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When Catherine the Great was delivered the news about Russian victory over the Turks in 1770, the Empress decided that a church was to be built at the very spot she was standing. Thus the Chesme Church came to be. This striking red-and-white pseudo-Gothic styled building is considered by some to be St. Petersburg’s single most impressive church. It once served as a stopping ground for Catherine the Great Herself as well as the coffin of Rasputin before the transport to his burial ground. During Soviet era, it served as a museum and it wasn’t until 1999 that it’s back to become a functioning church.
Address: Lensoveta St 12, St. Petersburg
Opening hours: Daily 10am – 7pm
Direction: Metro Line 2 to Moskovskaya Station
Phone: +7 812 373-61-14
Website: chesma.spb.ru
Photo credit: Fotorus (Flickr CC), haikus (Flickr CC), ninara (Flickr CC)
