The authorities of Saratov handed over to the Samara and Saratov dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Old Believers Church for free use a historical building in the city center, in which the temple was located in pre-revolutionary times. The decree on this was signed by the mayor of Saratov, Mikhail Isaev.
The former Kazan Old Believer Church of the 19th century, previously also called Gorinskaya, with an area of 432.1 square meters, is located at Chernyshevsky Street, 199A and has an adjoining plot of land of 639 square meters. Before the revolutionary events, the building served as a house of prayer for the city community of Old Believers, but then it was transferred to the sports society 'Spartak', and later - to the fencing school. The building has the status of a Cultural Heritage Site.
In 2017, the Old Believers already applied to the mayor's office with a request to return the building of the former church to the community, but they were refused - allegedly due to the fact that they did not provide a historical reference. The authorities planned to transfer the building of the Russian Orthodox gymnasium, but now they have changed their decision. Over time, in the building of the restored church, Orthodox prayers will again sound and services of Christian Old Believers will be performed. Control over the implementation of the mayor's office decree will be carried out by the deputy head of the administration of the municipal formation 'City of Saratov' for urban planning and architecture.
