Lutheran_church
After Peter the Great had founded Saint-Petersburg, many Germans and Dutch moved here. They lived on the Admiralty Island. It was often called “the German Sloboda”. They formed the Lutheran parish. Firstly believers gathered in the house of the vice-admiral Kornely Kruice (at that time it was where the Winter Palace is located now)
The Lutheran Church
After Peter the Great had founded Saint-Petersburg, many Germans and Dutch moved here. They lived on the Admiralty Island. It was often called “the German Sloboda”. They formed the Lutheran parish. Firstly believers gathered in the house of the vice-admiral Cornell Kruice (at that time it was where the Winter Palace is located now)
By 1719 the old building was not able to receive all the believers, and services were moved to a new Kruice’s house. It was situated at the corner of Nevsky Avenue and Myca embankment. But it was only temporary solution. The believers decided to build a new stone Church. In order to round, customs for incoming ships were increased till five roubles per ship.
In 1727 the Russian emperor Peter II gifted a big site on the Nevsky Avenue, between Bol’shaya Konyushennaya and Malaya Konyushennaya Streets. The new church of Saint Peter was built in 1730, and on the 14st of June it was consecrated. Pastor Naccius lead the first service.
The Russian emperors liked this church. Anna Ioannovna gifted it money for organ, Catherine the Great gifted three thousand roubles, her son, Paul I – one thousand . Even Nicolas I helped it.
This church served about a century, until in 1832 the competition for the new project was announced. A.P. Bryullov won it, and the new church was erected at the same place, between two houses, which facades were opened to Nevsky Avenue. The work was finished in 1838.
This church was opened for century as well. In fact, it stopped services in December, 1937. It was officially closed on the 2nd of March, 1938, following to the order of the Soviet principals.
After its closing, all the decorations that had a value were moved to the State Hermitage. Much was stolen, by all means. The largest organ in the city, that was made by “Walker” company disappeared.
In 1958 Leningrad principals decided to invert the church into a swimming-pool.
It led to reconstruction of the unique interior, death of painting remainders and damaging the wall tectonics.
During many years the believers had no church. Only in 1992 , on the 1st of July Petrosovet issued a resolution about the church. According to this resolution, the building should be delivered to the Lutheran community of Saint-Peters burg. On the 31st of October pastors Frank Lotikhius and Karl Kalnin led the service.
In 1992 the church was in a very bad condition. Russians and German specialists of architecture elaborated a plan of the restoration works. According to this plan, in the first stage of the work, an inserted floor should be installed over the pool. It should prevent the walls from vertically deviation…
On the 16th of September, 1997 the consecration of the church was made. Now days it is the Lutheran Cathedral of Saint-Peters-burg.
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