The head of administration of Toksovo Settlement and the chairman of the regional committee for preservation of cultural heritage discussed the possibilities of renovating a Lutheran church.
The Lutheran Church of Saints Peter and Paul the Apostles in Toksovo, Vsevolozhsky District, Leningrad Oblast, is planned to be renovated, says the website of the Toksovo Urban Settlement Administration.
According to the website, the matter was discussed in spring 2020 by Sergei Kuzmin, the head of administration of this municipality, and Vladimir Tsoi, the chairman of the Leningrad Oblast Committee for Preservation of Cultural Heritage.
This last summer, graduating class students from St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, led by their professor, examined the land around the Lutheran church and the church building itself.
As a result, last fall their prepared a sketch plan for the renovation of the building. A number of ideas are planned to be made reality in the coming years. The renovation will give the building a better esthetic look and improve the adjacent land.
The Lutheran parish of Toksovo was established in 1625-1628. One hundred six years later, it grew to have a branch parish, which over time became a separate parish with a church and two chapels.
This Lutheran church received its folk name “Alexander Church” after a visit by Emperor Alexander III. In 1900, the church opened a Sunday school which also taught reading and writing. The parish covered the territory of more than 40 villages.
After the parish was abolished in August 1937, the church building was turned over to the Soviet authorities and used as a club. In December 1994, the church was re-dedicated. It’s used for worship in Finnish and Russian.
Photo credits: press service of Toksovo Urban Settlement