“The turbulent ’90s” has long become a fixed expression. For the youth, these were the years when borders suddenly opened, norms and preferences changed. However, there was also a strong social stratification, and the level of banditry rose. Surely everyone knows the cult film by Aleksei Balabanov, “Brother,” with its romantic flavor of that time. At the beginning of the movie, in the autumn of 1996, a young man Danila Bagrov returns from the Chechen war. Saint Petersburg greets him with its usual rain, faded landscapes, and the music of the popular band “Nautilus Pompilius.”

The hero finds himself in a small courtyard, with a dark building barely visible in the background. Surprisingly, it is a church, which at that time was a popular gathering place for youth—a rock club called “Spartak.”

The Lutheran Church of St. Anne was built in 1775 during the reign of Empress Catherine II, while the first building appeared even earlier, during the reign of Anna Ioannovna, funded by her donations, and named in honor of the empress’s patron saint (https://reveal.world/story/annekirhe). However, after the October events, all churches were persecuted; in 1939, the last Lutheran priest was killed. It was then that the authorities decided to repurpose the building, located practically in the city center, for their own needs.

Annenkirche was converted according to the project of architect Alexander Gegello, like many of its sister churches, into a public facility. Since Lenin considered cinema the best propaganda tool, the Church of St. Anne became the “Spartak” cinema. At that time, stairs and a balcony were added, the altar was destroyed, the chapel was replaced by a buffet, ticket offices and a cloakroom were installed at the entrance. The entrance was also changed: visitors now entered not from Kirochnaya Street but from Furshatskaya Street. Presumably, this was done so that city residents would not associate the building with a temple.

In 1930, the church was converted into a cinema, which only increased the popularity of the building on Kirochnaya (then Saltykov-Shchedrin) Street. “Spartak” quickly earned the title of a temple of film classics. When a Fellini film was brought to Leningrad for one evening, it could only be seen at “Spartak.” Weeks of French, German, and Israeli cinema were held there, both old and new—since “Spartak” was a branch of the State Film Fund. The pinnacle of freedom of screening was probably the open showing of Leni Riefenstahl’s “Triumph of the Will”—the world-famous scandalous film about the Nazis, shot by Hitler’s personal film director. Last autumn, this documentary was screened at the “Message to Man” film festival in a closed session under OMON guard. But few remember that in the early ’90s, this film was shown freely—and at “Spartak.” Although only briefly, it was without incidents.

Shortly after, in the mid-’90s, “Spartak” was designated as a Center for Non-Commercial Cinema. While other cinemas earned money, “Spartak” continued to introduce St. Petersburg residents to film classics. But the cinema’s financial situation was poor. In 1994, “Spartak” was converted into a nightclub. In 1996, the club’s administration signed a 15-year lease agreement with LLC “Erato.” After changing tenants, the club truly came to life, gaining popularity among the youth. Not long ago, Oleg Garkusha’s club “Garkundel” operated there, and concerts of famous St. Petersburg rock stars were held. During one concert, the guitarist of “Aquarium,” Dyusha Romanov, died right on the stage of “Spartak,” and for two years memorials for the musician were held within these walls.

In the ’90s, musical concerts were held here more and more often. On June 26, 1996, the cinema’s administration transferred ownership rights to the company “Erato,” signing a 15-year lease. Eventually, under new owners in 1998, the cinema became the legendary rock club “Spartak.” On the second floor, where the chapel had previously been, a permanent bar was opened, along with billiards, slot machines, and a casino operating around the clock. Rock music led to a search for truth, so it was especially beloved by the young men and women of the ’90s. Architectural solutions (jagged walls, recessed windows, columns, vault shapes) created good acoustics, making the church an ideal place for artist performances. Additionally, a wooden platform was built.

Event organization was handled by Olga Yakubkhanova, the club’s creative manager. She transferred all her love and energy to it like a mother, as her first project, “Art Clinic” on Pushkinskaya Street, had died prematurely. The crowd was appropriate: unruly young men and women, various nonconformists, and marginals. Instead of security guards, ordinary “brothers” stood at the entrance. The atmosphere was filled with the spicy spirit and aesthetics of sex, alcohol, and rock ’n’ roll.

On the first floor of the building was a tattoo salon, records of favorite rock bands were sold, and, according to rumors, cocaine or even heavier drugs could be bought here relatively cheaply. However, music was predominantly the reason youth came here. The rock club’s stage saw the band “Korol i Shut” (King and Jester), whose devotion is now highly valued even among modern teenagers.

Here, on June 16, 1999, they recorded their first live album “Men Ate Meat.” The concert lasted two hours, featuring beloved songs like “Merry Trolls,” “Forest Robbers,” “Forester,” “Stone on the Head,” and many others. The hall buzzed, greeting the artists with unceasing shouts and screams. Mikhail Gorshenev, with his usual spiky hair, energized the audience with his inexhaustible energy. It was a true celebration of adrenaline and drive. “Korol i Shut” continued to perform actively on the “Spartak” stage almost until its closure. One of their last performances was on April 20, 2001. Hits like “Sorcerer’s Doll,” “Forester,” “True Killer,” “Two Thieves and a Coin,” “Blue Ball,” “Executioner’s Bride,” and others were performed.

On October 23, 1999, a significant event for the rock club took place. A concert of the band “Pilot” was organized, attended by the recording studio “Neva-Records.” A one-hour live music performance was recorded, including songs “Nearby,” “Jazz,” “Tram,” “Two Junkies,” “Transit,” and others. This concert was even covered by the media of that time. Reporters noted the charisma of the lead vocalist and founder of “Pilot,” the good lyrics and melodies of the band, and that the songs were dissected like Pushkin’s poetry. Other bands that performed on the rock club’s stage included “Aquarium,” “Grazhdanskaya Oborona,” “Nochnye Snaipery,” “N.O.M.,” “Dva Samolyota,” “Auktyon,” “Korrozia Metalla,” and “Fintroll.”

The rock club often hosted themed parties: Halloween celebrations, amateur striptease contests and shows, New Year’s parties with songs by the band “Leningrad,” and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations inspired by Western traditions. Alexander Bashirov, a famous Soviet and Russian actor, organized the alternative film festival “Pure Dreams.” Fashionable avant-garde shows, spiritualist séances, and tantric gatherings were common. The cinema partially continued to operate, screening absurd domestic films or “Girls from Chelsea.” All events were loud and massive, attracting crowds like a magnet.

On the club’s second floor, less well-known bands performed, gathered by “Garkundel” under the tireless Oleg Garkusha. Often, the number of performers exceeded the number of listeners. Nevertheless, the band “Nochnye Snaipery” owes its popularity to “Garkundel,” performing there in 2000 and 2001.

A memorable February concert featured songs from the album “A Drop of Tar.” During the performance, a funny incident occurred: a very heavy man staggered onto the stage, began advertising “Baltika” beer, held several contests, and awarded the winners with the drink, after which the performance continued. However, not all concerts at the club were positive. In 2000, a tragic incident occurred on the second-floor stage.

About 20 people gathered in the intimate hall. Flutist Dyusha Romanov stepped onto the stage, but as soon as he approached the microphone, he swayed and fell. Among the audience were several medics who performed artificial respiration on Andrey and called an ambulance, but he was already dead. Doctors confirmed death from ischemic heart disease. The concert was canceled, the audience was refunded, and dispersed. These were the last breaths of Spartak; its era was short-lived. The last major event was the June performance by the band “Leningrad,” then with Igor Vdovin as lead singer, while the current leader Shnur only played bass guitar. Memorial evenings for Dyusha became the final events held within “Spartak” as a rock club.

On July 30, 2001, the general director of “Hollywood Nights” announced that the club’s activities would be repurposed, and from then on only calm, alcohol-free student parties would be held, supervised by the Committee on Culture and Youth Affairs. The new owners planned to screen non-commercial films, renovate, and reconstruct the former church hall. Rock musicians began searching for new venues.

At the beginning of 2002, city authorities suddenly decided to restore the building’s status as a Lutheran church. This required a series of legal maneuvers since the illegal club “Spartak” was still officially a cinema owned by LLC “Erato.” The company refused to voluntarily give up the premises; it turned out the club administration had signed the lease without the knowledge of KUGI (Committee for State Control, Use and Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments). But the tenants, having invested a considerable sum in repairs and reconstruction, flatly refused and did not even want to look at the alternative premises offered. However, the legal advantage was on KUGI’s side, and the Arbitration Court declared the lease agreement invalid. Soon, LLC “Erato,” which had operated within “Spartak” for six years, was to vacate the premises.

And then a fire occurred, as they say, “If you can’t have it, no one will…” The club caught fire at 4:35 a.m. Within five minutes, crews from the 17th fire station, located on nearby Tchaikovsky Street, were battling the flames with three hoses. But it soon became clear that help from neighbors was needed. The fire was initially classified as level two, then level three. Once again, as three days earlier, Kirochnaya Street was blocked and filled with fire trucks, tankers, and ladders. Besides firefighting equipment, the firefighters had to use a construction cradle to raise a monitor nozzle and a chainsaw to cut the door of the back entrance, as attacking the fire from the rear was otherwise impossible. However, the flames kept growing: at 5:42 a.m., the roof collapsed, and the fire began licking the dome. By half past ten, when the fire was contained, one and a half thousand square meters had burned on two floors. Fortunately, there were no casualties. It can be said that the spirit of the aggressive rock club “Spartak” burned out with this fire, a kind of ritual cleansing of the sacred place.

In general, as a result, St. Petersburg lost one nightclub. Or one cinema. Or one former church… For every resident of St. Petersburg, the green tower on Kirochnaya meant something personal.

For more than six years, the badly damaged building—neither quite a club nor a church, but rather just an unfortunate building—remained abandoned. It was neither conserved nor restored. However, after some time, attention was drawn to it, and external repairs were carried out: walls, roof, and rafters were restored, although a new cross was never placed on the bell tower. The interior remained unchanged. To this day, one can still see the scars on its vaults and walls left by the tongues of flame.

However, the gloomy walls and aura did not leave modern artists in peace, and soon a proposal was made to borrow the premises as a venue for exhibitions. The exhibits often matched the church’s eerie spirit. Nevertheless, ordinary people became interested in the church and began to visit it. It turned into a cult place where church services coexist with a cultural center.

Source:

https://best90.ru/kultovye-mesta/klub-spartak-kultovye-mesta-90-x-kotoryx-bolshe-net.html

https://novayagazeta.spb.ru/articles/538/

https://spb.aif.ru/culture/event/zagadka_annekirhe_kak_starinnaya_lyuteranskaya_cerkov_stala_rok-klubom