St Petersburg has two famous Lutheran churches, and both are known for more than worship. Petrikirche on Nevsky Prospekt was turned into a swimming pool in Soviet times, and the pool basin still lies beneath the floor. Annenkirche on Kirochnaya Street was a cinema and then a rock club, and since a fire in 2002 it has stood with fire-scarred walls. Today both hold services and regular organ concerts.
Below: how they differ, what to see inside, what concerts and tours cost and how to fit both into one day. We checked the Petrikirche and Annenkirche websites and Yandex Afisha on 19 October 2026. The big news this autumn: Annenkirche is preparing to close for a restoration of around two years.
🕯 Annenkirche: the church after the fire
St Anne's Church (Annenkirche) is at 8 Kirochnaya Street, building V. The stone church designed by Yuri Felten was consecrated in 1779, and the street itself is named after it ("Kirche" is German for church). In the 1930s the church was closed and turned into the Spartak cinema; later it became a rock club. On the night of 5–6 December 2002 a fire almost completely destroyed the historic interiors. The building was handed back to the Lutherans by 2013, and the first service was held on 24 December 2013.
The hall of Annenkirche: fire-scarred walls, staircases and galleries — Photo: Alexey Komarov, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The main impression is the hall itself: smoke-blackened walls, peeling plaster, balustrades and a cross made of light. The church says thousands of visitors come precisely to look at the burnt interiors. You may take photos on a phone or camera without flash or a tripod; professional shoots must be agreed three days in advance.
Restoration: according to its website, Annenkirche will close in 2026 for around two years, to a design by the architect Sergei Kuznetsov. As of 19 October preparations are still under way, the closure stage has not begun, and the church promises to announce any changes in advance. If you want to see the burnt hall, now is the time.
🎶 Annenkirche: concerts, an exhibition and coffee
By day Annenkirche hosts the exhibition "The History of Everything: from Creation to the Apocalypse", with tickets from 800 roubles on weekdays and 900 at weekends and guided tours every hour. In the evening there are concerts, many of them late: "Organ Tuesday" at 20:00 from 900 roubles, "Night Organ" at 22:30 from 1,400, Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" from 1,900, film music on the organ from 1,300, and chamber concerts in the chapel from 1,000.
The Annenkirche coffee shop under brick vaults — Photo: PiterPass
You can get into the church for free during services: Wednesdays at 19:00 and Sundays at 11:00 in the main hall (entry until 12:00), Sundays at 9:00 in the chapel, and Sundays at 16:00 in German and Russian. Anyone is welcome, whatever their faith. Annenkirche also runs its own small chain of coffee shops, Manna, for a coffee after the exhibition.
⛪ Petrikirche: the church that became a swimming pool
The Church of Saints Peter and Paul (Petrikirche) is at 22–24 Nevsky Prospekt, near Nevsky Prospekt and Gostiny Dvor metro. The present building was designed by Alexander Bryullov and consecrated on 31 October 1838. The church calls itself the largest Lutheran church in Russia: it was designed for 3,000 people. In 1937 it was closed, its pastors were shot, and Karl Bryullov's altarpiece "Christ on the Cross" went to the Russian Museum. From 1962 it housed a swimming pool, and services resumed in 1992.
The hall of Petrikirche: altar with a Crucifixion painting and galleries — Photo: GAlexandrova, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Inside is a bright, tall hall with white vaults; the congregation says traces of the pool can still be seen in the layout. The most unusual part is the catacombs, where the old pool basin survives, along with murals by Adam Schmidt and an installation by Mat Lamb. According to the congregation's website, the church is open daily from 9:00 to 21:00. The catacombs are open for drop-in visits on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 16:00 to 20:00, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 14:00 to 20:00.
