VGI Updates

St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church was founded in 2001 in Saratov. It is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria (ELCI). There is a chapel in Saratov, and the pastor serving there is Olav Panchu.

The Pope established the Diocese of Tiraspol, headquartered in Saratov on 3 July 1848. During its existence, there were five bishops:

Ferdinand Helanus Kahn (1850-1864)
Franz Xavier Zottmann (1872-1888)
Anton Johann Zerr (1889-1902)
Eduard von der Ropp (1902-1903)
Joseph Aloysius Kessler (1904-1930)

This diocese went inactive in 1930 with the resignation of Bishop Kessler and officially vacant in 1933 when he died. It was formally "surpressed" in 2002 when the new Diocese of St. Clement in Saratov was established.

The Lutheran parish in Saratov was officially organized in 1793, although Pastor Ahlbaum was active in the city before then.

St. Mary Lutheran Church was built in Saratov. A new building was constructed in the 1870s.  It is a twin to the church that was built in Zürich. This building was torn down in 1971.

Construction on the new St. Mary's church was begun in a neighborhood south of downtown. It was consecrated on 13 May 2018, 225 years after the parish was founded.

Soon after the founding of Katharinenstadt, a Reformed parish was established in north Katharinenstadt and a Lutheran Parish in south Katharinenstadt.

Some years later a Roman Catholic parish was also established in Katharinenstadt.

The Catholic church, built in the Kontor style near the Lutheran church, was made of wood in 1815 when the Jesuits were providing priests to the parish. It was finally completed in 1824, and consecrated in that year.

Soon after the founding of Katharinenstadt, a Reformed parish was established in north Katharinenstadt and a Lutheran Parish in south Katharinenstadt. The Reformed pastors of the Katharinenstadt (North) parish served the Wiesenseite's Reformed colonies. The Lutheran pastors of the Katharinenstadt (South) parish served the Wiesenseite's original 21 Lutheran colonies. Beginning in 1820, the distinction between Reformed and Lutheran parishes was removed by Imperial Edict. In September 1905, the North and South parishes were merged into a single Katharinenstadt parish.