Lutheran Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul
Encyclopedia
The Lutheran Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (in or in German: Lutherische Kirche der Heiligen Peter und Paul) is a Lutheran church located in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

. It is one of the oldest and largest Protestant churches in Russia.

General

The Lutheran Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul is a Lutheran church located on Nevsky Prospect, the main street of Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is also known as Saint Peter's Lutheran Church (in or in }.

It is one of the oldest and largest Protestant churches in Russia. It was and still is called the German church as its members were mostly German-speaking.

History

In 1705, Peter the Great decreed that the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches can be established in Saint Petersburg.

In 1708, a Lutheran church was established in Saint Petersburg, later followed by other Lutheran churches. For example, the famous mathematician Leonhard Euler
Leonhard Euler
Leonhard Euler was a pioneering Swiss mathematician and physicist. He made important discoveries in fields as diverse as infinitesimal calculus and graph theory. He also introduced much of the modern mathematical terminology and notation, particularly for mathematical analysis, such as the notion...

 was buried in the Lutheran cemetery in Saint Petersburg.

The present building of St. Peter's Lutheran Church was designed by Alexander Brulllov
Alexander Brullov
Alexander Pavlovich Brullov was a Russian artist associated with the latest phase of the Russian Neoclassicism.Alexander Brullov was born in Saint Petersburg into a family of French artists: his great grandfather, his grandfather, his father and his brothers were artists. His first teacher was...

 and built in 1833-1837. By 1917, the church had about 15,000 membership and also managed a school (Petrischule), a hospital and an orphanage.

During the Soviet rule
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

, the religion was persecuted. This church was requisitioned by the local government and was used as an indoor swimming pool.

During the 1990s, the church building was returned to St. Peter's Church and was restored.

In its neighborhood

On the streets on left and right of St. Peter's Lutheran Church are:
  • Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church
    Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
    The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is the national church of Finland. The church professes the Lutheran branch of Christianity, and is a member of the Porvoo Communion....

  • Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church
    Church of Sweden
    The Church of Sweden is the largest Christian church in Sweden. The church professes the Lutheran faith and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With 6,589,769 baptized members, it is the largest Lutheran church in the world, although combined, there are more Lutherans in the member churches of...


In the latter church, also held are Sunday services in English (Anglican) and in Korean (Presbyterian).
On the opposite side of Nevsky Prospect is:
  • Kazan Cathedral
    Kazan Cathedral
    Kazan Cathedral or Kazanskiy Kafedralniy Sobor , also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan, is a cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church on the Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg...

     (Eastern Orthodox)

Nearby, also on Prospect, toward east, are
  • Armenian Apostolic Church
    Armenian Apostolic Church
    The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest National Church, is part of Oriental Orthodoxy, and is one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD, in establishing this church...

  • Catholic Church of St. Catherine
    Catholic Church of St. Catherine
    The Catholic Church of St. Catherine in St. Petersburg is one of the oldest Catholic churches in Russia. It is part of the Archdiocese of Moscow headed by H.E. Msgr. Paolo Pezzi. It is located on the Nevsky Prospekt.- Construction :...

     (Roman Catholic)

External links

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