The formation of the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran congregation in St. Petersburg had consequences for the Church of Sweden and for Swedish foreign policy as the congregation made repeated attempts to be recognized as a Swedish outpost in St. Petersburg. It was hoped that the Church of Sweden would take an interest in the congregation and its church.

The aim of this article is to problematize the actions of the Church of Sweden and the Swedish state in connection with the revival of the Lutheran congregations on Soviet territory toward the end of the Cold War. The article combinesthe study of cultural memories with theories derived fromresearch that focuses on spatial location and materiality