The Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Catherine is located in
the center of the city of Arkhangelsk. There is a full-height organ
inside the building. At present it is a chamber hall of the Pomor
State Philharmonic Society.
Since the middle of the 17th
century, many foreign merchants, including Dutch and Germans, have
constantly lived in Arkhangelsk. Initially, a Reformed parish
(called Dutch) was formed in the city, and by 1683 a Lutheran
(Hamburg) one. At first, he was an integral part of the
Evangelical-Reformed parish in Moscow, while retaining his
characteristic confessional characteristics and the right to choose
a pastor in Germany.
The first preacher of the community in
Arkhangelsk was F.L. Schrader (from Hamburg). He worked in this
position for 14 years. In 1687, Schrader built a wooden church.
Divine services in it were held in German. Services in the church
were organized only in the summer months, and in the winter - in the
pastoral house.
Origins and Early Development (17th–18th Centuries)
The roots
of the church trace back to the mid-17th century, when Arkhangelsk's
role as Russia's primary northern trade hub drew a significant
population of foreign merchants, particularly from Germany, the
Netherlands, England, and France. These settlers formed the "German
Settlement" (Nemetskaya Sloboda), a district where non-Orthodox
faiths were tolerated under tsarist policies. Initially, a Reformed
parish (often called the Dutch parish) emerged, followed by a
distinct Lutheran parish (known as the Hamburg parish) by 1683. This
Lutheran community was administratively linked to the
Evangelical-Reformed parish in Moscow but maintained its
confessional independence, including the right to select pastors
from Germany.
The first documented preacher, F.L. Schrader from
Hamburg, served from around 1683 to 1697 and oversaw the
construction of the community's initial wooden church in 1687.
Services were conducted in German, reflecting the parishioners'
heritage. Due to the harsh northern climate, worship occurred in the
church only during summer months, shifting to the pastor's house in
winter. This structure endured until 1710, when a massive fire
ravaged Arkhangelsk and destroyed it. Remarkably, the community
rebuilt a new wooden church the same year, demonstrating their
resilience and commitment.
By the mid-18th century, the wooden
building had deteriorated, prompting local Lutherans to petition for
a more permanent stone structure. With approval from the Holy Synod
of the Russian Orthodox Church, construction began in 1767 and was
completed in 1768, funded primarily by wealthy Hamburg merchants who
had established roots in the city. The original design was a modest
one-story, single-nave building with a bell tower, styled in a
Western European Baroque manner. It featured a dome-topped bell
tower with a clock, cross, and weather vane. Dedicated to St.
Catherine, the church symbolized the growing stability of the
Lutheran presence in Arkhangelsk.
Tragedy struck again in 1774,
when another fire damaged the nascent structure. Repairs ensued,
elevating the bell tower and redesigning the facades in a Classicist
style, which emphasized symmetry and restraint over Baroque
ornamentation.
19th-Century Growth and Challenges
By 1791,
the church served 269 evangelical parishioners, indicating a
thriving community amid Arkhangelsk's commercial boom. In 1817,
under Emperor Alexander I's approval, the Lutheran (Hamburg) and
Reformed (Dutch) parishes merged into a single Evangelical parish.
Pastor Johann Arnold Brunings led the united congregation, with
services alternating between buildings but major celebrations held
at St. Catherine's.
The 19th century was marked by repeated
fires, a common hazard in wooden-dominated Arkhangelsk. A
devastating blaze in 1851 gutted the church, but it was rebuilt
within two years. Further restoration in 1896 added a new tier to
the bell tower for bell ringing—previously prohibited for
non-Orthodox denominations—and incorporated a quadrifolium
(four-leaf) window reminiscent of Gothic roses.
Early
20th-Century Modifications and the Revolutionary Era
Fires
continued into the 20th century. In 1908, damage led to a
restoration project proposing a Gothic spire, but German merchants
advocated for a dome instead. Another fire in 1909 prompted final
reconstructions: a Gothic spire was installed atop the bell tower, a
large western canopy was added over the entrance, and an eastern
altar apse was designed in Art Nouveau style, blending modern
elegance with historical elements.
The Russian Revolution of 1917
brought profound changes. During the Russian Civil War (1917–1922),
Allied intervention forces (Antanta) used the church as a field
hospital, reflecting Arkhangelsk's brief occupation by Western
powers supporting the White Army. Post-revolution, the building was
nationalized and remained with the Evangelical community initially.
However, financial strains led the community to relinquish it in
1929 to the local executive committee, which repurposed it for
secular uses: first as the Theater of Proletarian Youth, then the
Industrialization Club, and later a children's sports school.
Soviet Period and Secular Repurposing (1930s–1980s)
Under
Soviet antireligious policies, the church ceased functioning as a
place of worship by the late 1920s, aligning with broader closures
of religious sites. It endured as a cultural and recreational venue,
avoiding demolition but losing its sacred character. By the early
1980s, amid a thaw in cultural preservation, a reconstruction
project adapted it into a chamber concert hall. Work preserved the
building's exceptional acoustics, ideal for music. Restoration
completed in 1987, and it opened as the Small Concert Hall of the
Arkhangelsk Philharmonic.
Post-Soviet Revival and Modern Use
(1990s–Present)
Perestroika and the dissolution of the USSR
enabled religious revival. In 1991, a custom organ crafted by the
renowned German firm Alexander Schuke was installed, enhancing its
musical capabilities. In 1995, the building was returned to the
reconstituted Evangelical Lutheran community of Arkhangelsk. An
agreement allows dual usage: Lutheran services, still conducted in
German, alongside concerts and festivals like "Praise to the Organ,"
featuring international performers and chamber ensembles.
In 1896, after the next restoration of the bell tower, another
level appeared for bell ringing (previously forbidden for the
Reforms and Lutherans), and the middle level above the entrance was
decorated with a window in the form of a quadrifolium, somewhat
reminiscent of a rose window in the Gothic style. After a fire in
1908, a new project for the restoration of the building was
approved, which included the renewal of the bell Gothic spire. But
at the request of the German merchants, the spire was replaced with
a dome. The last time the church was damaged by fire was in 1909.
After the reconstruction, the bell tower was decorated with a Gothic
spire, from the west there was a large canopy over the entrance, and
from the east - an altar apse, decorated in the Art Nouveau style.
After the October Revolution of 1917, the building of the church
was nationalized and transferred to the Evangelical community. In
1929, due to lack of funds for the maintenance of the church, the
community decides to transfer the building and all property to the
executive committee under the governor, which provided it to various
organizations.
In 1983, a project was developed for the
reconstruction and adaptation of the former church into a chamber
concert hall with an organ. The restoration was completed in 1987,
and the opening of the Small Concert Hall of the Arkhangelsk
Philharmonic took place in the church. In 1995, the church was
handed over to the recovered Evangelical Lutheran community in
Arkhangelsk. Here you can hear classical music, attend the service,
which is held, as before, in German.
In 1991, a modern organ of the famous Alexander Shuke company was
installed here. As part of the Praise to the Organ festival, the world's
leading performers regularly tour, chamber ensembles of classical music
perform.
The wedding ceremony in the chamber hall is gaining more
and more popularity. The march of Mendelssohn, performed on the organ,
sounds completely new, and the majestic Ave Maria invariably moves
everyone to tears. Children are invited to the quest "Kirkha's
Treasure", using musical prompts they will have to find a treasure
hidden a long time ago.
By agreement with the Lutheran community of
Arkhangelsk, divine services are regularly held in the premises in
German.
Franz Loretz Frader (1686-1695)
Ulrich Thomas Rollof (1696-1699)
Philip Michaelis (1710-1717)
Friedrich Peter Lange (1718-1727)
Ludwig Samuel Siegmann (1727-1740)
Samuel Conradi (1740-1747)
Georg Ehrenfried Raupach (1748-1772)
Peter Heinrich Klug (1772-1781)
Johann Georg Lampe (1781-1783)
Johann Heinrich Lindes (1783-1795)
Franz Zukas - (1795-1817)
Johann Arnold Brüning (1817-1820)
Carl
Friedrich August Brehme (1820-1860)
Wilhelm Bruckner (1860-1862)
Claus Hansen (1862-1892)
Emil Ewald Wegener (1892-1893)
Friedrich
Wilgel Bock (1893-1910)
F. Feerman (1911)
Wilhelm Hugo Franz
Krause (1911-1914)
Friedrich Barnel (1915-1920)
Address: Arkhangelsk, st. Karl Marx, 3. Website.
How to get
there: by buses No. 1, 6, 9, 42, 43, 44, 61 to the stop. Pavlin
Vinogradov Square/Mir Cinema.
Concerts start on weekends at
16:00, on weekdays at 18:30. Ticket price 500-650 RUB.