Church of St. Petersburg. Smolenskaya Church, St. Petersburg

An indispensable and compulsory rule of any religion in the upbringing of man has always been considered the development of spirituality and benevolence. Orthodoxy, Lutheranism, Buddhism and many other directions, in their essence, raise the spirit and delight the eyes, influencing people not only with the content of sermons and prayers, but also with the form expressed by the magnificent architecture that distinguishes the churches of St. Petersburg - diverse, majestic and amazing.

A huge part of the architectural heritage

Temples, cathedrals and churches of St. Petersburg - an interesting collection of masterpieces of different architects of different eras. Constituting a huge layer of the unique architecture of the Northern Capital, the religious buildings have a rich historical and cultural value, amazing imagination with an incredible ability to enchant, comfort and inspire confidence in the future. Being traditional places of excursion and tourist pilgrimage, the churches of St. Petersburg rightfully occupy a special place in the architectural abundance of the city. Who has ever been struck by the majesty of Isaac, the severity of Smolny, the amazing painting of the icons of the Kazan Cathedral? Is it possible to remain indifferent, contemplating the amazing painting of the walls of Orthodox churches - witnesses of past ups and downs, great victories and woeful defeats?

Chesme Church

The defeat of the Turkish fleet at the Battle of Chesma in 1770 was dedicated to the construction of a beautiful temple, which was named Chesmensky. Constructed in an interesting pseudo-Gothic style, the Chesme Church, amazingly elegant, striking with its lightness and unusualness, rises near Moscow Avenue. The surprisingly light construction in pink and white colors with pointed peaks of spiers of towers and tall narrow windows was a symbol of the remarkable victory of Russian weapons, the most significant since the conquests of Peter the Great.

The history of the temple

In honor of this sea victory, a silver medal with the image of the culmination of the attack by the Russian flotilla of Turkish ships is instituted by the highest command. Several memorable places are created, united by the victorious name "Chesme": the Gatchina obelisk, the rostral column in the Ekaterininsky pond of the Tsarskoselsky Park, the hall of the Peterhof Palace. But the Chesme Church in St. Petersburg is a glorious ode to the victorious victory of the architect Yu. M. Felten - the author of the Hermitage and the exquisite fence of the Summer Garden. The temple was laid opposite the Kikeriksen Palace, later also called Chesmensky Palace, in 1777, and consecrated on the 10th anniversary of the victory - in 1780. A magnificent ensemble from the palace and the temple gave the name of the surrounding area, it also began to be called Chesma. All the rulers of Russia revered and loved these places: Catherine the Great twice visited the Chesma Church twice a year, coming to Maslenitsa and temple festivities, Nicholas I by his decree established the almshouse for invalids of war with Napoleon in the palace, thereby giving the palace and the temple a new life with the subsequent erection of several New wings and three chapels. The Alexandrovsky Committee of the wounded acted as the curator of the poorhouse, and the Grand Dukes were trustees. Catherine II's festive services and luxurious lunches with invited guests became traditional and lasted until the October Revolution, when the almshouse was closed, placing the forced labor camp "Chesmenka" in the Chesme Palace and using the church building as a warehouse.

In the 1970s, the building of the church, restored after the war, housed the branch of the Central Naval Museum "Chesme Victory".

The second life of the temple began with the transfer of the building of the St. Petersburg diocese in 1990 and the first prayer service, celebrated on the last day of the year, still outside the church. At the end of the 20th century, the iconostasis was restored in accordance with the original design, and the sanctification of the temple took place.

Church of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God

The creation of this church began with the official establishment of the Smolensk cemetery on the Vasilievsky Island near the Black River (Smolenka) in 1738. The wooden church, built in 1758, was built and consecrated as far back as 1760. Both the cemetery and the church are responsible for the settlements of the Smolensk workers who arrived to build the city during its erection. So the first Smolensk church arose. St. Petersburg, growing and developing, felt the need for the construction of stone buildings, and at the end of the 19th century a stone church was built in the design of architect A. Ivanov in the best traditions of Russian classicism with a magnificent two-tiered bell tower.

The erection of this church is inextricably linked with the name of the famous Saint Blessed Xenia of Petersburg, who, after a shock from the death of her beloved husband, distributed all the property and wandered around the city, helping the townspeople waiting for her help during the day, and secretly worked at the construction of the temple in the night, raising a building brick to the scaffolding. The saint is so revered in Russia that the chapel of Xenia of St. Petersburg, located near the Smolensk church, is a special place of worship and pilgrimage of believers.

The Smolensk church is a well-known Russian shrine

The temple was built in 1792. Over the years, the Smolensk church, like many churches in St. Petersburg, was repeatedly completed, decorated and improved. So, in 1809 the northern side-chapel was built to the building, in 1833 - Ilyinsky chapel, in 1892 - chapel of John the Baptist, with the placed iconostasis, executed by M. Vasiliev in the best Byzantine traditions. The porticoes were decorated with the facades of the temple. The library was opened.

Time and the Bolsheviks who came to power spared the temple. It did not function for only 6 years - from 1940 to 1946. Since 1947, worship services in the church have not ceased. In the jubilee year of the 200th anniversary of the church, the southern side-chapel was erected and consecrated in the name of Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg.

Lutheran Church

The northern capital, like many mega-cities of the world, is quite democratic, and along with Orthodox churches it is decorated with religious buildings of other religions. Lutheran Church in St. Petersburg arose long ago. This religion, although not encouraged by Peter the Great, but reforming the country, he relied on the Lutheran, so during his reign, more than 20,000 people of the Lutheran faith came to the country, and so-called "kirche" was built in private. The first public Lutheran church of St. Peter began to erect in 1728. It successfully functioned for 100 years, after which a new temple building was built in the tradition of the Romanesque basilica designed by the architect A. Bryullov, the brother of an outstanding painter, who later decorated the altar with the painting "Crucifixion". A magnificent organ and unique Westphalian bells were installed. Up until the October Revolution, the building was rebuilt and improved. The architecture of the building is unusual - some heavy weight is erased by the towering three-tier towers adorning the corners, and giving the angel figure that crowns the structure lightly. Bas-relief images of the evangelists and the figures of the apostles Peter and Paul on the pedestals before entering the temple complete the picture.

Surprisingly, the temple was operational until 1938. After closing, the church became a storage room, and in 1956 it was turned into a swimming pool, undoubtedly, causing huge damage. With the onset of democracy in 1992, the building of the church was transferred to the German community and today is the main operating cathedral of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia.

The temples and churches of St. Petersburg are amazing, diverse and interesting. The map of the city will offer a visit to any of these unique buildings.