The building of the Holy Cross Community of Sisters of Mercy

Before the construction of the modern building, in its place was a two-story empire mansion erected in the beginning of the 19th century for a major commercial timber merchant adviser Zherbin. Later, the mansion was bought by Dr. L. F. Dost, who organized an Orthopedic medical institution in it. In 1859, the house was purchased from Dost for the Holy Cross Exaltation Community of Sisters of Mercy , where they moved in January next year ^[1] .

In 1861 - 1863, a free women's hospital for the poor, a hospital for visiting patients, a free school for girls and a nursery were opened at the community ^[2] .

Since 1884, the hospital has been associated with the name of the famous surgeon N. A. Velyaminov who operated here, who in 1889 became the head physician of the community ^[3] .

The building was rebuilt by Yu.Yu. Benoit in 1893 - 1894 , 1896 - 1897 , 1903 - 1904 .

After the October Revolution , in 1918 , the mansion was seized from the Holy Cross Community, and the 10th hospital of the Petrograd Provincial Department of Health opened in it. In 1919, the hospital was named after the professional revolutionary G. I. Chudnovsky , who she wore until 2002 ^[4] .

During the blockade of Leningrad, the Chudnovsky hospital twice, in December 1941 and in December 1942 , came under enemy shelling; window panes were knocked out in an air wave, four square meters of the wall were destroyed by one of the shells ^{[5] [6]} .

In 2002, the Baltic Clinical Central Basin Hospital named after Chudnovsky was reorganized into the Northwestern District Medical Center. In 2011, the hospital was renamed the National Medical and Surgical Center named after N.I. Pirogov , and in 2015 - the St. Petersburg Multidisciplinary Center.

After the sisters moved to the Dost mansion, the trustee of the community, Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna handed her her palace church, which occupied a large hall with columns of artificial marble on the second floor of the courtyard outbuilding. Some of the images in the temple belonged to the brush of academician A. E. Egorov ^[7] .

During the last reconstruction of the building, dedicated to the half-century anniversary of the community, a church for 1,000 people was built on the third floor with a carved oak iconostasis and a belfry. Utensils and images were taken from the former temple. On December 11, 1904, Metropolitan Anthony (Vadkovsky) of St. Petersburg and Ladoga consecrated the church in the name of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross ^[7] . Prior to 1912, Archpriest Alexander Vasiliev , the confessor of the royal family , served as the rector of the church ^[8] . The last rector of the Holy Cross Exaltation Church was Archpriest John Blagodatov, at whom the church was closed on September 28, 1922 . The drum and the dome with a cross towering over the building were demolished. Until Easter 1993, the premises of the church were used as the gymnasium of the Chudnovsky hospital, then divine services were resumed there for a short time ^[7] .

To the left of the community building adjoins a small chapel of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsarina Helena , also built in the Neo-Russian style. After closing, the chapel was used for household needs. Since 2013, regular divine services have been performed in it ^[9] .

In 2010, the Warriors of Life movement held a series of pickets and rallies in front of the Northwest District Medical Center on Fontanka, speaking out against abortions taking place and demanding the transfer of the mansion belonging to the Holy Cross Community to the Russian Orthodox Church ^[10] . An appeal with the same requirements, which collected 2,000 signatures, was sent to the President of the Russian Federation D. A. Medvedev ^[11] .

• Holy Cross Community of Sisters of Mercy

• Holy Cross Community of Sisters of Charity of the Russian Red Cross Society, 1900 (photos)