Chesma Church, St. Petersburg.
The Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist is an Orthodox church in St. Petersburg, an architectural monument in the neo-Gothic style.
The temple was built in the years 1777-1780 by order of Empress Catherine II in honor of the victory of the Russian Navy over the Turks in the Aegean Sea's Chasma Bay in 1770. According to the legend, instead of the church, the empress received news from a messenger about the victory in the battle of Chasma.
Architect - Yuri Matbeich Peltan.
The ceremonial dedication of the temple took place on June 6 (17), 1777 in the presence of Catherine II, the entire court and the Swedish king Gustav III. The construction of the temple was completed on the tenth anniversary of the victory of the Russian Navy in the Battle of Chesma.
In 1919 the church was closed. In 1924, the former church became the premises of the archive, and then the carpentry workshops of the Motorway Institute.
In 1930 there was a fire in the temple, which destroyed the interior, including the iconostasis.
In the 1960s, major restoration works began according to the design of the architect A. P. Kulikov. The domes were repaired, the bricks were strengthened and lost elements were restored.
In December 1977, the Chesma Victory Museum, a branch of the Naval Museum, was opened here.
In 1998, the iconostasis was restored according to the original 18th century design.
A Sunday school, a family club, an art workshop and a women's vocal ensemble were created in the church.
Next to the church is the Chasma military cemetery.