Russia has declared 2026 the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia, and National Unity Day itself falls on a Wednesday, 4 November. St Petersburg has a ready-made walk for the occasion: along less than a kilometre of Nevsky Prospekt stand an Armenian church, a Catholic basilica, the Orthodox Kazan Cathedral and the Lutheran Petrikirche. Three more — a Swedish church, a Finnish one and the former Dutch church — sit just around the corner on the two Konyushennaya streets.
This is no accident: in the 18th century, communities of other faiths were given plots right on the capital's main street. We went through the churches' own websites to find out when each one is open, what to wear and what to look for inside. The route runs from Gostiny Dvor metro towards the Moika and takes two to three hours.
⛪ St Catherine's Armenian Church: a blue façade set back from Nevsky
Start with the most striking interior of the walk. The Armenian Apostolic Church of St Catherine stands at the back of its plot at 40–42 Nevsky Prospekt, directly opposite Gostiny Dvor: first you see a white-and-blue portico between two buildings, then the dome. Catherine the Great granted the land to the community in 1770, and Yury Felten designed the church. The pediment relief shows the baptism of King Tiridates III — in 301 Armenia became the first country to adopt Christianity as its state religion.
Interior of St Catherine's Armenian Church — Photo: Well-read MountainMan, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Inside you'll find marble columns, crystal chandeliers and Armenian lettering running around the dome. According to the church's website it is open daily from 9:00 to 19:00, with a morning service at 10:30, an evening service at 16:00 and the Divine Liturgy on Sundays at 11:00. Its visiting rules state plainly that people of all faiths are welcome. Dress neatly — no shorts or miniskirts; women cover their heads, men remove their hats, and phones are switched off before you go in.
🏛 Basilica of St Catherine of Alexandria: the only one in Russia
A little further towards the Admiralty, at 32–34 Nevsky, is the Catholic church built in 1763–1783 to a design by Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe. Auguste de Montferrand, the architect of St Isaac's Cathedral, was married here, and his funeral service was held here too. The church was closed in 1938, and fires in 1947 and 1984 badly damaged the interior. The building was returned to the parish in 1992, the main nave was reconsecrated after restoration in 2008, and in 2013 it was given the honorary title of minor basilica — the only one in Russia.
The main nave of the Basilica of St Catherine — Photo: Reshinna, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
As of 19 October we could not find a working official parish website with a Mass schedule, so check opening times on the spot. The etiquette is that of any working church: shoulders and knees covered, keep your voice down, and don't film Mass. In the evenings the basilica often hosts candlelit organ concerts run by outside promoters — look for dates in the city's event listings.
🕯 Kazan Cathedral: the church of 4 November
Cross Nevsky to the colonnade at 2 Kazanskaya Square. Andrey Voronikhin built the cathedral in 1801–1811 to house a revered copy of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, and Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov was buried here in 1813. The icon is tied to the holiday itself: as the cathedral's website tells it, the militia of Pozharsky and Minin stormed Kitay-gorod in Moscow on 22 October 1612 — 4 November in today's calendar. That makes 4 November the cathedral's main feast day, so expect crowds.
Icon of St Xenia of Petersburg in Kazan Cathedral — Photo: PiterPass
Entry is free. The rules on the cathedral's website are strict: women should cover their heads and not wear lipstick, while shorts, short skirts and trousers for women are not allowed; no photography during services and no flash, and no guided tours without permission. The cathedral's own tour service works from 12:00 to 17:00. In the October schedule the Liturgy is at 10:00 and the evening service at 18:00; the November schedule had not been published as of 19 October. For more detail see our Kazan Cathedral guide, and for which cathedrals are free to enter, our piece on St Petersburg's cathedrals.
🎹 Petrikirche: the Lutheran church that was once a swimming pool
Back on the north side, at 22–24 Nevsky, is the German Lutheran Church of Saints Peter and Paul. Alexander Bryullov designed the twin-towered building, and it was consecrated on 31 October 1838, Reformation Day. In Soviet times the hall became a swimming pool, opened in 1963; when the church was returned to its congregation in 1993, the new floor was laid four metres higher, and the pool basin is still underneath. Above the altar hangs a copy of Karl Bryullov's Crucifixion — the original is in the Russian Museum.
The altar and small organ of the Petrikirche — Photo: Andrew Krizhanovsky, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
The Petrikirche is open every day from 9:00 to 21:00. The third-floor church hall is open to visitors at any time, the second-floor hall during services and concerts. Amateur photography without flash or tripod is allowed; filming concerts and services is not. General tours run on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 18:00, Saturdays at 14:00 and 18:00 and Sundays at 13:00 (500 roubles); the "Towers of the Petrikirche" tour runs on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 20:15 (400 roubles). Around the holiday the big W. Peter organ plays Bach for Reformation Day on 31 October at 19:00, and on 3 November at 19:00 there's "Cathedral Stained Glass", a programme of Bach, Vierne and Mulet.
🌹 St Catherine's Swedish Church: a rose window over Malaya Konyushennaya
Turn into pedestrianised Malaya Konyushennaya Street. On the corner of Shvedsky Lane (1 Malaya Konyushennaya) stands a neo-Romanesque church of 1863–1865 by the architect Carl Andersson, with a round rose window. The Nobel and Fabergé families were among its parishioners, and Carl Gustaf Mannerheim was married here.
St Catherine's Swedish Church — Photo: Peterburg23, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Today it is a Lutheran parish with services in Russian and Swedish. The church has no website of its own with opening hours, so the easiest way inside is a service or an evening organ concert.
