St. Andrew's Church in Moscow is a community of Christians who seek to
- nurture the development of our faith through an Anglican form of worship, providing regular services which communicate the Gospel of Christ;
- apply our Christian beliefs to our daily lives;
- develop a community to support each other while living in Moscow;
- encourage ecumenical initiatives and activities;
- serve the community
Anglicanism in Russia
16th Century Roots, 21st Century Renewal
Having survived 70 years of neglect under Communism, St. Andrew's historic and architectually unique church and parsonage (a 10 minute walk from the Kremlin) were returned to the Anglican Church during HM Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Moscow on 19 October 1994. Minor repairs since have enabled regular worship and an international congregation to take root. But now begins the greater task of strucutural and historic restoration, with an estimated $1.8 million (£1.1 million) needed to finance reconstruction in the next three to five years.
The red-brick church building was designed by Manchester Diocesan Architect, R. Knill Freeman, of Bolton, and is Moscow's only example of Victorian-English church architecture. Built in 1882-84, St. Andrew's Church replaced the earlier British Chapel. The parsonage was constructed in 1894 through the generosity of a wealthy parishioner. Today, the Moscow Historic Monuments Commission, which protects buildings of architectural significance, is supervising restoration of both the church and the parsonage.
The gothic bell tower was commandeered by Bosheviks for use as a machine gun next during the revolution. In 1920, the communists confiscated the entire property and St. Andrew's was used as a girls hotel, offices for foreign delegations, and since the 1960s as the recording studio of the Soviet recording company, Melodyia. Sunday worship was reinstated on 14 July 1991, with the reforms of perestroika. Fine acoustics also make the church attractive as a cultural centre for classical and sacred-music concerts and for lectures.
Among the structural and other repairs to be undertaken in the coming years at St. Andrew's are:
- Urgent brick work and pointing -- $100,000
- Foundation repair of subsidence damage -- $120,000
- New church floor -- $45,000
- Legal support fund --$20,000
- Fire doors, sprinklers and other improvements to comply with city fire codes-- $30,000
Non-structural improvements:
- Contemporary ceiling lights -- $15,000
- Two new sets of vestments -- $3,000
- Moveable coat racks -- $1,000
- Collapsible tables -- $1,000
- Processional staves & torches -- $600
"Buy-a-Brick Club"
No donation is too small. What is important is that everyone has a chance to participate in "Rebuilding St. Andrew's Moscow." Just $10 buys one brick! If you have $1 (30 rubles) you can join together with nine friends and "Buy a Brick!"
Help us not to forget! Please write the Chaplain, Treasurer or Church Wardens by post or by e-mail to inscribe your name in our Donor Memorial Book.
