The historical Russian church in Oltu district of Erzurum was restored in accordance with its original form, using archival pictures as a reference.
The historical Russian church, built by Russian architect Mihayloviç Verjbitsky in the 19th-century architecture, is estimated to have been constructed between the 1877-1878 Ottoman-Russian War and the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. It occupies an area of 480 square meters.
As part of a project initiated in 2018 with the support of the Northeast Anatolia Development Agency, prepared by the Governorship, District Governorate, and Municipality, the restoration of the church began in 2019.
The restoration work at the Oltu Russian Church, undertaken through the "Development of Social Infrastructure and Tourism Infrastructure Financial Support Program" aimed at non-profit institutions and organizations, has been completed over a span of 4 years.
The church, which is expected to become a popular destination for Russian tourists visiting Erzurum, an important winter tourism center, has been prepared and made ready for its opening.
Atatürk University, Faculty of Literature, Department of Art History, Professor Dr. Haldun Özkan, explained that the historical structure's original name is Alexander Nevsky Church.
Özkan stated that in areas occupied by Russians, soldiers would build churches to boost their motivation and for worship purposes, and this particular church was constructed with those intentions in mind.
