Description of the attraction
The oldest building in Kaliningrad is the building of the former Catholic and then Lutheran temple of Juditten-kirche, located on the outskirts of the historical part of the city. Nowadays, the building houses the St. Nicholas Church at the nunnery.
The date of the building's construction is not known for certain, but the first mention in chronicles dates back to 1288, when a Catholic church with rich interior decoration was consecrated as the Church of the Virgin Mary. It was decorated with an altar and painted frescoes made of gold, and the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary standing on a crescent moon, miraculously healing from ailments for several centuries, served as the subject of mass pilgrimage. The church was built partly from large boulders, partly from bricks. Several elements of facade decoration in the form of the coats of arms of the Grandmasters of the Teutonic Order have also survived to this day. A cemetery of prominent citizens of the city was located next to the church (partially preserved).
From 1948 to 1985, the building of the Königsberg Church of the Virgin Mary was empty and destroyed. After the transfer of the ruins of the Lutheran church to the Russian Orthodox Church, the building was restored, and the first Orthodox monastery in the Kaliningrad region was founded on its territory. St. Nicholas Cathedral is located in the historical building itself. From 1986 to the present day, divine services have been held in the cathedral.
Since December 1999, the monastery has been transformed into a nunnery. Nowadays there is a Sunday school in the St. Nicholas Monastery and charity dinners are organized. There is a small landscaped park around the old building.
The attraction will be of interest to both pilgrims and history buffs.
