VX8R+94 Petrodvortsovy District, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Tsar Nicholas I, immensely loving his children, bought land and arranged country estates for each son. Thus, his youngest son, Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich, was gifted the Mikhailovskaya Dacha.
Among the numerous buildings of the princely estate, the house church stood out distinctly. It was consecrated in the name of Saint Princess Olga – the heavenly patroness of Grand Duchess Olga Feodorovna, the wife of Mikhail. The Church of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga was built according to the design of Professor of Architecture at the Academy of Arts, Court Councillor, and Knight of the Orders of St. Stanislaus 2nd Class and Anna 3rd Class, David Ivanovich Grimm. In 1861, the court office of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich, owner of the Mikhailovskaya Dacha, commissioned him for this work. The church was consecrated in honor of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga – the patroness of the beloved wife of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich, Olga Feodorovna. This architect created many churches but mostly worked abroad. David Ivanovich not only completed the design work but also personally supervised the construction process. The foundation of the church was laid in 1861. According to the contract, the church was to be completed by autumn 1863. However, Grimm used special bricks produced at the Znamensky factory. Due to their shortage, construction was delayed, and Mikhail Nikolaevich postponed the completion date to summer 1864. The construction was finished on time, as documented by an act and inventory kept in the State Archive. The new church was well received by the imperial family, and the Grand Duke awarded Grimm a diamond ring with a ruby.
The Church of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga was built in the old Russian style. The single-domed building of the temple is made of red brick with a special factory mark – ZKZ. On three sides, it adjoins an open arched gallery resting on 18 columns made of light sandstone. The gallery is situated on a pedestal faced with Putilov stone and is closed on both sides of the altar by chapels. Between the columns, benches made of artificial marble were installed, and copper donation cups were hung. Two staircases, also made of artificial marble, lead to the entrance of the church. The semicircular window openings were decorated with keel-shaped platbands. The gilded dome rested on a thin, tall drum.
The interior painting of the dome and walls was done by Alexander Beideman. The altar housed 15 icons, and the walls of the church had more than 50 icons donated to Mikhail Nikolaevich and Olga Feodorovna.
The single-span bell tower with four bells of different sizes, cast at the Stukolkin foundry, was located separately.
Until the 1917 revolution, the Church of Saint Olga remained the house church of the family of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich.
The last owner of the Mikhailovskaya Dacha, Prince Sergey Mikhailovich, was shot in Alapaevsk in 1918 along with members of the imperial family.
The church was closed in the 1930s and was used as a club, then a store, a children’s home for troubled children, and a seed warehouse. The church suffered severe damage during the Great Patriotic War. After the liberation of Peterhof, the only work done in the church was the construction of a rough reinforced concrete ceiling. Later, it housed a store from a poultry farm and a sports base.
Numerous owners, reconstructions, and a fire in 1968 completely destroyed the unique wall paintings, mosaic floors, and other decorations of the church. The abandoned building rapidly deteriorated and decayed. By the 1990s, only bare walls with empty door and window openings remained of the beautiful church.
The long path to the restoration of the Church of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga began in 1998, and the first service was held here in 2002. Restoration work continues today.
Sources:
https://peterburg.center/maps/cerkov-svyatoy-ravnoapostolnoy-knyagini-olgi.html
https://www.citywalls.ru/house22704.html
