Znamenskaya Church

The Znamenskaya Church on Dvortsovaya Street in Pushkin is the oldest structure of the Tsarskoye Selo palace and park ensemble and the first stone building of Tsarskoye Selo. In 1991, it was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in a deplorable state: the building had practically lost its foundation, and the side chapels were separating from the main nave. During the reconstruction under the supervision of architect A. F. Vidov, vestibules were added, windows were cut, and the shapes of the dome and the bell tower were changed. The church was closed from 1943 to 1991, and every year on May 9 (21), Catherine II attended the service there, listening to the liturgy from a balcony under a canopy.