Chesme Church

Categories / Architecture/Architectural Monuments/Religious Architecture (see also Religion.Church)
Categories / Religion. Church/Places of Worship (see also Architecture and Urban Planning)
Chesme Church, the Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, located at 12 Lensoveta St. An example of Neo-Gothic architecture, erected in 1777-80 (architect Y.M. Felten) to commemorate the victory of the Russian Navy over Turkish forces at Chesme Bay in the Aegean Sea (1770). The church is located near Chesme Palace. The building consists of four semi-cylinders with barrel vaults, forming a "quarterfoil" in the plan. The walls are carved with embossed vertical string cornices drawn together with figured horizontal fascias. A crenulated parapet with pinnacles creates a splendid relief design on the top of the walls. In 1923, the Chesme Church was closed and used as a storehouse. It suffered considerable damage during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45 and was restored in 1970-75 (architects M.I. Tolstov, A.P. Kulikov). In 1977, it housed an exhibition called "The Battle of Chesme" (from the Central Naval Museum). The church resumed its functions as a public place of worship in 1991. Chesmenskoe War Veterans' cemetery lies on territory adjacent to the church.

References: Антонов В. В., Кобак А. В. Святыни Санкт-Петербурга: Ист.-церков. энцикл. СПб., 1996. Т. 3. С. 70-73.

V. V. Antonov. Felten Yury (Georg Friedrich) Matveevich
Kulikov A.P.
Tolstov M.I.
Lensoveta St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 12
Антонов В. В., Кобак А. В. Святыни Санкт-Петербурга: Ист.-церков. энцикл.: В 3 т. СПб., 1994-1996 Chesme Palace
1777