St. Petersburg walks: St. Isaac's Square and small. Finnish St. Mary's Church St. Mary's Parish
By decree of Anna Ioannovna, the wooden Church of St. Anna was built. It was built on the site of the Swedish-Finnish community. Finnish and Swedish traders and artisans who lived in the area became parishioners of the prayer house.
Since 1769, after the construction of the Swedish Church of St. Catherine, this temple remained with the Finnish parish.
By the end of the 18th century, the old building fell into disrepair. In 1803-1805, a new stone Finnish Church of St. Mary was built here. Its architect is G. H. Paulsen, son-in-law and student of Yu. M. Felten, who built similar religious buildings. The consecration of the church took place on December 12, 1805 in the name of St. Mary in honor of Empress Maria Feodorovna, widow of Emperor Paul I. On the sides of the portico, in niches, sculptures of the apostles Peter and Paul were installed. Later they were replaced by vases that originally stood on the parapet.
The residential buildings No. 6 and 8 flanking the temple were built for the Finnish community in the 1840s. The Finnish church is located behind the red line of the street, separated from it by a cast-iron fence. The gate pylons are made of shell rock, their base is made of granite. In the cast rosettes of the original fence one could read the date of its creation - “ANNO 1844”. Now it has been replaced by a new one.
In 1871, the interior of the church was reconstructed by architect K. K. Anderson. The side windows of the main facade were turned into doors, and choirs on cast iron pillars were installed inside the building.
The pastor of the Finnish church in 1912-1918 was J. Saarinen, the father of the famous Finnish architect E. Saarinen.
The building of the Finnish Church of St. Mary suffered from the cold winter of 1919-1920, but was later repaired. In 1938, relations between the USSR and Finland were upset. The temple was closed, the parish pastor, Salim Yalmari Laurikkala, was expelled from the country, and his successor, Pastor Peck Brax, was shot.
The building became a dormitory. Its interior space was divided into three floors, the basement became a warehouse. In 1970, it was transferred to the “House of Nature,” which opened here two years later. The first floor was occupied by an exhibition hall, the other two were occupied by the Leningrad Regional and City Council of the All-Russian Society for Nature Conservation.
The return of the temple to the Finnish community took place in 1990, after which services were resumed here. The restoration of the church took place after the House of Nature moved, in 1997-2002. The Finns allocated funds for these works; the project was drawn up by architects E. Lonka and S. Ivanov. The space of the temple was freed from interfloor ceilings. The foundation of the building was reinforced with monolithic concrete, an automatic drainage system was installed, and new rafters made of modern alloys were installed. The interior has been recreated. The image of the “Ascension of Christ” was painted by the artist A. Stepanov. On May 19, 2002, the renovated Finnish Church of St. Mary was illuminated by the bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria in Russia, Arri Kugappi. The President of Finland Tarja Halonen and the Governor of St. Petersburg Vladimir Yakovlev were present at this event. In the same year, the temple was given the status of the cathedral of the Church of Ingria.
St. Mary's Church– the historical parish of Pietari Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria. One of the oldest churches in the city, built at the beginning of the 19th century. The Finnish Church of St. Mary is an architectural monument of regional significance. Classical music concerts regularly take place here.
History of the temple
500 years before Peter I founded St. Petersburg, A Lutheran church was built in the Swedish city of Nyen. The Northern War destroyed the city, and many Swedes began to move to the new settlement. Since 1703, pastor Jacob Maidelin began holding meetings for the Lutheran community. People gathered in an ordinary residential building.
After 30 years, the number of people wishing to listen to the sermons exceeded 1,500 people. Empress Anna Ioannovna donated a plot of land on Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street to the community. The first wooden church was built there, which was consecrated on May 19, 1734 in honor of St. Anna. The building was small and the decoration was modest. For a long time it was the only Finnish temple.
The Finnish community grew and in 1803 construction began on a new stone church with 2,400 seats.
On December 12, 1805 the church was consecrated in honor of the Mother of God. A new, sometimes tragic, story has begun.
In guardianship parish of St. Mary's were:
- orphans' homes
- shelter for the poor
- mutual aid fund
- secondary schools
- chapel at Mitrofanevskoe cemetery
- St. Mary's prayer house in Lakhta
In 1918, persecution began against the church. The authorities took away all social facilities and set a rent for the temple building. In 1938 the pastor of St. Mary's Church was shot, the building was closed and transferred to the Hermitage. But parishioners continued to gather secretly and preserved the traditions.
In 1940, the church was rebuilt into a dormitory for workers
Since 1970 the building housed the “House of Nature”. Animal and insect exhibitions and conservation events were held here.
In 1990, thanks to the efforts of Pastor Arvo Survo, it became possible to hold services again. First they took place on the steps of the temple, and then in a small room on the top floor of the building.
By the mid-90s Coming St. Mary's returned to parishioners. The Finnish Foreign Aid Center and the St. Petersburg Museum Department began to carry out large-scale restoration of the church. Lutherans from Finland collected almost 7 million rubles in donations.
In September 2002, St. Mary's Church became an Episcopal Church, equivalent to a cathedral
In 2010, a baroque pipe organ was installed in the church., which accompanies all services.
Now at St. Mary's Church religious services are held, masses and sermons on two languages: Russian and Finnish.
In the temple pass:
- Bible hour for parishioners
- Sunday school for children
- youth meetings
- concerts of sacred music for everyone
The rector of the church is the chief secretary of the Church of Ingria, Pastor Mikhail Ivanov
Architecture
The parish of St. Mary was built according to the design of the architect G. H. Haulsen in the classical style. Since the beginning of the 19th century the appearance of the building has remained almost unchanged. St. Mary's Church is a rectangular building topped by a dome on a drum. The main western facade of the temple, decorated with a portico of four columns of the Tuscan order, faces Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street. Separate parts of the composition are vases and a triangular fountain.
In 1871 architect K.K. Anderson did a little reorganization. The number of parishioners grew, and it was necessary to increase the capacity of the church. This was done by constructing second choirs on cast iron pillars inside the building. For free movement, the windows of the main facade were converted into doors.
The restoration in 1999 according to the project of S.I. Ivanov and E. Lonka returned the temple to its original appearance. But changes have been made. The massive altar was replaced with a lighter one, leaving only the altar grille.
Church interior
St. Mary's Parish is cozy and bright. Inside, everything is laconic - white walls, ceiling, painted wooden furniture, bright chandeliers, sound equipment. The only religious paraphernalia, as in many Lutheran churches, is the altar.
The altar painting in the Church of St. Mary was created according to the design of the artist Albert Stepanov
The church organ has 27 registers and about 1,500 pipes. Organ evenings are held in the church every week., concerts of classical and religious music. Russian and foreign performers perform, symphony orchestras play, choirs sing, children's groups come. All this for symbolic donations. Entry is open to everyone. Sometimes there are more than 700 visitors.
Before each concert there is a sermon in the church.
Opening hours and schedule of services 2019
- Monday, Tuesday from 10:00 to 20:00
- Wednesday from 10:00 to 22:30
- Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday from 10:00 to 20:00
Schedule of services can be viewed on the official website of the parish
Pastor Annekirche claimed that there was a unique instrument in the church on Konyushennaya.
You need to go and check the sound for tube quality.
Church of St. Mary in St. Petersburg. The temple, made in the style of classicism, was built in 1803-1805 according to the design of Gottlieb Christian Paulsen. Today it is a functioning Lutheran church of the Scandinavian tradition, the cathedral of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria.
The Evangelical Lutheran community first appeared on the territory of St. Petersburg even before the founding of the city itself, under the Swedes in the 1630s. After the end of the Northern War, part of the Swedish and Finnish population remained to live now on the territory of the Russian Empire, and they held their religious meetings in one of the private houses of St. Petersburg. At the beginning of the 18th century, Empress Anna Ioannovna donated a plot of land to the community on Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street, where the first wooden church was built for Lutherans in honor of St. Anna. When the Swedish and Finnish communities separated, this church went to the Finns, and in 1803 they began construction of a new temple.
The church was named in honor of St. Mary, since its consecration took place on the birthday of Emperor Alexander I, whose mother was named Maria Feodorovna.
The church building has a rectangular layout, topped with a drum and a dome. The main facade, facing Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street, is decorated with a 4-column portico of the Tuscan order and a triangular pediment. Sculptures of the apostles Peter and Paul were initially placed in special niches on the sides of the facade, but later they were replaced with vases. The side facades are decorated with pilasters. The temple underwent minor internal and external redevelopment at the end of the 19th century.
During Soviet times, the Church of St. Mary was closed, its building was first transferred to the Hermitage, and then a hostel was placed in it, and even later - the House of Nature. The Finnish Lutheran parish was revived only at the end of the 20th century, and in 1999-2002, with money from the Church of Finland, the temple was restored according to its historical prototype. St. Mary's Church received the status of an Episcopal church, which corresponds to a cathedral.
Today, in addition to religious services, St. Mary's Church regularly hosts organ concerts with the participation of famous musicians.
St. Mary's Lutheran Church is considered a regional landmark.
Note to tourists:
A visit to the Church of St. Mary will be of interest to Protestant believers and other tourists interested in church architecture of the early 19th century, and can also become one of the points of the excursion program while exploring neighboring attractions -
In St. Petersburg, on Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street, at number 8-a, there is the Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Mary. Currently, this active parish is both the cathedral of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria (ELCI) and the main Finnish parish of St. Petersburg.
The community began in the mid-17th century in Nyenskans. At that time it was under the jurisdiction of the Swedish Church. After the end of the Northern War and the transfer of Ingria to the Russian Empire, the inhabitants of those lands moved to St. Petersburg. At the new location, meetings and services were held in a private home. They were led by Pastor Yakov Maydelin.
During the reign of Anna Ioannovna, in 1734, the community was given a plot of land not far from the place where Nevsky Prospekt is now located. The Church of St. Mary was founded there. After the Finnish and Swedish communities separated in 1745, the Finnish one was left in its original place. Initially, a wooden temple was built here, which, when it fell into disrepair, was replaced with a stone one. The church had two shelters, a cash fund for the poor, an almshouse, and a school. The parish included a prayer house in the town of Lakhta and a chapel in the Finnish section of the Mitrofanievskoye cemetery.
St. Mary's Church has always been the center of the Finnish community in St. Petersburg. The St. Petersburg Finns were divided into two groups - the Chukhon-Ingrian people, the indigenous inhabitants of the Neva lands, and the Finns who came from the Principality of Finland. According to the population census, in 1881 there were about 20 thousand Finns in St. Petersburg. Women mainly worked as laundresses, servants, nannies, and cooks, while men worked as cab drivers, shoemakers, chimney sweeps, and tailors. The elite included Finnish Swedes, among them were jewelers and artisans, who, having received the necessary knowledge and saved money, returned to their homeland. The pastors of the church also came from these circles. After the revolution and civil war, the Bolsheviks had great confidence in the Ingrians, since they helped bring weapons and revolutionary literature to St. Petersburg. The overwhelming majority of Finns were expelled.
The church building in its current form was erected according to the design of the architect G. Paulsen in 1803, and consecrated in December 1805. Reconstruction in 1871 took place under the leadership of the famous architect K. Anderson, and in 1890 - L. Benoit.
The facade of the temple facing the street. Bolshaya Konyushennaya, decorated with a portico with a triangular pediment. There is a spherical dome above the church. On the portico of the facade there are niches in which sculptures of the apostles Peter and Paul were once installed. These were later replaced by parapet vases.
In the 30s of the 20th century, the church was closed, and the building was given over to a hostel. Since the 70s there has been a “House of Nature” there. The revival of the community of the city's Finnish community began in 1988 with the opening of the Inkerin Liitto (Ingria Union) society. In the post-perestroika period, in 1990, the church was transferred to ELCI. The re-consecration took place in 2002. The ceremony was attended by the President of Finland T. Halonen and the 1st Governor of St. Petersburg V. Yakovlev.
In 2010, a 27-register neo-Baroque wind organ with mechanical playing and register structures was installed in the church. In December of the same year, the organ was dedicated and inaugurated. This event was attended by Marina Vyazia, chief organist of the Church of St. Maria, professors of the Sibelius Academy (Finland) K. Hämäläinen, O. Portan, K. Jussila. The next day there was a concert dedicated to Finnish Independence Day.
Currently, the pastor of the parish is Mikhail Ivanov. Nowadays, various types of ceremonial meetings, folklore festivals and concerts are held in the parish of St. Mary.
From the moment of its foundation, St. Petersburg became a “tolerant” city; even under Peter I, churches were built here for foreign communities.
Meetings of the Swedish-Finnish community began to be held in 1703 in a private house by pastor Jacob Meidelin. In 1734, the community received a donation of land in the area of modern Nevsky Prospekt, where a prayer house was built.
In 1745, the communities separated and the Swedes built their own church on a neighboring site, and the prayer house was completely at the disposal of the Finnish parishioners. Over time, the wooden prayer house fell into disrepair and the stone Reformed Finnish Church of St. Mary was built in its place.
Construction was carried out from 1803 to 1805 according to the design of the architect G.-H. Paulsen (student of Yu.M. Felten). The church was illuminated on December 24, 1805. The main western facade of the temple faces Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street. It is decorated with a columned portico topped with a triangular pediment. The church is crowned with a small spherical dome. 
The portico of the facade is flanked by niches in which sculptures of the apostles Peter and Paul were originally installed. They were then replaced by vases that had previously stood on the parapet. The building of the Mariinsky Church organically fit into the development of the street, and it also closed the perspective of Volynsky Lane.
In the second half of the 19th century, some changes to the appearance of the facades and interiors were made by the architect K.K. Andersen, and later by the architect L.N. Benois.
The parish also owned a chapel in the Finnish section of the Mitrofanievsky cemetery and a prayer house in Lakhta. Mariinsky Church has always remained the cultural and religious center of the large Finnish community in St. Petersburg.
Finns in St. Petersburg were divided into two groups: Finns from the Autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland and Ingrians - “Chukhons”, who belonged to the indigenous population of the Neva lands. By 1881, more Finns lived in St. Petersburg than in Turku - about 20,000 people. Women worked as laundresses, servants, cooks, and nannies. Men worked as factory workers, shoemakers, tailors, chimney sweeps and passenger cab drivers. The Chukhonians came from the province, from where they brought vegetables, hay, firewood, etc. for sale.
The elite of the Finns were the Finnish Swedes, who were higher in social status. These were artisans, including jewelers, who were hired by Faberge. They came as apprentices, trained and, having saved money, often returned to their homeland. It was these Finns, including pastors, who formed the core of the colony, which united around the Mariinsky Church on Bolshaya Konyushennaya. The community was the spokesman for the interests of the entire colony. In 1844, a Finnish elementary school was opened there.
The capital's Finns were conservative and religious, but the revolutionary disease did not escape them either. Through the Finnish customs in Beloostrov, the Socialist Revolutionaries and Socialists brought weapons, money, and revolutionary literature to St. Petersburg. 
After the civil war, the Bolsheviks favored the Ingrians, the Finns were repatriated. From the mid-1930s the situation worsened. Schools and churches were closed. In 1938, the Mariinsky Church on Bolshaya Konyushennaya was also closed. Since 1970, the “House of Nature” opened in the temple building. In 1979, only 3,000 Finns lived in Leningrad, three quarters of whom understood Finnish.
The revival of the Finnish community began at the end of the 20th century with the generous support of Finland. In 1988, the Inkerin Liitto (Ingria Union) society arose.
In 1990, the Mariinsky Church was returned to the Finnish community, and a major restoration of the building was carried out.
The church was illuminated again on May 19, 2002 in the presence of Finnish President Tarja Halonen. Today the temple is the center of the independent Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria. Services are held here, as well as folklore festivals and concerts.
Compiler of the article: Elena Aleksandrovna Parshina. Used literature: Antonov V.V. Petersburg unknown, forgotten, familiar. ZAO Tsentrpoligraf., M., 2007; Lisovsky V.G. Architecture of St. Petersburg, Three centuries of history. Slavia., St. Petersburg, 2004; Pavlov A.P. Temples of St. Petersburg. Lenizdat., St. Petersburg, 2007
© E. A. Parshina, 2010
