Editing Volgograd (section)

==Religion==

As a port city along an important and busy trading route, Volgograd has always been a diverse place. An 1897 survey reveals 893 Jews (512 men and 381 women), 1,729 Muslims (938 men and 791 women), and 193 Catholics (116 men and 77 women).<ref>{{cite web |title=Tsaritsyn Synagogue |url=http://xn--80aqpk2ad9a.xn--p1ai/2013/04/154-sinagoga.html |website=Tsaritsyn Encyclopedia |access-date=24 April 2022}}</ref>

===Holy Spirit Monastery===
[[File:Svyato-Duhov Monastery in Tsaritsyn.jpg|thumb|Holy Spirit Monastery, before 1923]]
Land for the Holy Spirit Monastery was originally allocated in 1904, but construction did not begin until 1909 and was not complete until 1911. [[Sergei Trufanov]], also known as the 'mad monk' of Tsaritsyn, was the driving force behind fundraising and getting the project off the ground.<ref name=Dixon/> The original complex had a church that could accommodate 6,000 people, the monastery itself could house 500 and an auditorium that held 1,000. There was a school, space for workshops, a printing office and an [[almshouse]]. The land the monastery stood on also hosted multiple gardens, a fountain and several inner yards.<ref>{{cite web |title=Construction of the Monastery |url=http://www.sdmon.ru/o-monastyre/istoriya/stroitelstvo-monastyrya/ |website=www.sdmon.ru (Holy Spirit Monastery) |access-date=20 April 2022}}</ref>

In 1912, the monastery was divided to a male and female section, housing both monks and nuns. In 1914, the school on the grounds of the Holy Spirit Monastery became part of the city school system and in 1915, housed 53 girls whose fathers were on the front lines. During the [[Russian Civil War]], an infirmary was set up and the complex was alternately used by both the [[Bolsheviks]] and the [[White movement|Whites]]. In 1923, once the area was under firm Bolshevik control, the monastery was closed. During the following decades, the complex was used as an orphanage, a library, a cinema and a student hostel. Eventually, many of the buildings fell into disuse and became dilapidated. At the onset of the Second World War, the complex was given to the military and many of the original buildings were demolished.<ref>{{cite web |title=Monastery Transformations |url=http://www.sdmon.ru/o-monastyre/istoriya/preobrazovaniya-monastyrya/ |website=www.sdmon.ru (Holy Spirit Monastery) |access-date=20 April 2022}}</ref>

After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the [[Diocese of Volgograd]] was established and the military began the process of transferring what was left of the Holy Spirit Monastery back to the church. A theological school was established in 1992 and restoration of the site continues today.<ref>{{cite web |title=Monastery Restoration |url=http://www.sdmon.ru/o-monastyre/istoriya/vosstanovlenie-monastyrya/ |website=www.sdmon.ru (Holy Spirit Monastery) |access-date=20 April 2022}}</ref>

===Alexander Nevsky Cathedral===
{{main|Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky (Volgograd)}}
[[File:Alexandro-Nevsky Cathedral Tsaritsyn.jpg|thumb|Original Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tsaritsyn, before 1932]]
Construction of the cathedral began on April 22, 1901, with the laying of the foundation stone by [[Hermogenes (Dolganyov)|Bishop Hermogenes]]. The domes were installed in 1915 and consecration took place on May 19, 1918. Almost as soon as it was built, the cathedral fell out of use. The Soviet powers closed it down officially in 1929, with the crosses and bells removed and the liturgical objects confiscated. The cathedral was then used as a motor depot and eventually demolished in 1932. In 2001, the long project of rebuilding the cathedral was begun. The first foundation stone was laid in 2016 and the finished replica was finally consecrated in 2021 by [[Patriarch Kirill of Moscow|Patriarch Kirill]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Patriarch Kirill Consecrates Restored St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Volgograd |url=https://www.pravmir.com/patriarch-kirill-consecrates-restored-st-alexander-nevsky-cathedral-in-volgograd/ |website=www.pravmir.com |access-date=23 April 2022 |date=20 Sep 2021}}</ref>

The new church stands in central Volgograd, bounded by Communist Street (Russian: Коммунистическая Улица) and Mir Street (Russian: Улица Мира) on the north and south and Volodarsk Street (Russian: Улица Володарского) and Gogol Street (Russian: Улица Гоголя) on the west and east, respectively. This area is also a park, called Alexander's Garden{{Efn|({{langx|ru|Александровский Сад}})}}. The cathedral stands across the street from a World War 2 monument, and a statue of and chapel for, the eponymous [[Alexander Nevsky]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}

===Floating Churches===
[[File:St Nicholas floating church.JPG|thumb|left|Original St.Nicholas floating church, consecrated in 1910]]
Volgograd hosts one of the few self-propelled floating churches in the world: the chapel boat of Saint Vladimir of Volgograd. Spearheaded by Vladimir Koretsky and assisted by a Dutch Orthodox priest who was part of the organization [[Aid to the Church in Need]] (ACN), the Saint Vladimir was consecrated in October 2004 on the shore of the Volga. Originally a decommissioned landing craft found in a shipyard outside St. Petersburg, it took two years to convert it into a floating church. The boat chapel sports three shining domes and was decorated with icons and religious motifs by a local Volgograd artist. On its maiden voyage, the Saint Vladimir reached [[Astrakhan]] in the south and [[Saratov]] in the north; traveling an 800 kilometer (~500 mile) span of the Volga River.<ref name="BarbaLata">{{cite journal |last1=Barba Lata |first1=Iulian V. |last2=Minca |first2=Claudio |title=The floating churches of Volgograd: river topologies and warped spatialities of faith |journal=Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers |date=2018 |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=122–136 |doi=10.1111/tran.12208 |bibcode=2018TrIBG..43..122B |url=https://doi.org/10.1111/tran.12208}}</ref>

In addition to this self propelled church, Vladimir Koretsky first built two other floating churches in Volgograd, both of which must be towed by another craft. The Saint Innocent was originally a repair vessel and was located in a shipyard in Volgograd. Despite it being in poor condition, the boat had good sized cabins and a kitchen unit; the hull was restored, the largest cabins were merged and a single shining dome was added. Icons and sacred relics were donated by parishes from all over the country and the floating church was consecrated on 22 May 1998. During its first year in operation, it visited 28 villages, where 446 people were baptised and 1,500 received communion. The Saint Innocent was mobile for four months of the year, operating mostly on the Don River, and spent the rest of the time moored in [[Pyatimorsk]], providing a semi permanent church for that rural locality.<ref name=BarbaLata/>

Due to the success of the Saint Innocent, the ACN launched the creation of a second floating church, this time built atop an old barge. Christened the Saint Nicholas, in honor of the original floating church built in 1910, it was moored at a yacht club in Volgograd for several years, serving as a place of worship for passing ships crews. It was later towed to Oktyabrsky, a remote southern village of the Volgograd Oblast, to serve as a semi-permanent church.<ref name=BarbaLata/>

All of these floating churches were inspired by the original; a retrofitted tug-passenger steamer, which ran between Kazan and Astrakhan, named the Saint Nicholas. Commissioned in 1858, it was first christened the Kriushi, then the Pirate, until it was purchased by the [[Diocese of Astrakhan]] in 1910 and converted into a church. It served for 8 years, traveling up and down the Volga River, sometimes clocking 4,000 miles a year. Much like every other church in Russia, it was decommissioned in 1918 by the Soviets. It made such an impact on the local population however, that almost 80 years later, it was the inspiration for a new "flotilla of God".<ref name=BarbaLata/>

===Volgograd Synagogue===
[[File:Первая Царицынская синагога. ул. Балахинская д.6.jpg|thumb|First Volgograd Synagogue]]
Also known as Beit David Synagogue, it was named after David Kolotilin, a Jewish leader during the Soviet period. Although some sources claim that this was the first synagogue to serve the Jews of Volgograd, was constructed in 1888, and its original purpose was exclusively that of a synagogue, there is little evidence to support this. What little documentation exists suggests that it was indeed built at the turn of the century, but its original purpose is unknown.<ref name="CJA">{{cite journal |last1=Levin |first1=Vladimir |last2=Berezin |first2=Anna |editor1-last=Cohen-Mushlin |editor1-first=Aliza |editor2-last=Oleshkevich |editor2-first=Ekaterina |title=Jewish Material Culture along the Volga Preliminary Expedition Report |journal=Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem |date=2021 |url=https://cja.huji.ac.il/home/pics/projects/CJA_Report_on_the_Volga_expedition_2021.pdf |access-date=24 April 2022}}</ref> In fact, a 1903 tourist guide to Tsaritsyn warns that almost all of the buildings in the town are wooden and makes no mention of this structure, so an 1888 construction date is highly unlikely.<ref name=Dixon/> It is a two-story, rectangular building, made of brick and richly decorated. The architectural style is typical of residential buildings constructed in Tsaritsyn after the turn of the century.<ref name="IOP">{{cite journal |last1=Serebryanaya |first1=V |last2=Kolyshev |first2=Yu |title=Regional tradition in the architectural culture of Nizhneye Povolzhye (by the example of the Volgograd region) |journal=IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater. Sci. Eng. |date=2020 |volume=962 |issue=3 |page=032043 |doi=10.1088/1757-899X/962/3/032043 |bibcode=2020MS&E..962c2043S |s2cid=229477037 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The original building barely survived the Battle of Stalingrad; it was in ruins as late as 1997, with broken windows and gaping holes made by Nazi bombs. Some sources suggest that the building was reconstructed, but not restored, by 1999.<ref name=CJA/> Emissaries of the [[Chabad|Chabad-Lubavitch organization]] launched a campaign to return the building to the Jewish community and were finally successful in 2003. With the help of multiple fundraising campaigns and generous donors, including Edward Shifrin and Alex Schneider, the synagogue was restored. An annex was constructed in 2005 to mimic the original style and the building was rededicated in 2007.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dedication of New Synagogue in "Stalin's City" |url=https://www.chabad.org/news/photo_cdo/aid/604272/jewish/Dedication-of-New-Synagogue-in-Stalins-City.htm |website=www.chabad.org |access-date=24 April 2022 |date=30 Nov 2007}}</ref> The prayer hall can be found on the first floor, with communal offices on the second.<ref name=CJA/> Located at 2 Balachninskaya Street in the center of Volgograd. In addition to regular religious services, it also hosts a soup kitchen, a Jewish day school and an overnight children's camp. As of 2022, the community was led by Rabbi Zalman Yoffe.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jewish Community of Volgograd |url=https://www.chabad.org/jewish-centers/118456/Volgograd/Synagogue/Jewish-Community-of-Volgograd |website=www.chabad.org |access-date=24 April 2022}}</ref>