Temple of the Don Icon of the Mother of God (Tula)

At the site of the temple was originally a cemetery, but according to the regular plan of Tula in 1779, the territory of the cemetery was allocated for residential buildings. The western, perhaps the oldest part of the cemetery, was not demolished - here, at the intersection of Zavarnaya and Goltyakovskaya streets (present-day Marat and Chapaev), in 1857-1864, a temple was built in the name of the Don Icon of the Mother of God . The project of the temple was developed by the architect of the Tula Arms Plant M. A. Mikhailov. On February 3, 1856, this project was submitted to St. Petersburg , to the department of artificial affairs of the General Directorate of Communications and Public Buildings. In the capital's office, the Tula project was remade and submitted for the Highest approval to Emperor Alexander II , which took place on March 1, 1857.

For the construction they decided to donate their own money to gunsmiths. The contribution of Maxim Lyalin was especially great - 10 thousand rubles. Part of the money donated by Emperor Alexander II as a reward to Tula gunsmiths was also sent to build the Don Church. The temple was built in the "tone" style. In addition to the high altar, consecrated on September 27, 1864, there were two more in the church: the right - in the name of the Trinity (consecrated on November 22, 1864) and the left - in the name of St. Maxim the Confessor (consecrated on January 17, 1865).

In 1892, at the Don Church, they began to build a bell tower, the construction of which lasted seven years. In 1894 a parish school was opened at the church.

The Don Church was closed according to a decree of the presidium of the Moscow Regional Executive Committee of February 16, 1930. Her building was planned to be used as a kindergarten or under the Pulkovo district library. However, these projects did not materialize and the church was demolished.

In the early 1990s, archaeologists discovered a basement of an old temple in a public garden. At this place, on the initiative of Vladimir Mogilnikov , who at that time was the head of the administration of the Proletarsky district, a new church in the name of the icon of the Mother of God “Donskaya” was built on voluntary donations from 97 labor collectives and 49 private persons. They consecrated him on May 6, 1995. The height of the temple together with the cross is more than 16 meters, the inner area is 77 m².

• Lozinsky R.R. Pages past.

• Church of the Don Icon of the Mother of God on the site "Russian Churches"
• Temple of the Don Icon of the Mother of God on the site of the Tula and Belevo Diocese