Grand Church of the Winter Palace, House church in Winter Palace, Saint Petersburg, Russia
The Grand Church of the Winter Palace is a house church located within the eastern wing of the palace, providing visitors with a view of imperial religious spaces from the era of the tsars. The interior features a three-tier iconostasis, ornate gilded stucco embellishments, and expansive windows that allow substantial natural light into the chamber.
The chapel was built between 1753 and 1762 during the reign of Empress Elizabeth, with Italian craftsmen working under architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli to design the interior. Following the October Revolution in 1918, services ceased and the space later became part of a museum exhibition.
The space contains religious paintings depicting the Ascension of Christ overhead and representations of the four Evangelists in the curved sections below the dome. These artworks shape how visitors experience the interior and convey biblical narratives through visual storytelling.
Visitors can reach the chapel by entering through the State Hermitage Museum, where it now functions as an exhibition space. It is helpful to plan a visit that combines viewing this space with exploring the broader museum, since it is situated within the palace complex.
The space hosted major imperial events such as the wedding of Nicholas II to Alix of Hessen in 1894 and numerous royal christenings that marked important moments in the tsar's family. These occasions link this chapel to the personal history and milestone celebrations of the imperial household.
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