achievements, created the plans. The pond and dam became the formative elements for Rezhe, along which the street network developed. The Rezhe River sharply turns after the dam and runs parallel to it. On the opposite bank, a cliff rose, on which the cemetery church was built. A simple yet brilliant idea was to direct the main street of the settlement towards this church.

Another interesting point: the Big Street, now Lenin Street, was not just the main street but also the entrance. The suburban Nikolskaya Road transitioned into the main settlement highway, and the church seemed to welcome newcomers. Brilliant!

The Church of John the Baptist created an extraordinary visual connection between the secular and the spiritual, between the earthly and the heavenly. Moving along the street, you seem to strive for the heavenly world, but the closer it appears, the more its unattainability is realized.

The first Mountain Church was built at the initiative of the clerk Y. Kozlov, who became a literary hero in the story "Zarnitsy." The funds for construction were allocated by the factory owner Alexey Yakovlev, whose name is mentioned in letters from A.S. Pushkin. The first church was modest: small, wooden, and cramped, with simple plastering inside. The clergy complained about the leaking roof. The first priest, Antioch Ponomarev, served for over 20 years and was known for his humility and diligence.

In 1897, the wooden church was dismantled due to dilapidation. In its place, a new stone church in the Russian-Byzantine style was built in 1902, which became one of the most beautiful in the Middle Urals. The church project was developed by diocesan architect Sergey Kozlov and academician Yuli Dyutel. They used the "exemplary" project of K.A. Ton, the creator of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.

Funds for construction were raised by the entire community, with merchant Nikolai Zamyatin as the initiator. Significant assistance was provided by factory manager P.E. Yargin and the head of the mining district A.I. Fadeev.

Today, this is the only Orthodox church in Rezhe that has survived since pre-revolutionary times. Despite pressure from the authorities and high taxes, the church continued to operate in the 1930s thanks to a united community. The names of these people are unknown to us, but their faith and devotion deserve respect.

After the arrest of Father N.A. Arkhangelsky in 1941, the church was closed. Of more than 1150 churches in the Middle Urals, only 18 remained open. For a long time, church property was stored in the basement of a newspaper office until it was flooded. The church became a refuge for birds and dubious companies.

Since the early 1990s, the restoration of the John the Baptist Church has begun, once again becoming one of the main shrines of the city. The church has collected many ancient icons, some of which were used for household needs. One of the icons bears traces of a hot frying pan, while another was used as part of a fishing raft.