Church of St. Nicholas in Stogova (in the Haystack)

Malinniki, Sergiev Posad, Moscow Oblast Russia

Russian Orthodox

Church Website

The church name, St. Nicholas in the Haystack, comes from the story of its founding. In the late 1300s a farmer found an icon of St. Nicholas in a haystack. He took the icon to the church in the nearest village. The next day the icon was back in the haystack. This happened three times. A villager then had a vision of St. Nicholas telling him not to move the icon, rather to build a church on the spot. A wooden church was built and the village named "Stogova" (haystack). In 1802 a brick church replaced the wooden one. The church was closed in 1937; the bell tower and main church demolished during the 1950s. Renewal began in 1996. Students from Abramtsevo school helped clear debris, remove trees and assist with worship. A chasuble with the orignal image was found in a Malinniki home. Restoration continues.