Photos: The Russian Orthodox Church in London in 1738

In 1738, the Russian Orthodox parish in London celebrated services in the tiny upper room of a building in a back alley off a narrow passageway. Their immediate neighbors were a brothel. This is where Philip Ludwell III was received into the Orthodox Church almost 277 years ago on December 31, 1738. More information on the origins of this parish can be found in the book Embassy, Emigrants, and Englishmen.