The city of Alatyr is inextricably linked with the fate of the world renowned artist of Stepan Erzya (Nefedov), born in October 1876 in the village of Bayevo Alatyr uyezd, Simbirsk province. Alias Erzya reflects the Russian artist belonging to the ethnic group, which is part of the Mordovian people.

In 1899 the family Nefedova are moving in Alatyr and settles in a wooden house opposite the sign of the temple. Before moving to the city Stepan Nefedov has already established himself as a talented artist and painter, and when Russia celebrated the 100th anniversary of Pushkin's birthday, the organizers of the anniversary evening invited the young Prodigy to design performance. In our days preserved Billboard, where hand Erzya written "Alatyr. The commercial club. 1899" and the building where it took place installed a plaque (now Shoe factory).

In 1901 the money raised Alatyr intellectuals, Stepan went to enter the Stroganov school, where he helped to open up young talent such teachers as: V. A. Serov, K. A. Korovin, I. A. Kasatkin, Leonid Pasternak, A. Arkhipov and sculptor Sergei Mikhailovich Volnukhin. Worldwide fame and recognition of the sculptor received in Europe in 1911. From 1925 to 1950 Erzya lives in Argentina due to difficult relations with the new government, but in 1951 he returned to Moscow with a huge collection of his works (180 sculptures of different materials, weighing 175 tons). In November 1956 S. D. Erzya died in his Studio in Moscow.

Preserved in Alatyr the house, where he spent his teenage years S. D. Erzya included in the list of historical monuments of regional significance. Also survived Znamensky temple across the road from the house. During the reconstruction natural landscape areas square "Pond" - in honor of the great sculptor was a monument.