Opposite the entrance to the exhibition hall, there is a model of a one-day votive church built in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Mother of God, which was built on the site of the future Annunciation Cathedral in 1552.

The term “one-day” means that the church was erected in a very short time. It originated from the phrase “about one day”, that is, one day. As a rule, such votive churches were built to ward off epidemics, as well as to express gratitude to God for helping in a military campaign or to commemorate a significant event. People tried to start construction work on the night of a new day and finish before sunset.

According to the author of “The Kazan History”, the builders laid the foundation for the temple on October 4, 1552 (according to the old style):

The Illustrated Chronicle of Ivan the Terrible recounts that on October 6, 1552, Tsar Ivan the Terrible took part in the consecration of the wooden church, “the same month, on the 6th, the sovereign ordained the cathedral church of the Annunciation of the Most Pure Mother of God.”

If you look at the building from above, you can see that its foundation is made in the shape of a cross — the main Christian symbol. This design was taken as a basis in most Orthodox churches. The cross symbolizes the sacrament of the Trinity: the vertical crossbar points upwards to the Highest Father; the horizontal bar points to the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Christians have long perceived the temple as a symbol of the world. Each wall corresponds to one of the cardinal directions. The eastern part, facing the rising sun, has a curvature — the altar, the most important place in the church. The word “altar” comes from the Latin phrase “alta aru” meaning “a high altar.” It symbolizes the “heaven of heaven”, that is, paradise, although the altar has many other ritual meanings.

The cross on the top of the tent signifies Jesus Christ, the head of the Church. The tent itself corresponds to the tradition of the Byzantine Greek dome and the heavenly light that illuminates the worshipers. The western entrance leads to the Heavenly Jerusalem.

Near the church entrance, the craftsman put a papier-mâché figurine. This is the first Archbishop of Kazan and Sviyazhsk Guriy. The Russian Orthodox Church commemorates this saint three times a year.