AT A GLANCE

Why go?

The Chapel of Alexander Nevsky crowns Titovskaya Sopka, the hill that rises over Chita, and offers what many visitors call the best panorama in the city — the whole urban sprawl laid out below you. Built in only a few months and consecrated in September 2001, this compact stone chapel has become one of Transbaikal's most recognizable landmarks and a beloved lookout, especially after dark.↗↗

It is dedicated to St. Alexander Nevsky, patron saint of Russia's borderlands, a figure with particular resonance for frontier Chita. Behind the chapel, a terrace with benches under the trees, a large engraved image of the armored prince, and a sweeping view of the city make it as much a scenic pause as a place of worship.↗↗

Reopened in late 2022 after a reconstruction, the chapel now glitters in daylight and, thanks to new floodlighting, seems to hover above Chita at night — a striking reason to climb the hill after sunset.↗↗