The Church of the Nativity of Christ in the village of Priluki, built in 1768 on the site of an old wooden church, has five domes and architectural forms characteristic of that time. The funds for construction were raised by the parishioners, and the walls were painted by Yaroslavl artist Nikolai Egorovich Diakonov.
In the 1930s, the church was closed and used as a grain storage, a chemical warehouse, and a kerosene shop. In 1979, lightning and the subsequent fire destroyed the dome of the bell tower, which was considered the tallest on the banks of the Volga. However, the walls and the wrought iron cross remained intact.
Pavel Dmitrievich Berezin, a native of Priluki, recalls that the dome was wooden and covered with tin, and the lightning rod had been cut. During a storm, lightning struck the cross, and the dome caught fire. It burned like a torch, and although Berezin did not see it himself, he feels sorry for the bell tower, as his grandmother participated in its construction.
In 1990, the church was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. Restoration began in 2005 thanks to Moscow benefactors who wished to remain anonymous. Father Sergey notes that the ruined church looks like a person without a head. The village priest shares that this year a benefactor was found who sent building materials and craftsmen from Moscow for the roof restoration. The church is currently active, but the restoration is not yet complete and depends on further donations.
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