History:
The Lutheran parish of Tuutari (Duderhof) is one of the oldest in Ingermanland. It is first mentioned in records in 1640.
The first wooden church was located in the former village of Novikkala, now part of the city of Krasnoye Selo. The church was originally located on the site where the later Imperial Palace was later built. Also, there was a wooden parish chapel in the village of Mölkönmäki. In 1736, the new wooden church was consecrated on the Mölkönmäki mount.
In 1832, architect Christial Filippovich Meyer drafted a new Gothic style stone church to seat 2000 people. In June that year the architectural plans received the highest approval of the emperor Nicholas I. On July 20, 1833, the church’s foundation was laid. Thanks Sovereign’s donation of nearly 150 000 rubles for the project, the church’s construction was completed three years later. On July 28, 1836, the church was consecrated.
Aloys Jeremias Piispanen served as a pastor in this parish for thirty years since 1878. In 1910 he was succeeded by pastor Jaakko Raski, who served until 1919. Pastor Abraham Koskelainen was the last prior of the parish before its closure.
At the beginning of the XX century Tuutari parish had 5537 members.
On May 1, 1939, the Executive Committee of Leningrad Region (Lenoblispolkom) decreed that the church was to be closed. In pre-war years, it housed a club.
During the Second World War, Duderhoff and Kirchhoff German occupied the territory. The church was partially destroyed during the military actions. At the war’s end the church bricks were used for construction of the Leningrad gas pipeline. Half-ruined remains of a church were finally dismantled by 1953.
In 1998, a slalom track was built on the site of the original foundation. Near this place, the remains of the old Finnish cemetery have been preserved.
August 26, 1993, the Evangelical Lutheran community was registered by the government in Duderhoff. The community purchased a small house to hold worship.
