St. Alexander's Church

Among the green trees in spring and summer, among the gray monochromes of Chinese houses in autumn and winter, a bright orange-red spot pleases the eye of St. Alexander’s temple in Harbin.

Initially, the temple was built in the village of Alekseevka from the centuries-old larch of the military temple, left at one time by Russian troops. In 1912 it was moved to Modyagou (District of Harbin). The number of Russians in China after the October revolution increased significantly, immigrants from all over Russia flocked here, the number of parishioners increased. In 1930, a new stone church was laid on their funds under the project of architect Yuri Smirnov, and in 1935 the church was opened.

The church building stood out among the surrounding buildings with its height and unusual silhouette, architecturally and artistically it was decided in the traditional Russian style. The temple complex consists of a bell tower, refectory and a temple with an apse. From the north and south sides to the temple and the bell tower symmetrically adjacent low extensions. The slender bell tower is decorated with protruding cornices, the windows are delineated with casings, and their upper part is crowned with stone kokoshniks. All the details of the facades are white, they contrast with the color of the walls of red brick.

In the 1960s, during the Cultural Revolution, church service was discontinued, and the church was occupied as a food warehouse. Now the former Orthodox Church serves Catholics.