Names

Nekrasovo, Norka, Weigand

Location

51º10' N 45º19' E

History

      Norka was founded on 15 August 1767 by the Government about 65 kilometers southwest of the city of Saratov. Its inhabitants were mostly of the Reformed faith, although some were Lutheran. The colonists were primarily from the Hessen area of present day Germany. Norka grew from a fledgling settlement to become a large and very prosperous colony.
      According to Jacob Dietz, Norka was named after the river along which it is located. The Norka River starts 2 to 3 kilometers west of the colony. The land surrounding the river was covered by tall grasses, shrubs and scattered forest areas.
      There was a cholera epidemic in Norka in 1848 and 1849. There was a large fire in the colony in 1872.

Church

      Based on the 1767 census of Norka, a majority of the 218 families were of the Reformed faith; 16 families (7 percent) identified themselves as Lutherans; 6 families (3 percent) as Roman Catholics. By 1906, the Norka Parish, which also served the colonists living in Huck and Neu-Messer, had grown to 23,179 members. Of those, 385 were Lutheran, the remainder being of the Reformed faith.
      Norka’s church was constructed in the center of the colony. The colony's first organ was purchased in 1791. In the early years, separate church services were held for the Lutheran and Reformed faith families. A new church building was constructed in 1822 on the site of the original facility.
      Construction of the third church building began in 1880 on 9th street. The cornerstone was laid on 24 June 1880 during a worship service attended by former Norka pastor Rev. Gottlieb Bonwetsch, the Rev. Gottlieb Jordan from neighboring Balzer and the Rev. Wilhelm Stärkel, who was the pastor of the Norka parish at the time. The cross was placed atop the steeple on 6 October 1880. The church was built in the Kontor style with white Doric columns and stately doorways. The dome of the edifice could be seen from miles away. The basement walls, serving as the foundation of the massive structure, were made of mortar and stone about three feet thick. At its widest and longest pointes, the dimensions of the foundation measured 127 feet wide by 175 feet long.
      In the balcony at the back of the sanctuary, a new pipe organ was installed in 1891. The organ had been manufactured by E.F. Walcker of Ludwigsburg, Germany, and was the 586th organ (Opus 586) built by the company.
      The church in Norka was officially closed in 1935 and torn down in 1939.

Pastors

      The Norka congregation was served by the following pastors: