St Aleksandr Nevsky's Church stands at the northern end of Kremlyovskaya Ploshad (Kremlin Square). Originally a wooden church stood here dedicated to St Nicholas to mark the creation of a copy of the revered Velikaya River Icon of St Nicholas, which passed through Vologda in 1556 when returning from Moscow to Vyatka. The current version of the church dates from the end of the 18th century when the old wooden church was replaced in stone. In 1869, after an attempt on the life of Emperor Alexander II, the church was re-dedicated to St Aleksandr Nevsky. In 1924 the church was closed and only returned to the Orthodox Church in 1997.