Rostov Region to Auction Two Protopriest-Consecrated Church Schools
In Rostov Region, Dom.RF will put up for auction two former church-parish schools. The buildings are nearly 200 years old and their current condition is assessed as unsatisfactory.
The properties are located in one of the once largest Cossack villages — Yelizavetinskaya. The first is a male church-parish school. The building area is about 225 square meters. It is a one-story square brick structure with no utility connections.
The school was built in 1836. It was one of the first public buildings in Yelizavetinskaya village. The school was constructed with community funds. During Soviet times, the building was taken from the church and transferred to the new village school. It housed a dormitory. From the 1970s, the building contained school workshops.
The starting price for the auction has not yet been determined. It is planned to be held in the fourth quarter of 2026.
The second building is a female church-parish school. It is also a one-story building, faced with brick and without utility connections. It was founded on June 10, 1836, by Cossack Stefan Sidorenkov and his wife Ekaterina. It was consecrated by Protopriest and Cavalier Vasily Dikov. In 1903, the building was reconstructed using community funds.
The starting price for the auction has not yet been determined. It is planned to be held in the third quarter of 2026.
Both structures are cultural heritage sites, meaning the new owner can at most restore them to their original historical appearance. The permitted use of the land under the buildings is education and enlightenment.
In Yelizavetinskaya village, another monument — the house of the deacon and the prosphora baker — is also planned to be sold at auction in the fourth quarter of 2026. The structure is significantly «younger» than the church schools, built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Nevertheless, it is also in unsatisfactory condition.
Yelizavetinskaya is one of the oldest settlements on the Lower Don. It is believed to have originated as a seasonal camp of Scythian nomads in the late 6th to early 5th centuries BCE. Over time, it grew into a fortified settlement, twice the size of Tanais. It perished no later than the 260s BCE. Historians believe it was destroyed by Sarmatian tribes.
Yelizavetinskaya village was founded in 1753 by voluntary settlers from lower Don villages. After 1778, Cossacks from the disbanded Azov Regiment moved to the village. Until 1807, it was called Shchuchya — due to the abundance of pike living in the tributaries of the Don.
In 1913, on the occasion of the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the royal house, Emperor Nicholas II toured his domains and visited, among other places, Yelizavetinskaya. Here, an old Cossack, Nikolai Kedrov, served him fish soup, which, according to legend, so pleased the tsar that he later sent Kedrov a gold medal and a letter thanking him for bravery shown in the Japanese War.
By the start of the Civil War, about 10,000 people lived in the village. According to 2010 data — 102 people.
The village is located on an island and is occasionally flooded. The last time this happened was in February 2021. Then, the water that overflowed the banks also froze. 161.RU published a photo report from the «icy Venice».
