The Ascension Church in Yekaterinburg is considered the only surviving church building in the city, executed in the style of late Baroque. Architecture is undoubtedly an important feature of any structure, but every building, like a person, has its own history and fate. The Ascension Church has witnessed many interesting and dramatic events. It was a witness to the tragic night of July 16-17, 1918, when the royal family was shot in Yekaterinburg. Today, the church needs careful restoration and respectful treatment. To preserve means to keep and remember. Let us recall how its history began.

In 1735, Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev wrote to the office of the Main Administration of Factories about the need to build a house outside the city due to poor living conditions near the factory. The place in question is the Ascension Hill, then still unnamed. A stone house with a cellar and a garden was built for Tatishchev.

On September 19, 1770, a new wooden church in honor of the Ascension of the Lord was consecrated at the foot of the mountain, where the Ipatiev House later appeared.

By 1789, the wooden church had deteriorated, and the parishioners along with the clergy requested permission to build a stone church on the site of Tatishchev's house. Blessing for the construction was received that same year, the laying of the building took place in 1792, and in 1801, an altar in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin was consecrated.

In 1808, the old wooden church was dismantled and moved to Nizhne-Isetsk, and a small stone chapel was built in its place. The Ascension Church seemed to rise from the foot of the mountain to its peak.

In the 19th century, the church was repeatedly completed and expanded. By the beginning of the 20th century, the church had six altars and housed a parish school.

The Ascension of the Lord, one of the main holidays of the Russian Orthodox Church, was celebrated at the end of May and the beginning of June. Many pilgrims gathered for the service at the Ascension Church in Yekaterinburg. However, the 1917 revolution changed the usual way of life. On January 23, 1918, a decree was published on the separation of the church from the state. Soon, the Civil War began. On April 17, 1918, a car appeared near the Ipatiev House, opposite the church, from which three men emerged. Nicholas II noted in his diary about moving to the Ipatiev House.

On Great Thursday in 1918, the bells of the Ascension Church rang, and the inhabitants of the Ipatiev House heard them. Nicholas II noted that the sounds of the bells reminded him of Holy Week. On the night of July 16-17, the church witnessed unusual hustle and bustle near the Ipatiev House. Soon, white troops entered the city, and in the summer of 1919, the reds returned. The decree on the separation of the church began to be implemented. In 1920, the Ascension parish signed a contract with the Yekaterinburg Council for free use of the church, committing to preserve its property.

However, in 1922, a decree was issued for the confiscation of church valuables, and the Ascension Church lost many treasures. In 1925, an inventory of property was conducted, and a shortage was discovered. Soon, the church was closed, and in 1926 it was converted into a school. Later, a local history museum was housed in the building, and in 1991, the church reopened for believers.