Lutheran churches of St. Petersburg in the Russian-German cultural dialogue in the first half of the 18th century

The article is devoted to cross-cultural interaction, which determines the interpenetration of cultural forms and meanings of different quality, content and level, manifesting their essential characteristics in intercultural dialogue. This interaction is considered on the example of the Russian-German cultural dialogue of the first half of the 18th c. and the role of the Lutheran churches in it, which, initially emerging as purely centers of ethnic German communities, later became sociocultural centers. The article notes that in the new cultural space the Lutheran churches, in addition to their direct religious functions, also performed the functions of socio-cultural adaptation – integration, charitable, educational, etc. In the history of St. Petersburg Lutheran churches, the author distinguishes two levels of Russian-German dialogue in the cultural space of ‘Northern capital’: «external dialogue» is due to the localization, artistic features of the style of religious buildings, reflecting the cultural paradigm of German Lutheranism; «internal dialogue» is aimed at translating cultural meanings – religious and work ethics, rationalism.