St. Isaac's Square is one of the most impressive and majestic in St. Petersburg. In terms of the number of architectural and historical monuments, it can even compete with the Palace.
It got its name from the cathedral of the same name, built in honor of St. Isaac. It was on the day of commemoration of this saint that Peter I was born. By his order, the construction of the church began. The construction of a stone cathedral on the banks of the Neva was completed at the beginning of the 19th century. But the building was dismantled, and in 1818–1858, the current building was erected according to the drawings of O. Montferrand.
St. Isaac's Square 1 began to be built in the 1730s - 1740s. The final layout and appearance, however, took shape only with the completion of the Montferrand Cathedral.
In its center rises St. Isaac's Cathedral, which is considered a symbol of the city. Volumes and scopebuildings are amazing even today, since the cathedral can accommodate more than 12 thousand people at the same time, and its total area is approximately 10 thousand square meters.
Architect Auguste Montferrand, during the construction of the cathedral, began to think that St. Isaac's Square should also be transformed. It had to harmoniously fit into the architectural ensemble of St. Petersburg.
By the 1850s, the finishing work of the cathedral was completed. In 1860, work began on the creation and further improvement of St. Isaac's Square.
In 1818, the Blue Bridge was built, which became the widest in the city. He connected the square and the place where the Mariinsky Palace would be built later. Now it is located in the southern part of the square. The author of the project was A. Stackenschneider. The palace in the style of classicism is decorated with eclectic elements. Now the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly is sitting in it.
In 1859, St. Isaac's Square in the center was decorated with a monument to Nicholas I. Montferrand created his sketch, and the sculptor Robert Zaleman completed it. The ensemble of the monument included unusual floor lamps made by master Roman Weigelt. The high-relief images of the reign of the emperor were created by Pyotr Klodt, Robert Zaleman and Nikolai Ramazanov. The ensemble turned out to be very original and solemn. There was a watch post next to the monument. The monument to Nicholas 1 on St. Isaac's Square is still one of the most remarkable and unusual in the city.
The final formation of the appearance of the square was completed by 1912the construction of two buildings located opposite each other: the German Embassy (architect P. Behrens) and the Astoria Hotel (architect F. Lidval). The latter was considered the best in the city and has not lost this glory even today.
In 1846, the architect Adrian Robin built the building of the Angleterre Hotel. St. Isaac's Square began to take on a modern look. A little later, the Astoria Hotel appeared, which completed the appearance of the square, giving it an official, businesslike and at the same time historical, front view. Today, its appearance is determined by the Mariinsky Palace, the monument to Nicholas I and the Orthodox St. Isaac's Cathedral.
In the 19th century, St. Isaac's Square was renamed Nicholas Square in honor of the monument to Nicholas I erected on it. Then it was renamed Mariinsky Square, but the name again did not take root. She continued to be named in honor of St. Isaac's Cathedral.
