The Soviets changed a giant construction project because of THIS church

In the 1930s, a hydroelectric power station was planned to be built along the Volga River in the town of Uglich. Several monasteries and churches had to be demolished, while others ended up in the resulting flood zone.

But then, the incredible happened: the 17th-century Church of John the Baptist was not only saved, but it, actually, forced the entire giant construction project to be shifted by 400 meters.

Was that really the case? The archives remain silent, but locals and regional historians keep retelling this beautiful urban legend.

“The artistic value of this church is such that, in order to preserve this monument, the power station project had to be redesigned and built upstream on the Volga River,” wrote Soviet author Mikhail Rapov in his book ‘Stone Tales’.

Citizens of Uglich consider this church special. It was built in 1689 by a wealthy merchant named Nikifor Chepolosov, in memory of his murdered son.

Artist Nicholas Roerich stood captivated by its beauty and painted his work ‘Uglich. The Porch of the Church of John the Baptist’.