“The Petrikirche Catacombs” is a space that includes a basement and a concrete pool basin, “preserved” during the last restoration of the church. The basement was formerly used for storing firewood. Currently, the “Catacombs” are used for hosting various events. It all began in 2006 with a major clearing of the former basement. Space was freed up for the work of two artists. Russian artist of German descent Adam Schmidt painted the walls in the lower chapel, dedicating them to the victims of repression and deportations.
American artist Matt Lamb decorated the outer part of the pool basin with his drawings on the themes of faith, love, and hope. In 2019, a decision was made to fundamentally modernize the lighting of the space to highlight and draw attention to the most important elements. The work was carried out thanks to donations from the Gustav-Adolf-Werk and Martin-Luther-Bund foundations. Parishioners took on the dismantling of the old electrical equipment. The installation of the new lighting equipment was performed by the St. Petersburg electrical engineering company “Köhl SPb,” which completed part of its work free of charge. The “Catacombs” now host exhibitions, performances, and small concerts. For example, KOVSH is a dialogue with Petrikirche in the form of a performance-tour that allows one to feel the space of the church, hear what the walls whisper about, speak with several generations of people, and immerse oneself in the history of Petrikirche. A multichannel sound installation transports visitors back to the last century, when the church served as a storage for theatrical scenery and later as a swimming pool. Documentary film essays illuminate the biographies of members of the Lutheran community. An audiovisual installation inside the pool basin immerses visitors in the unique history of the church.
Sources:
https://petrikirche-spb.ru/category/катакомбы/
https://petrikirche.ru/katakombenbeleuchtung/
