Feodorovskaya Church

The Church of the Holy Prince Feodor of Novgorod
Церковь святого благоверного князя Феодора Новгородского
Religion
AffiliationRussian Orthodox
Location
LocationMonastyrki Embankment [ru] 1,
Saint Petersburg
Architecture
Architect(s)Leonard Theodor Schwertfeger [ru]
Pietro Antonio Trezzini
StylePetrine Baroque
Groundbreaking1745
Completed1770
Website
www.lavra.spb.ru

The Feodorovskaya Church (Russian: Феодоровская церковь), or in full, the Church of the Holy Prince Feodor of Novgorod (Russian: Церковь святого благоверного князя Феодора Новгородского) is a Russian Orthodox church in Saint Petersburg. It is in the Diocese of Saint Petersburg [ru] and is part of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

The church was built as part of the southern extension from the Holy Trinity Cathedral, creating a symmetrical effect. The Feodorovskaya Church was designed as the counterpart to the Annunciation Church. Construction work began in 1745 and took a number of years. As completed the two-storey building hosted two churches, one on the upper floor, dedicated to Feodor of Yaroslav [ru], and the ground floor dedicated to Saint John Chrysostom. After repairs in the 1840s the churches were re-consecrated. This time the upper church was dedicated to Feodor of Yaroslav, while the ground floor was dedicated to Saint Nicholas.

The church became a popular site for burials of leading churchmen, Georgian royalty, and other elite members of Saint Petersburg society. In 1891 an extension was opened, and also consecrated as a separate church, in the name of Saint Isidore of Pelusium. Over the next twenty-five years, around 150 burials took place. The churches were closed in 1931, during the Soviet period, and allocated to various organisations. The church served as a dormitory and office space. Almost all of the graves were destroyed during this period, with the exception of two that were transferred to one of the lavra's cemeteries. The church was returned to the monastery officials in 1996 and underwent a complex restoration, being re-consecrated in 2018.