Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg

Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg is an Orthodox cathedral church located in the center of the city. The facades of the temple overlook Nevsky Prospect and the Griboedov canal. This is one of the largest structures in the northern capital. Its height reaches 71.5 meters. He called the island in the Neva Delta, the bridge at the intersection of Nevsky Prospect and the Griboedov Canal, and the street that leaves the church.

History of Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg

In 1710, a chapel was built in Nevsky Prospekt next to the wooden building of the hospital and, later, the wooden church of Our Lady of Kazan. The new stone church, by decree of Empress Anna Ioannovna, was placed in September 1733, was built according to the design of M. Zemtsov and was called Rodestvensky. A significant decoration of the church was a bell tower of several levels of 58 meters high.

On July 2, the Kazan icon of the Mother of God was moved here from the Trinity Cathedral. And the Christmas Church began to be called Kazan with the name of this icon. Later, the church received the status of the Cathedral, which became the main temple of the northern capital.

Only the Russian teachers participated in the construction of the temple. The masons team was led by Samson Sukhanov. Most of the builders were servants, who gave all their profits to the owners. First they lived in shelters on the outskirts of the city, and then in the barracks of the Konyushennaya square. For the decoration of the temple, domestic materials were used: Olonets marble, Vyborg granite and Serdobol, Riga limestone. In the cladding of the outer wall is the Pudozh stone, which was brought from Gatchina.

Colonnade of the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg

A.N. Voronikhin solved the main problem. As there should be an entrance in the west of the temple and an altar in the east, the temple turned out to be on Nevsky Prospect. By decision of the architect, a great colonnade of 96 columns of 13 meters high, made in the shape of a semicircle, was erected, facing the north facade. And the northern part of the church, in front of Nevsky Prospect, became the main gate, decorating the main road of the city: Nevsky Prospect. The temple project was not fully implemented. Under the plan, the colonnade was supposed to be on both sides: from the south and from the north. But only the northern colonnade was built. Before the western main entrance of the cathedral, the side porches of both colonnades had to be connected by a fence that surrounded the square.

The decoration of the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg

Four bronze sculptures can be seen on the north facade of the temple: Prince Vladimir (sculptor S. Pimenov), Andrew the First-Called (VI Demut-Malinovsky), John the Baptist (IP Martos) and Alexander Nevsky (S. Pimenov ). The bronze entrance doors on the north side of the building are a copy of the doors of the baptismal house in Florence. . Its launch and coinage was made by Vasily Ekimov. The architect’s intentions on external sculptural design were also not fully implemented. On the stone pedestals on both sides of the colonnade there were going to be sculptures of the archangels Michael and Gabriel.

The interior of the temple resembles a large hall of the palace. Rows of high granite columns link the aisle space. The light that enters through the windows gives the impression that the dome rises high.

The temple icons were painted by V. Borovikovsky, O. Kiprensky, A. Ivanov and other famous artists. In the years 1899-1900, a square was erected in front of the temple.

Services at Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg

After the 1917 revolution, a cross was removed from the dome, a gold ball with a needle was installed in its place, and then a museum of the history of religion was opened here. The icon of the Mother of God of Kazan was transferred to the Cathedral of Prince Vladimir.

During the siege of Leningrad, several projectiles fell into the building. At the end of the war, an important review was carried out, and then the restoration of the interiors of the temple.

Since 1991, the Kazan Cathedral is again open for worship. The Kazan icon of the Mother of God returns to the temple, and then a golden cross reappears in the dome. On the occasion of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg, in 2003, the Baltic Factory masters threw the largest bell for the church with a weight of four tons and more than two meters high. The church often organizes religious services with the participation of the highest ranks of the Orthodox hierarchy.

Every year, on September 12, religious processions are held in honor of the prince, the patron saint of the city, Alexander Nevsky, from the church in Nevsky Prospect to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

Kazan Cathedral Address
St. Petersburg, Nevsky Prospect, building 25.

How to get to the nearest metro to Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg
Metro stations “Nevsky Prospekt” and “Gostiny Dvor”. Exit the subway towards the Griboedov canal. The cathedral is in front of the subway exit.

Opening hours of the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg in 2019
Every day from 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Cost of tickets to the Kazan Cathedral in 2019
Admission is free. The cathedral is an active temple.

Kazan Cathedral Phone
+7 (812) 314-58-56, +7 (812) 314-46-63.