Friends, let’s continue our walk along the Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment, located in the southeastern part of Vasilyevsky Island. Today, we will visit the beautiful Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
How to Get There by Metro
The nearest metro station to the church is Vasileostrovskaya. The walk from there takes about 15–20 minutes. The address of the building is Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment, 27/2. You can plan your route using online maps.
A Bit of History
The year 1721 is considered the time when the courtyard, where the church is located, was founded. Over different periods of its existence, the courtyard belonged to various monasteries. Since 1874, it was transferred to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. It was at their request that the construction of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary began. The architect was V. A. Kosyakov, who also oversaw the construction of the Naval Cathedral in Kronstadt.
Construction of the church began on August 15, 1895, and it was consecrated in 1897. All work was completed three years later. The church is built in the Russian style and can hold about 2,000 people. Thanks to the use of an innovative system of intersecting arches, no columns were needed in the interior, which creates the impression of a very spacious interior. The lower part of the building is faced with gray granite, the upper part is made of Radom sandstone and yellow Mitav brick, as well as majolica.
The peaceful existence of the courtyard and the church ended after the 1917 revolution. Church activities continued, albeit intermittently, until 1935, accompanied by periodic arrests of clergy. After that, the church building was turned into a warehouse for Lenvoenport. At the same time, all church property was destroyed, and only the exterior of the building was preserved.
In the second half of the 20th century, the church housed an ice rink, which negatively affected the preservation of the building. In 1991, the church was handed over to the Vvedenskaya Optina Pustyn Monastery for the establishment of a courtyard. In 1993, services resumed, and a few years later, restoration work began. Today, the restoration is complete, and anyone who wishes, like us, can enjoy the magnificent interior, including the frescoes and iconostasis. By the way, a nice bonus is the presence of a monastery bakery on the premises, where you can enjoy a delicious and affordable meal.
If you continue exploring this part of Vasilyevsky Island, I would also recommend visiting the Academy of Arts Museum nearby to learn more about the history of St. Petersburg.
Have a nice trip!
