Church of the Annunciation

The Church of the Annunciation was designed by Konstantin Thon in the Russo-Byzantine style on Annunciation Square in St Petersburg (1843–49). Much of the money for construction was donated by Tsar Nicholas I and the church ornaments were commissioned from Zacharias Deichmann (1750s). The Church of the Annunciation was the official place of worship for the Horse Life Guards Regiment. Regimental banners and bronze boards with the names of officers fallen in battle hung inside the church, where the regimental uniforms belonging to Russian emperors were kept in special display cabinets. Such regimental commanders as Count Alexei Orlov and Prince Dmitry Golitsyn were buried in the sacristy. The church was later closed down (1928) and the building was destroyed (1929). The Church of the Annunciation gave its name to the square and the first permanent bridge across the River Neva.