The first church in St. Petersburg appeared in the early 1700s on the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress. The church was wooden, but even then it was crowned with a bell tower. In the next 20-30 years, the building changed its address several times, moving to Mytny Dvor, then to the Foundry, where many Lutheran Germans lived in the 1720s. In the 1740s, according to the project of architect Pyotr Eropkin, the wooden building was replaced by a mazankoy building, and 30 years later Yuri Felten created a stone version of the church. It remains that way today.

Annenkirche was popular with parishioners until the revolution: thousands of people visited it every week. However, the Soviets turned the religious object into a cinema, and in 1939 the doors with the Spartak sign opened for another audience. This is not to say that this cinema was an ordinary institution for young people: in the 80s, world masterpieces were played here, and retrofilms were often shown here. In the 90s, services resumed, for some time the church lived a double life: on Sundays, prayers were read here, and on other days, movies were shown.

The confusing story with the church happened in the 2000s, then the building passed under the control of Erato, which intended to resell the facility and turn it into a nightclub. Representatives of religion and the authorities intervened in the situation, as a result, in February 2002, the government of St. Petersburg decided: to reorganize the legal remains of Spartak, to recognize the church as a monument, “Erato ” leave the premises. At the same time, a fire broke out in the church in a strange way. They talked about the guilt of the watchman, about bad wiring and hooligans, but the true cause of the incident is not clear until now.

Today, the church still holds one and a half thousand people, and its scorched interiors are full of mystical charm. From Sunday to Wednesday, the building is occupied by Lutherans, for whom services and Bible talks are held, and on other days the church is open to the public. For a fee, it is possible to organize an entourage photo shoot here, however, the rectors of the church always agree on the subject of future photos. Modern artists love the atmospheric church as a place for exhibitions.

There is a donation jar at the entrance — the church collects money for restoration, and you can contribute to this important cause.