The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saint Mary

An active Evangelical-Lutheran church

In 1734 the Swedish-Finnish community in St. Petersburg received a parcel of land in the area of the modern Nevsky Prospekt where a prayer house was built. However, in 1745 the communities were divided and the Swedes built their own church nearby. The prayer house was completely placed at the disposal of the Finns. Over time, the wooden building was dilapidated and a stone church was built in its place.

The construction was carried out from 1803 till 1805 based on the project of an architect G.-H. Paulens, a student of Yu. M. Felten. The main western façade of the church faces the Bolshaya Konyushennaya Str. It is decorated with a columned portico completed with a triangular pediment. The church is crowned with a small spherical dome.

The building of the church organically blended with the construction of the Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street and finished the prospect of Volynsky Lane. In the second half of the XIX century the architect K. K. Andersen (and later L.N. Benois) made small changes in the appearance of the facades and interiors of the church.

 In 1938 the church was closed. Since 1970 the “Nature’s House” was in the temple building.

The revival of the Finnish community began at the end of the 20th century. In 1990 the church was returned to the community and a serious restoration of the building began. Today the temple is the center of the independent Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria. The divine services are held here as well as concerts and folk festivals.