St. Petersburg is rightfully the cultural capital of our Motherland. Museums, theatres, architectural monuments, temples, cathedrals will tell the bright and sometimes tragic history of Russia without hiding. The majestic Kazansky Cathedral in St. Petersburg is a witness of the past centuries.
Christmas (Kazan) Church
On the site where the Kazan Cathedral is now, until 1801 there was a Church of the Nativity. It was erected by order of Empress Anna Ioannovna. The construction of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin lasted three years (1733-1736). On June 23, 1737, the church was solemnly consecrated in the presence of the Empress. A few days later, the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was brought into the temple. This relic was brought back by Peter I in 1708. The church became a real decoration of Nevsky Prospekt. The 58-meter multi-tiered bell tower was truly a masterpiece of architectural art. The architect of the Nativity Church is M. G. Zemtsov. During the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, the temple received the statusCathedral.
Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg. Construction history
But after half a century the building fell into disrepair and ceased to correspond to the elegant appearance of Nevsky Prospekt that had developed by that time. Therefore, it was decided to completely rebuild the Kazan Cathedral. In 1799, by order of Tsar Paul I, a competition was announced for the design of a new church. One of the requirements of the ruler was that it should resemble the Roman Cathedral of St. Peter, erected by the Renaissance architect Michelangelo Buonarroti. The architects were faced with the most difficult task: it was necessary to fit a monumental structure with a colonnade into a small already formed space. In addition, according to Orthodox canons, the altar must necessarily face east. Consequently, the facade of the building was supposed to face not Nevsky Prospekt, but Meshchanskaya Street (now Kazanskaya).
Many outstanding architects presented their projects, such as Gonzaga P., Voronikhin A. N., Cameron C. and Thomas de Thomon J. F. At first, Paul I liked the project of C. Cameron, but after the assistance of the count Stroganov, the construction was entrusted to the forty-year-old architect Andrei Nikiforovich Voronikhin. In 1800, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan began to be built south of the Church of the Nativity. All this time the temple continued to work. The Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg was planned to be erected in four years, but the construction was delayed for a long eleven years. It took place against the backdrop of a great patriotic upsurge, the cause of which was the proposal of Count Stroganovto involve only Russian masters in the work. All building material was also domestic. The work, in which thousands of serfs were involved, took place in very difficult conditions, the equipment was almost completely absent. Nevertheless, in eleven years it was possible to build a masterpiece of architectural art. The temple reaches a height of 71 meters, at that time - a real giant. Kazansky Cathedral in St. Petersburg has become a majestic monument of Russian architecture.
Architecture
As mentioned above, the construction of the Kazan Cathedral was not an easy task. Since, according to Orthodox canons, the altar should face east, the main entrance faces Meshchanskaya Street. The cathedral overlooks Nevsky Prospect as a side wall. Voronikhin built a small semicircular square, which is outlined by a colonnade of 95 columns. And on the left and right, it ends with monumental portals. The colonnade closes the main body of the cathedral, in the center of it there is a front portico. And people get the impression that the main entrance to the temple is located here. The cathedral is made in the form of a Latin cross, a grandiose dome rises above the crossroads.
Decoration
Kazansky Cathedral in St. Petersburg impresses with its beauty and grandeur. Much attention was paid to the exterior and interior decoration. Many well-known masters worked on sculptures and bas-reliefs, such as I. P. Alexander Nevsky), I. P. Martos (a bronze figure of John the Baptist, a bas-relief "The outflow of water by Moses in the desert"), F. G. Gordeev (bas-reliefs "Annunciation", "Adoration of the shepherds", "Adoration of the Magi", "Flight into Egypt "). For interior decoration, icons were painted by the best artists of the early 19th century: O. A. Kiprensky, V. L. Borovikovsky, V. K. Shebuev, G. I. Ugryumov, F. A. Bruni, K. P. Bryullov. Marble, shungite, jasper, Finnish granite were used for exterior decoration.
Cathedral in the middle of the 19th century
A year after the consecration, a prayer service was served in the temple in honor of sending Russian troops to war. Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov also went to command troops from these walls. Kazansky Cathedral in St. Petersburg became the last refuge of this great commander, he was buried in the crypt of the temple. And a year later, celebrations took place here in honor of the complete victory of Russian soldiers over the French conquerors. Kazansky Cathedral (St. Petersburg) has become a monument of Russian military glory. It contained trophies brought back from the war.
The fate of the cathedral in the post-revolutionary period
A hard fate awaited the temple after 1917. Worship services have ceased. The cross was removed from the kupala, and a gilded ball with a spire was placed in its place. Kazansky Cathedral (St. Petersburg) was turned into the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism. Many icons were transferred to the State Russian Museum. The icon of the Kazan Mother of God was transferred to the Prince Vladimir Museum. The interior space was divided into exhibition halls. As a result of alterations, the interior was badly damaged, part of the property was simply looted. In 1941, the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism was temporarily closed, and exhibitions were held in the cathedral under the titles “Patriotic War of 1812” and “The Military Past of the Russian People.” During the Great Patriotic War, St. Petersburg suffered greatly from the bombings of the Nazi invaders. The Kazan Cathedral, photographs of which are presented in the article, was no exception. Several shells hit the temple. After the war, it was restored.
Cathedral today
1991 was a new milestone in the history of the temple - it was reopened for worship. In the same year, the icon of the Kazan Mother of God was returned to the cathedral. And three years later, a golden cross was again erected on the dome. In 1998, a bell sounded above the Kazan Cathedral, and the voice returned to it again. The bell was cast at the B altic Shipyard. In 2003, the same plant gave the temple a four-ton bell, which became the largest in the Kazan Cathedral. And in 2000 the cathedral became a cathedral. Divine services are often held in the temple with the participation of the highest ranks of the Orthodox hierarchy. On September 12, every year, a religious procession goes from the Kazan Cathedral to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Throughout the history of the temple, many pastors have changed in it. Now the rector is Archpriest Pavel Grigoryevich Krasnotsvetov, born in 1932.
Address and hourswork
Kazan Cathedral is located at the address: St. Petersburg, Nevsky Prospect, 25. The temple is open daily: on weekdays from 8.30, on weekends from 6.30. Entrance to the cathedral is free.
