St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg

St. Isaac’s Cathedral is St. Petersburg’s most famous and largest cathedral, an outstanding example of Russian religious architecture. It is one of the most significant and beautiful domed buildings in the entire world. The scale of the construction is impressive: it is the fourth largest Christian shrine after St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome, St. Paul’s Church in London and St. Mary’s Church in Florence.

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The height of the structure is 101.5 meters and its capacity is about 12,000 people. Today St. Isaac’s Cathedral has been given the status of a museum-monument, but four times a year, on the most significant holidays, religious services are held here. The official name is the temple of St. Isaac of Dalmatia, in whose honor the church was erected.

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Video: St. Isaac’s Cathedral

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History of construction

‘ The First Isaakievsky Church. Lithograph from a drawing by O. Montferrand. 1845

In 1717 it was decided to start equipping the city with stone churches, and according to the plan the first to undergo modernization was to be St. Isaac’s Church. In the same year Peter I personally laid the first stone of the new cathedral. If the first building was characterized by simplicity, like most buildings at the beginning of the reign of the emperor, the second was already conceived in the style of Peter’s Baroque. The erection of the shrine was completed in 10 years, and for all this time the work was led by three different architects.

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Then the temple was located on the place where the famous “Bronze Horseman” is erected today. It was an unfortunate place, as the foundation of the structure was constantly eroded by the Neva. Constant expensive repairs forced the city senate to look for a new place for the cathedral. Already in 1761, the relevant decree was adopted.

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‘ Project of A. Rinaldi’s design of the third St. Isaac’s Cathedral
‘ Third St. Isaac’s Cathedral on engraving. 1816
‘ The design of the dome of St. Isaac’s Cathedral by O. Montferrand

But the laying of the third St. Isaac’s Church did not take place until 1768, after the approval of the decree of the enthroned Catherine II. It was to be a large cathedral with five domes of complex construction and a high bell tower. However, due to the death of the Empress and the change of the architect, the unfinished part was finished hastily, according to a highly simplified project. The result was a luxurious base up to the eaves, decorated with marble, on top of which rose a simple superstructure made of brick. It had only one dome and a much lower bell tower than planned.

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‘ View of St. Isaac’s Cathedral from the English Embankment

Richly decorated facades

‘ Entrance to St. Isaac’s Cathedral
‘ South facade; bas-relief ‘Adoration of the Magi’
‘ Fragment of the west gable
‘ Cross crowning the dome of St. Isaac’s Cathedral
‘ Bas-relief depicting Montferrand

Interiors of the cathedral

‘ The interior of St. Isaac’s Cathedral

In total, more than 150 masterpieces from the masters of Russian painting are housed inside the temple. The painting of St. Isaac’s Cathedral was not without difficulties: classical frescoes were recognized as a method unsuitable due to the climatic peculiarities of the area. The artists decided to paint the interior with oil paints, but this idea was not the most successful: the ground did not dry well, lagged behind the base. Because of this, the artists sometimes had to re-paint entire paintings.

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Only in 1855 was invented suitable for painting composition. In addition, the walls began to be decorated with mosaics, which were much easier to realize in the local climate. These set panels were highly appreciated at the World Exhibition in London in 1862. The spectacular combination of gilding, colored glass and stone creates a sublime atmosphere inside the temple.

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‘ Under the Dome: Our Lady surrounded by saints
‘ Iconostasis
‘ Ceiling

Interesting facts

‘ Panorama of St. Isaac’s Cathedral

Mode of operation, visiting procedure and cost

The doors of the cathedral are open from 10.30 to 18.00 every day except Wednesday. You can buy a ticket on the spot, but the ticket office closes at 17.30. During the warm season, from early May to late September, there are additional evening tours at 18.00-22.30. From the beginning of June to the end of August, during the White Nights, visits to the shrine at night from 22.30 to 4.30 are organized.

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‘ St. Isaac’s Cathedral in winter
‘ Spiral Staircase

When going on a tour of St. Isaac’s Cathedral, you should dress appropriately: no short or too tight clothes, long skirts and hats are recommended for women.

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‘ www.cathedral.ru.

How to get there

‘ The shadow of St. Isaac’s Cathedral and the monument to Nicholas I