Saint Alekseyev Church 圣阿列克谢耶夫教堂

The whole point of visiting Guogeli Avenue 果戈理大街 was to visit this heritage building along this charming street. Saint Alekseyev Church like much of the heritage buidlings in Haerbin was built during the time of the Russians. Guogeli Avenue was a popular place for Russians to settle at Haerbin and it was only a matter of time before a church was built. The church is of Baroque design and quite distinctly Russian in origin. The church used to be a Russian Orthodox church until the Russians left. In the 1980s, the church was assigned to the Haerbin Catholic Church.

This is probably the closest I would ever get to Russia and I am delighted with the architectural inheritance it has bestowed on Haerbin. The Saint Alekseyev Church like the Saint Sophia Cathedral used to be neglected with numerous buildings in the periphery. However, a clean up effort by the local government turn the church area into a square. These days, it is a nice place to stroll and enjoy the cool air of Haerbin. One could easily get caught up by the pace of life here in Haerbin. I won’t say that it is all that bad.

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