Saint George's Lutheran Church, Lutheran church in Samara, Russia
Saint George's Lutheran Church is a stone building on Kuibyshev Street in Samara, originally built as a Roman Catholic church. After the 1863 Polish uprising it was handed to the Lutheran community and consecrated in 1865. A fire in 1875 led to repairs and the addition of two wings: the pastorat, the pastor's flat and the community house. A mechanical organ was installed in June 2003.
The building was constructed in 1863 as a Catholic church and transferred to the Lutheran community in 1864, which consecrated it as Saint George's in 1865. After decades of use as a warehouse during the Soviet period, it returned to religious purposes in 1991.
The church is named after Saint George, and its community was founded in 1854 by Governor Konstantin Grot; by 1865 it had 112 members. For decades it was the spiritual and social centre of Germans in the Samara region, with its own school and kindergarten for German children. Since June 2003 a mechanical organ has been used in services.
The church stands on Kuibyshev Street together with its adjoining buildings, the former parsonage and community house added after the 1875 fire. Services are held regularly, and since June 2003 a mechanical organ accompanies them; it is one of only two organs in Samara, alongside the one in the Philharmonic. In 2010 a presidential decree returned the church and its land to the congregation.
The building was repurposed during the Soviet era and served as an ordinary warehouse, causing its architectural details to remain hidden for many years. The restoration of the bell tower with its cross was an important step in reclaiming its original appearance.
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