Topic: St. Theodore's Church
The restoration of the bell tower of St. Theodore's Church (Feodorovsky Sobor) in St. Petersburg has been completed.
Originally built in 1913 to mark the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, this beautiful church was nearly completely destroyed under the Soviets. In 1932, it was converted into a dairy, the dome was demolished. Many additional extensions and outbuildings used for industrial purposes reduced the once beautiful church to an architectural monstrosity.
The building was handed back to the church in 2005. The following year, a board of directors was formed to address the complete restoration of the church to its original. So far, a total of 22 million rubles has been allocated for such, however, the total bill to restore the church's facade, and interiors, including icons, is expected to run over 100 million rubles.
The bells have been meticulously recreated from the originals, which were destroyed during the reign of Joseph Stalin. They are named after members of the Russian Imperial family, and decorated with their portraits, coats of arms of ancient Russian cities, as well as the Romanov family coat of arms.
The church is scheduled to reopen in 2013, marking the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty.
© Royal Russia. 26 March, 2011
Updated: Saturday, 26 March 2011 5:47 PM EDT
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