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Church of Elijah the Prophet, Yaroslavl

White 17th-century Church of Elijah the Prophet with green domes, tent-roofed bell tower and chapel, Sovetskaya Square
Photo: Alexxx1979, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The essentials in 10 seconds

Ticket
At the church desk only; the museum doesn’t publish the price — guides quote about 200–250 ₽
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Hours
Daily 9:00–18:00, no weekly closing day
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Time on site
A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes.
45 min
With kids
Better without small kids
Season
1 May – 21 October; closed 22 October – 1 May to protect the frescoes
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Rainy days
Closed
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Museum combined ticket
Doesn’t list the church — buy a separate ticket
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Free entry
Children under 7
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Guided tours by the museum
On set days in season, 400 ₽, in Russian
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Photography
Guides say allowed without flash; whether there is a fee is not published
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Phone
+7 910 973-77-95
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Coordinates
57.62694, 39.89444YesGo MapGoogleAppleYandex

Key facts

1680the main church was painted in under three summer months by a team of 15 artists
2 sourcesOfficial website of the Yaroslavl Museum-ReserveRussian Wikipedia, “Church of Elijah the Prophet (Yaroslavl)”
Gury Nikitin and Sila Savinthe painters from Kostroma who led the team
2 sourcesOfficial museum-reserve websiteRussian Wikipedia
1647–1650built for the merchant brothers Vonifaty and Ioanniky Skripin
3 sourcesOfficial museum-reserve websiteRussian WikipediaTripster journal
The Harvestthe best-known fresco, on the south wall, part of the cycle of the prophet Elisha
2 sourcesOfficial museum-reserve websiteTripster journal
1650the Skripins received a relic of the Robe of Christ; a tent-roofed chapel was built to house it
2 sourcesOfficial museum-reserve websiteRussian Wikipedia
1696the gilded carved iconostasis was installed; most lower-tier icons are attributed to Fyodor Zubov
2 sourcesOfficial museum-reserve websiteTripster journal
1920handed to the museum; in the 1930s museum staff saved it from demolition
2 sourcesRussian WikipediaTripster journal
No. 1170part of the Historical Centre of the City of Yaroslavl, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2005
2 sourcesUNESCO World Heritage ListRUSSPASS
1989reconsecrated; occasional summer services since then
2 sourcesRussian WikipediaTripster journal

Church of Elijah the Prophet tickets and opening hours

The church opens from 1 May to 21 October, every day from 9:00 to 18:00. There is no weekly closing day, but it stays shut on rainy days, because damp air harms the paintings. Grey but dry days are usually fine.

Tickets are sold only at the desk by the church. The museum’s website currently shows no price; recent guides quote about 200–250 ₽ for an adult. Children under 7 go in free. The museum-reserve’s combined ticket doesn’t list the church, so plan on a separate ticket.

Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards don’t work in Russia (since March 2022). Bring roubles in cash or use a Russian card. Concessions need a Russian document, so most foreign visitors pay the adult price.

Is the Church of Elijah the Prophet worth visiting?

Yes — in season and on a dry day, it’s one of the two or three things you shouldn’t skip in Yaroslavl. The interior survives almost untouched from the 17th century: wall paintings, iconostases, even the carved royal and patriarchal seats. Few churches in Russia let you see a complete painted interior of that age.

Outside the season, it isn’t worth a detour. Without the frescoes you get a handsome white church with green domes — lovely in photos, but a five-minute stop on the way to the river.

Who built it and who painted the frescoes

Two wooden churches stood here before the merchant brothers Vonifaty and Ioanniky Skripin, among the richest men in Muscovy, paid for a stone church in 1647–1650. In 1650 the tsar and the patriarch gave them a fragment of the Robe of Christ, and a separate tent-roofed chapel went up to hold it.

In summer 1680, a team of 15 painters led by Gury Nikitin and Sila Savin of Kostroma covered the main church in under three months. Work on the galleries and chapels went on until 1717; the gilded iconostasis arrived in 1696.

The museum took the building over in 1920. In the 1930s it was twice slated for demolition and saved by museum staff, and from 1938 to 1941 it housed an anti-religious exhibition with a Foucault pendulum. It was reconsecrated in 1989.

What to see inside

  • The 1680 frescoes — tier upon tier from floor to vault: the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles and the lives of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. The colours are still bright.
  • The Harvest on the south wall — reapers in a field, the image on half of Yaroslavl’s postcards. Look for it first.
  • The giant saints on the pillars, including the patron saints of the two merchant brothers.
  • The gilded iconostasis of 1696, with many icons attributed to Fyodor Zubov.
  • The royal and patriarchal seats — carved canopies rarely found in a parish church.
  • The Robe chapel and the painted galleries from the early 18th century.
  • The glazed tiles outside, around windows and drums, restored to old patterns.

How to get to the Church of Elijah the Prophet

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On foot

More tips

  1. The address is 7 Sovetskaya Square (Sovetskaya Ploshchad), right in the old centre. Search “Church of Elijah the Prophet” or “Tserkov Ilyi Proroka” in a map app.
  2. From the Volga Embankment: about 5 minutes on foot, up from the Governor’s Garden.
  3. From the Yaroslavl Kremlin on Bogoyavlenskaya Square: about 10 minutes on foot.
  4. By trolleybus or bus, get off at Krasnaya Ploshchad or Ploshchad Volkova, then walk 5–10 minutes. Trolleybus 1 runs from Yaroslavl-Glavny station to Krasnaya Ploshchad — check the number in a map app.
  5. From the river station (Rechnoy Vokzal): about 15 minutes on foot along the Volga.

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Church of Elijah vs Yaroslavl Kremlin vs Assumption Cathedral

Church of Elijah the Prophetyou are here1680 frescoes and iconostasisSovetskaya Square, centrePaid, desk at the church1 May – 21 October, not in rain40–45 min
Yaroslavl Kremlin1516 cathedral, bell tower, exhibitionsBogoyavlenskaya Square, 10 min walkGrounds 100 ₽, extras separateYear-round; cathedral May–September1–2 h
Assumption CathedralNew cathedral at the StrelkaStrelka, 10–15 min walkFreeYear-round20–30 min

For old painting, pick the Church of Elijah — it’s the most complete interior in town. Go to the Kremlin for the bell-tower view. The Assumption Cathedral is new; drop in on your way to the Strelka.

Yaroslavl churches compared

Churches and monasteries in Yaroslavl rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

Assumption Cathedral5130 minFree12 min walk
Church of Elijah the Prophetyou are here4745 min≈ 200–250 ₽, May to October—
Metropolitan's Chambers451 h200 ₽, concessions 100 ₽11 min walk
Church of St John the Baptist at Tolchkovo4140 minFree2.9 km
Tolga Convent401 hFree8.8 km
Yaroslavl Kremlin (Transfiguration Monastery)352 hGrounds 100 ₽, combined ticket 800 ₽12 min walk

The old centre in half a day

Start at the Kremlin, walk to the Church of Elijah, come out on the Volga by the Governor’s House and follow the embankment down to the Strelka. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and walks.

  1. Yaroslavl Kremlin (Transfiguration Monastery)2 h · Grounds 100 ₽, combined ticket 800 ₽
  2. 12 min walk from the previous stopChurch of Elijah the Prophetyou are here45 min · ≈ 200–250 ₽, May to October
  3. 3 min walk from the previous stopGovernor's House1 h · 300 ₽, everything 750 ₽
  4. 8 min walk from the previous stopVolga Embankment1 h · Free, open 24/7
  5. 21 min walk from the previous stopStrelka Park40 min · Free

5 places · about 6 h 9 min with walks · 44 min on foot in total

Go · my route

Nearby — add to your day

Governor's House

Yaroslavl, Russia

1 h · 300 ₽, everything 750 ₽ · 3 min walk

Volga Embankment

Yaroslavl, Russia

1 h · Free, open 24/7 · 10 min walk

Metropolitan's Chambers

Yaroslavl, Russia

1 h · 200 ₽, concessions 100 ₽ · 11 min walk

Assumption Cathedral

Yaroslavl, Russia

30 min · Free · 12 min walk

How to do it right

  • Arrive at 9:00: it’s quieter, and you can study the walls without a crowd.
  • Look up — the busiest scenes are high on the walls and vaults. A phone zoom helps; keep the flash off.
  • Without a story the frescoes blur into a colourful carpet. A guided tour, or ten minutes reading about Elijah and Elisha beforehand, makes them legible.
  • If it rains in the morning, swap the order: do the Kremlin first and come back later.
  • Afterwards it’s 5 minutes to the Volga Embankment and the Governor’s House.
  • Museum tours are in Russian; for English, book a private guide in advance.

Questions

How much is a ticket to the Church of Elijah the Prophet?

Entry is paid at the desk by the church. The museum doesn’t publish the current price; guides quote about 200–250 ₽ for adults. Children under 7 are free.

What are the opening hours?

Daily 9:00–18:00 from 1 May to 21 October. It closes on rainy days and for the whole winter, from 22 October to 1 May.

Can you visit in winter?

Only from the outside. The church closes from 22 October to 1 May to protect the frescoes.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes, in season — it has one of the most complete 17th-century painted interiors in Russia. Out of season it’s a quick photo stop.

How long do you need?

40–45 minutes for the frescoes, iconostasis and side chapel; about an hour with a guide.

Who painted the frescoes?

A team of 15 artists led by Gury Nikitin and Sila Savin from Kostroma, in summer 1680.

When was the church built?

In 1647–1650, paid for by the merchant brothers Vonifaty and Ioanniky Skripin.

Can I take photos inside?

Guides say yes, without flash. Whether there’s a photo fee isn’t published — ask at the desk.

Is it still a working church?

Partly. It’s a museum shared with the diocese, and services are held on some summer feast days, notably St Elijah’s Day on 2 August.

Have you been? Was it worth your time?

1 — no, 5 — absolutely

Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.

Sources and fact-check

  • Official website of the Yaroslavl Museum-Reserve: Church of Elijah the Prophet; opening hours, prices and concessions; combined ticket; guided tour in the Church of Elijah the Prophet — 30.10.2026
  • Russian Wikipedia: Church of Elijah the Prophet (Yaroslavl); Wikidata Q4177920
  • UNESCO World Heritage List: Historical Centre of the City of Yaroslavl, No. 1170, 2005
  • Tripster journal: “Church of Elijah the Prophet”
  • Rusmania guide: St Elijah the Prophet’s Church
  • Putevka guide; RUSSPASS
  • Visa and Mastercard statements on suspending operations in Russia, March 2022
YesGo editorial team · facts checked 30.10.2026 ·
How we checkedHours, the season (closed 22 October – 1 May), rainy-day closures, the ticket desk, the phone number, museum tours and the under-7 rule come from the official museum-reserve website on 30.10.2026. The site’s price field for the church is empty, so we quote the 200–250 ₽ range from guides and mark it “verifying”. Other sources give a different season (to 30 September or early October) and longer hours (to 19:30 or 21:00); we follow the museum. The combined ticket’s list of sites doesn’t include the church. Photo and dress rules come only from guides. History is checked against the museum website and Russian Wikipedia; the 1696 iconostasis date is the museum’s. There is no English Wikipedia article. Walking times are our estimate from the map; the trolleybus number from the station is worth checking.

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