An unusual Lutheran church

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http://www.heygo.com

St. Anne’s Church, or Annenkirche, is a large Lutheran cathedral in the heart of St. Petersburg. It stands out among the other buildings with its semicircular rotunda with columns. This evening Anna was able to take us inside to meet Katya who is a guide for this remarkable building and to learn of its history. As we entered the church resembled a set for a post-apocalyptic movie.



Annenkirche was built in 1779 by architect Yury Felten and is one of the oldest churches in St Petersburg, it was originally built for the German community. During the 19th century the church used to be the spiritual home of many famous city dwellers, for example Carl Fabergé. Not only was it a church, but it also functioned as a hospital and a shelter.



In Soviet times, the temple was closed. In 1939 the church was turned into the ‘Spartak’ cinema. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Sunday worship service resumed in this “cinema” church held only on Sundays. On the remaining days, the cinema continued to operate, and discos & rock concerts were held in the altar section.



In 2002, a severe fire broke out in the building, the roof collapsed, the auditorium burned out almost completely & the dome was damaged. The building was in dilapidated condition for several years.

In 2010, restoration of the facades was carried out. Damaged and scorched interiors still need to be restored but it is the current appearance of the church that attracts contemporary artists and musicians where weekly exhibitions, concerts and film screenings take place.



During our visit they were preparing 50 Christmas trees as part of the festive exhibition, we watched as a huge star was raised to the ceiling.



Another hidden gem beautifully presented by Anna & Katya.

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