Story
St Andrew’s Church is an architectural eccentricity, a little piece of the UK, situated a 10-minute walk from the Kremlin.
The church was consecrated in 1885 and served as a home to the Anglican community until 1918, when it was confiscated by the Bolsheviks. It was used as a machine gun post in the battle for Moscow, the Finnish embassy, a hostel and then, in the last decades of the Soviet Union, as a recording studio, a place where people like Shostakovich and Rostropovich were first recorded. Today, its superior acoustics draw hundreds of visitors to weekly concerts and events.
Anglican worship resumed in St Andrew's in 1993, and today our 21st century congregation is a global village with people from over 30 nations, and English as its common language. We are at the crossroads of East and West, are partnered with the Coventry Cross of Nails in reconciliation ministry, and are one of the only remaining open doors between Russia and the West.
To secure our ministry for the future, our roof and façade require repair. 140 Russian winters have taken their toll. Our foundations also need to be secured, and parts of the interior are also crumbling.
In 2017 we began historic restoration of this registered iconic building. Since then we have have raised £250k, and with the help of local partners, have done emergency works to the foundations and in 2022 replaced the roof. But we still need a further £100k to complete foundation works and architects plans for work on the façade.
We need your help! Your donation will preserve St Andrews and insure that our work continues to spread Christ's message of love and hope for generations to come. To learn more, contact chaplain@standrewsmoscow.org.