Datsan Gunzechoinei

Datsan Gunzechoinei is a Buddhist temple “Gunzechoinei” from the Tibetan means “The source of the Buddha’s Religious Teaching that has Deep Compassion for All Beings”. The Buddhist community in Saint-Petersburg began to form in the end of the XIX century. According to the census of the population in 1869, in Saint-Petersburg there was only one Buddhist. In 1897 there were 75 Buddhists already and in 1910 – 184 Buddhists (163 men, 21 women). From the ethnic point they were in general the trans-Baikal Buryat and the Volga-Don Kalmyk.

In 1909 the representative of the Dalai Lama in Russia A. Dorzhiev got a permission to build a Buddhist temple in Saint-Petersburg. It was erected in 1909-1915 by the design of the architect G. Baranovsky, who constructed the temple according to the Tibetan canons. Datsan Gunzechoinei is one of the most expensive Buddhist temples in Europe. It was built from the lump granite. The gilding, combination of vivid colors, the revetment and architectural project itself took a lot of financial investments. This monumental work of art is famous for its stained-glass windows, which were made by the great artist N. Rerih. He depicted eight Buddhist symbols on it.

In 1919 the temple was plundered – the valuable documents and archives were annihilated and the severe persecution of the Buddhist clergy began. On 5 November 1968 the building was announced to be an architectural monument of local importance. In 1991 Datsan got its former name and was returned to the community. Nowadays Datsan is not only the temple but also an educational institution, where the lectures on Buddhist philosophy are held, as well as special studies and meditations.

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