Catholic Church of St. Catherine (Saint Petersburg)

Church of St. Catherine
Catholic Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria (Russian: Католическая церковь Святой Екатерины)
The Catholic Church of St. Catherine from Nevsky Prospekt
59°56′09″N 30°19′44″E / 59.9357°N 30.329°E / 59.9357; 30.329Coordinates: 59°56′09″N 30°19′44″E / 59.9357°N 30.329°E / 59.9357; 30.329
Location	32-34 Nevsky Prospekt, Saint Petersburg
Country	Russian Federation
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	[1]
History
Founded	1716
Consecrated	1783
Architecture
Status	Minor basilica
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe Antonio Rinaldi
Groundbreaking	1763
Completed	October 7, 1783
Specifications
Capacity	2,000
Length	44m
Width	25m
Height	42m
Administration
Diocese	Archdiocese of Moscow
Clergy
Archbishop	Paolo Pezzi

The Catholic Church of St Catherine (Russian: Католическая церковь Святой Екатерины) in St. Petersburg is the oldest Catholic church in the Russian Federation, and the only church with the title of basilica (status granted on 23 July 2013). It is located on the Nevsky Prospekt and is a part of the Archdiocese of Moscow headed by Msgr. Paolo Pezzi.

On December 12, 1705 Peter the Great signed a charter that would allow the construction of Catholic churches in Russia. The church itself (though not the building with which it is today associated) was founded in 1710.

In 1738 Empress Anna granted permission for the church to erect a structure on Nevsky Prospekt, the main street of St. Petersburg. The project, however, met continued problems. The initial designs were based on work by Domenico Trezzini, the architect who designed the Peter and Paul Cathedral and was then deceased. His designs, however, were abandoned in 1751. In the 1760s, the French architect Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe drew designs for the church, but he returned to France in 1775 and it fell to the Italian architect Antonio Rinaldi to complete the church. On October 7, 1783, the church was completed. Because the Empress at the time was Catherine II of Russia (also known as Catherine the Great), the church was named after St. Catherine of Alexandria.

The Catholic Church of St. Catherine is connected with many important personalities of Imperial Russia. In 1798, Stanisław August Poniatowski, the last king of Poland was buried at the church (in 1938, after 140 years in the crypt, he was returned to Poland ), as was, in 1813, the French general Jean Victor Marie Moreau. One parishioner of the church was Auguste de Montferrand, who would go on to build the Saint Isaac's Cathedral. Auguste de Montferrand married in the church and later had a wake here before his wife took his coffin back to France. Even in Imperial Russia, several well-known aristocrats had accepted Catholicism.