Chesma Church.

Chesme Church

St Petersburg

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This striking red-and-white 18th-century Gothic church is east off Moskovsky pr. Designed by Yury Felten, it was built between 1777 and 1780 in honour of the Battle of Chesme (1770). Its relatively remote location is due to the fact that Catherine the Great was on this spot when news arrived of the victory over the Turks.

Ever capricious, Catherine ordered that a shrine be built on the spot to preserve this great moment in Russian history. It now seems particularly incongruous with its surroundings, as Stalin’s planned city centre has since grown up around it.

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