Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Elista

A Place of Church Memory

The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, commonly known as Elista’s Holy Cross Church, is central to the account of the Appearance of Christ the Savior on 11 September 1946.

Soviet-era archival documents also call it the Prayer House of the Exaltation of the Cross. In the postwar years, residents of Elista and neighboring villages came here.

The Event of 11 September 1946

According to the Church account, it was here that the priest and parishioners witnessed the Appearance of Christ the Savior.

Read the history of the Appearance

Semyon Bondarenko and the Parish

After the church in Troitskoye closed, Semyon Timofeyevich Bondarenko became a parishioner of the Elista church. He is named as one of the eyewitnesses of the Appearance and as a participant in creating the icon dedicated to the event.

Learn more about Semyon Bondarenko

The Icon of the Appearance

The image was brought from Stavropol to Elista in the spring of 1947 and has survived. The specially venerated icon is kept in the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.