Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary description and photos - Russia - Baltic: Kaliningrad (Topic)

Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary description and photos - Russia - Baltics: Kaliningrad. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photos and a map showing the nearest significant objects.

Photo and description

In one of the oldest suburbs of Kaliningrad (Konigsberg), there is the building of the former Evangelical church, which has housed the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary since 1992. The neo-Gothic building was built in 1897 with donations from the industrialist Schifferdecker and the owner of the estate, R. Hoffmann. The consecration of the temple took place on July 23, 1897.

Originally, the red-brick building had a four-story tower and pediments on the western and eastern sides. High lancet windows in niches open to the east. In the south side there was an altar part with a sacristy, to which an extension of the Schifferdecker family crypt was adjoined. A lantern with a high spire was located on the gable roof (not preserved). The first organ was donated by the Jewish community, subsequently replaced (in 1929) with a new musical instrument, the work of the well-known firm Furtwangler & Hammer.

The temple functioned after minor damage during the storming of Konigsberg until the deportation of the German population. Later the building was used as a warehouse and a gym. In 1991, the transfer of the historic building to the Russian Orthodox Church took place. In September 1992, the temple was consecrated in the name of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. After a major overhaul (in 1997), the temple was re-consecrated by Metropolitan Kirill.

Nowadays, the premises of the temple have been changed in accordance with Orthodox canons, a belfry (12 bells) has been equipped and the surrounding area has been ennobled. The historical appearance of the building has been completely preserved (not counting the damage in 1945 - the absence of the spire on the roof of the tower and the northern pediment). In the mid-1990s, a rich iconostasis was donated to the temple. In 2009, a library of spiritual literature and a children's Sunday school were opened in the former refectory church.

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Topic: Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary description and photos - Russia - Baltic: Kaliningrad.