The Chesme Church is a small Russian Orthodox church in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Built by the Russian court architect Yury Felten in 1780, at the direction of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, it was erected to commemorate the anniversary of Russia's 1770 victory over Turkish forces at the Battle of Chesma, during the Russo-Turkish War of 1768 to 1774. The church and the adjoining Chesme Palace were the earliest Neo-Gothic constructions in the St Petersburg area. Considered by some to be Saint Petersburg's single most impressive church, it is a rare example of very early Gothic Revival influence in Russian church architecture. This photograph shows the facade of the Chesme Church in 2012.

Author: Alexander Savin

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