Temple of all religions in Kazan

Kul Sharif Mosque in Kazan Kremlin

Annunciation Cathedral (1562) in Kazan Kremlin

Located at the crossroads of East and West, the territory of the Republic for many centuries was the heart of many sacred sites.
The Raifa Monastery which is considered as an architectural gem of Russian architecture of the 17th century, is located in the center of one of the parts of the Volga-Kama state reserve. It treasures one of the religious shrines – the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Georgia. Today the Raifa Monastery attracts an increasing number of visitors – tourists and believers.

The silhouettes of white stone ruins are seen from afar on the left bank of the Volga River, 140 km away from Kazan. These are the remains of the Great Bulgar – one of the largest cities in the once-great and powerful state of Volga Bulgaria. Today there is Bolgar village and an extensive settlement – the architectural monument of 10-15th centuries. This is the historic homeland of the Volga Tatars, known in the Muslim world as the “Northern Mecca” – the pilgrimage destination point.

In the vicinity of Bilyar city, the capital of the ancient state of Volga Bulgaria located 150 km from Kazan, there is an extraordinary place right amidst the beautiful woodland at the foot of the mountain. The crystal clear water spring rises to the surface from under the mountain turning this spot into a place of worship, called the “Holy spring”. It is the spiritual center where beliefs and traditions of three religions: Paganism, Islam and Christianity exist together.

One of the most venerated relics of the Russian Orthodox Church is the miraculous icon of Our Lady of Kazan. The icon is now at the Kazan Mother of God Monastery. The history of the icon discovery and the foundation of the monastery date back to the beginning of 1579. Among all of the icons of the Mother of God the icon of Our Lady of Kazan has the highest number of miraculous respected replicas. Later on, the miraculous icon was stolen and despite the tedious search it was not discovered. The modern image of Our Lady of Kazan painted in the 13th century, belongs to the later replicas of the miraculous icons, appeared in 1579 in Kazan. This so-called “Vatican’s replica” that has been stored for a long time in the Vatican, was handed over to Pope John Paul II as a gift to the Russian Orthodox Church.