The main Armenian Orthodox Church in St Petersburg is St Catherine's Armenian Church on Nevsky Prospekt.  The first Armenian Orthodox community in St Petersburg was organised in 1710 and permission to build a church was first granted by Empress Anna in 1740.  But this plan was halted upon Anna's death.  Finally new permission was granted by Empress Catherine the Great and the current version of the church was built between 1771 and 1776.  It was dedicated to St Catherine in honour of the empress.  The church was closed in 1930 and used as the headquarters of air defence during the war and then afterwards as a theatre decoration workshop.  In 1990 the Armenian community had the church returned to them and after restoration work it was reopened in 1993.