St. Nicholas Edinoverie Church, Saint Petersburg

St. Nicholas Edinoverie Church is a church building in late Empire style located where Marata Street meets Kuznechny Lane in Saint Petersburg. Its symmetrical facade displays classical architectural elements characteristic of the period in which it was completed.

Construction took place between 1820 and 1838 under architect A. I. Melnikov, funded by the Edinoverie community and merchant K. Z. Chursinov. In 1934 the building transitioned to house a scientific museum, changing its purpose entirely.

This church served the Edinoverie, a branch of Old Believers who maintained their traditional liturgical practices within the Russian Orthodox framework. The interior layout still reveals how this religious community used the space for worship.

The building now operates as the Museum of the Arctic and Antarctic and is open to the public at its central location on Marata Street. Visitors can explore the classical architecture and learn about polar exploration through its exhibitions.

This building is rare in that a former church retained its status as a federal cultural heritage site even after becoming a museum in the 1930s. This unusual arrangement allows the historical space to be preserved in its original architectural form while serving an entirely new educational purpose.