The Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Piskarevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg was the first in the huge Orthodox complex, the construction of which began in 1999 and continues to this day. The author of the project was the architect V.E. Zalevskaya. What is remarkable about this place, we will consider in the article.
Background and idea
The location of the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Piskarevsky Prospect was not chosen by chance. The Peter the Great Hospital and the prosthetic and orthopedic enterprise are located nearby. 110,000 people live in this area. In 1995, the idea was born of providing spiritual support to people with disabilities, for this purpose it was decided to attract them to the Orthodox Church and call volunteers to work there. The initiator of the project was Anastasia Yurievna Herbshtein - a man who knew firsthand the problems of wheelchairs, since she herself was confined to a wheelchair. In the shelter, people with disabilities could be accommodated for temporary residence, the premises were equipped with ramps.
Start of construction of the Piskarevskaya Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
In 1997, a small wooden church was erected. The priest was appointed clergyman Andrei Klokov. And at the same time, there is a plan to build a complex of stone, combining a large and a small church, as well as a Sunday school building. The idea was approved by St. Petersburg Bishop Vladimir and architect O. A. Kharchenko. Its embodiment began with the erection of a small church - the Annunciation, it was consecrated in 2003.
The number of parishioners was constantly growing, and it soon became clear that it was necessary to build a church in the name of the Nativity of Christ, which could accommodate 1000 people. It began to be built in 2006. In the process, assistance was provided by CJSC ISK RANT, CJSC Nevmashenergo, Nikolaev Cossack Village, CJSC Stroitelny Trust, OOO Stroitelnoe Upravlenie.
Nowadays
Today, the white-stone Orthodox Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Piskarevsky Prospect represents the continuity of Russian canons in religious construction. The architectural style of the five-domed structure embodies the main canons of ancient Russian architecture. The top of the temple is decorated with silver domes with gilded crosses.
The altar is located unconventionally - not along the wall, but in the eastern part of the building, in the attached apse, which has the shape of a ¾ circle. A hemispherical tent covers the altar from above, and even higher is a metal head with a cross. The iconostasis is placed at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the walls, which is a diagonal.
Church activity
Nowadays, in the church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Piskarevsky Prospekt, services are regularly held according to the following schedule:
- Liturgy - daily at 10 a.m., on Sunday also at 7 a.m.
- Akathists are served on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m.
Baptism is held daily at 14 hours, on Sunday at 14 and 16 hours.
Schedule changes can be viewed on the official online resource of the temple.
The feast day is the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is celebrated on April 7.
In addition to divine services, a Sunday school is functioning for parishioners of any age, and cooperation is being conducted with charitable organizations. Everyone is invited to the library, where you can get spiritual literature.
The weekly youth club “Kinonia” operates, during which lectures on Christian topics are organized. Boys and girls can find like-minded people, talk about the essentials, and ask questions to ministers of the church. Here we welcome both regular parishioners and those who are just starting their Christian path. During the club’s work, visitors have the opportunity to watch movies, participate in performances for children, travel to nature, on excursions, on pilgrimage trips, play sports, and meet interesting invited persons.
The temple also continues to work on interior decoration and interior decoration, icons are written for the iconostasis.
How to get there
To get to the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Piskarevsky Prospekt, you can use several modes of transport.
- From the Akademicheskaya metro station - shuttle buses No. 6, 102, 150, 176, 178, 191, 330, buses No. 102, 103, 178.
- From the metro station "Pl. Lenin ”- fixed-route taxis No. 100, 107, 178, 191, 367, buses No. 106, 107, 133.
- From the metro station "Ladozhskaya" - shuttle buses No. 17, 118, 271, 369, buses No. 123.
- From Novocherkasskaya - shuttle buses No. 6, 83, 118, bus No. 132, trolleybus No. 18.
Address of the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin: Piskarevsky Prospect, 41.