You ever see a church that looks like it leapt…
You ever see a church that looks like it leapt out of a fairytale — and then took a detour through a war zone, a prison camp, and a fire? Meet the Chesme Church.
Built in 1780 by decree of Catherine the Great herself, this striking pink landmark was born out of triumph — celebrating Russia’s naval victory over the Turks at Chesma Bay. She received the news near the royal travel palace and, without missing a beat, ordered a church to be built right there and then.
Architect Yury Felten — yes, the same Felten who helped shape the Winter Palace — pulled off something wild: a faux-Gothic design in bright pink. Laugh all you want, but in the 18th century, pink was the color of power, not play. It stood for strength, masculinity, and boldness.
But history hit hard.
By 1919, the church was shuttered. In 1924, it found itself inside the grounds of the first Soviet labor camp. Bells were ripped down. Crosses replaced by iron sculptures — anvil, hammer, and pliers — industrial gods of the new regime. The space became a storage depot, then a carpenter’s shop. And still — miraculously — the interiors stayed intact.
Until 1930. A fire swept through and destroyed the frescoes and iconostasis.
Then came WWII. The building was battered and broken. It wasn’t until the 1960s that it was rescued from oblivion and restored as a monument. By 1991, services were once again held beneath its fantastical spires.
So what is the Chesme Church?
A fever dream in pink.
A war relic.
A survivor.
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