Calling Nizhny Novgorod a holy city may be going a step too far, but it is a considerably religious place for sure. It is not Mecca, nor Jerusalem, and given its location far away from the birthplace of the Abrahamic trio, it does not really harbour any specific “original holy” sites that relate to this trifecta. However, most of the people here seem to be quite religious, and one can find an almost unreasonable variety when it comes to a selection of present beliefs here. Certainly, Russia is a rather Orthodox Christian country, but the city of Nizhny Novgorod is home to almost all religions known to our kind and hosts several temples for most of them. What follows is a short list of holy places that I could came across during my stay there.
Orthodox Christianity
Given that this is the Russian Federation, it would be quite rude not to start this list with a look at the Orthodox churches found in the city. There are so many of them that it would be impossible to cover them all here, hence I will just list a few that struck me the most here.
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUrULH5dA
Rivalled only by a few other temples that I have been to (looking at you Saint Sava of Belgrade), a visit to Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a must no matter whether you a devout Christian or an ardent atheist. Ornaments and the overall “vibe” that one gets in this place is phenomenal and certainly deserves some of your precious time.
Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUrULdSOD
Likely the prettiest temple in the whole city. It is gorgeous in and out, but the architecture on the outside certainly deserves the most praise here. It is quite central so a visit to is hardly something to plan for.
Armenian Apostolic Church – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUrUPqV~A
For a truly “Oriental” Orthodox experience, this unique church should be on your list so that you can take a peek into the way Armenian clergy carry out their rituals.
Catholic Christianity
To my knowledge, there really is only one Catholic church in all of Nizhny Novgorod, which is understandable. This region is deeply rooted in Orthodox Christian traditions, and far removed from the border where there could be more room for missionaries of all sorts to roam around.
Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUrUPvRxA
Though small and unassuming, I suppose it deserves a visit given its “uniqueness” in a region known for its Orthodox values.
Protestant Christianity
Though I am quite surprised, there are more Protestant churches in the city than Catholic ones, or should I say one… I suppose the whole schism thing really worked “well” here where the divide can be seen quite literally. Protestants as “latecomers” seem to be more in demand here than old “rivals.”
JEM Church – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUrUPWZtD
The single most interesting temple in the whole city for those that cannot speak Russian since they simultaneously translate their sermon to English. They also offer a lot of singing and dancing and create an overall friendly and welcoming atmosphere for all to enjoy.
Baptist Church – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUrUPdeCD
This could be an option if you want a particular branch of Protestant Christianity given the fact that JEM Church does not really seem to differentiate that much between its parishioners.
Evangelist Church – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUrUTE4pB
This is a good choice for, well, Evangelists… It does not seem to look like much from the inside, but it is one of those places that is more about the actual practice of religion rather than the aesthetics of it.
Islam
Being placed somewhere in between Moscow and Kazan, it would not be wrong to say that the city of Nizhny Novgorod saw its fair share of both Christians and Muslims. This means that there is in fact a mosque in the city, though not necessarily an impressive one.
Cathedral Mosque – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUrUTRMgB
With its interesting name, and an even more interesting architecture this small mosque certainly deserves a visit. That being said, getting in it may not be easy, as I could not find anyone to speak to when I was there once, and the gates were locked.
Judaism
To complete the Abrahamic trio, we simply cannot forget about the Jewish community of Nizhny. There seems to be only one synagogue for them all, in line with the Muslims, but it certainly gets the job done thanks to its bigger size and more central location.
Synagogue of the Nizhny Novgorod Jewish Community – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUrUTf78A
Central and unique, what else is there not to love about this place?
Hinduism
Speaking about uniqueness, let us now move on to the final two but likely the most interesting temples one can find in the city. There is a Hindu minority in Nizhny, and almost all of them seem to be Russian converts that are mostly interested in Yoga and the like, or perhaps the beaches of Goa. We can never know for sure…
Krishna Temple – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUrUTTF~D
Though it is dedicated to just one deity, Krishna Temple seems to be the only Hindu temple in town which is bound to attract almost all Hindus to itself given its exclusivity. They offer a generous vegetarian meal, a wonderful chanting session or two, and some dancing, making it worthy of a visit in my book.
Buddhism
There is a Buddhist temple, and even a few Lamas here, one of which is Lama Ole Nydahl, who is one of the first Westerners to become a Lama.
Buddhist Center – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUrU2UA2D
It is small, and rather cute, but certainly gets the job done for the few Buddhists of the city. They seem to meet at least weekly, and do not have any missionary activities going on as is usual of Buddhism.