The city on the Neva cannot be imagined without the Hermitage, the Peter and Paul Fortress and magnificent cathedrals. There are more than 200 churches in St. Petersburg. These are Orthodox churches, churches, churches, mosques, synagogues and even a Buddhist datsan. The oldest religious buildings appeared when the first streets of the city were laid, at the beginning of the 18th century. Today in the northern capital there are operating temples and temples-museums where tourists like to visit. We will tell you about the most famous cathedrals and temples of St. Petersburg.
Saint Isaac's Cathedral
Saint Isaac's Cathedral
The largest church in the city appeared on the site of a small church where Peter I married Catherine I. The building, which has survived to this day, was erected by about 400 thousand builders. All works were supervised by the talented architect Auguste Montferrand.
The temple was built in the best traditions of classicism and is crowned with a huge octagonal dome. This is the most beautiful and tallest building in the main squares of St. Petersburg.
Kazan Cathedral
Kazan Cathedral in the night illumination
One of the best creations of the architect Andrey Voronikhin has long turned into an urban legend. The majestic temple resembles the famous St. Peter's Cathedral in the Vatican. It was built in the best traditions of the Empire style and has a height of 71.6 m. Once it was the largest church in Russia.
Tourists come to the cathedral to admire the graceful suite and tall granite columns. Inside you can see magnificent paintings and a silver iconostasis.
Savior on Spilled Blood
View of the Savior on Spilled Blood from the embankment of the Griboyedov Canal
An unusual memorial temple appeared at the site of the death of the Russian Tsar Alexander II by the decision of his son Alexander III. The cathedral rises 81 meters above the Griboyedov Canal. This number is the memory of 1881, when the sovereign died.
The multi-colored onion domes and the intricate design of the facades recall the Intercession Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow and the ancient temples of Yaroslavl. Inside there is a whole museum of mosaic icons, the area of which exceeds 7000 square meters. m.
Peter and Paul Cathedral
View of the Peter and Paul Cathedral from the Palace Embankment
Until the middle of the last century, the church in the Peter and Paul Fortress was the tallest building in our country. The cathedral is 61 m long, 27.5 m wide, and its spire rises to 122.5 m.
A fine example of the Petrine Baroque is the unique imperial tomb. Russian tsars are buried under three powerful naves, starting with Peter I. The last burial was made here in 2006. The remains of the mother of Nicholas II, Maria Feodorovna, who died in 1928 in Denmark, were reburied in the cathedral.
Trinity Izmailovsky Cathedral
Trinity-Izmailovsky Cathedral - full name: Cathedral of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity of the Izmailovsky Life Guards Regiment
The temple of the Izmailovsky Life Guards Regiment is considered to be the decoration of the Admiralteisky District. For a long time it served as the main garrison church of St. Petersburg. The cathedral, which has survived to this day, was built in 1828 in the tradition of late classicism at the personal expense of Emperor Nicholas I. In 2006, the ancient temple was badly damaged by fire. Today the five-domed cathedral on Trinity Square has been fully restored.
Transfiguration Cathedral
View of the Transfiguration Cathedral
On Preobrazhenskaya Square you can see a beautiful temple built in 1829 in the Empire style by the project of the talented Russian architect Vasily Petrovich Stasov. The Transfiguration Cathedral is one of the few St. Petersburg churches that has never been closed for divine services.
A powerful light drum with a main dome rises 41.5 m and is surrounded by four bell towers. Tourists come to look at the beautiful interiors, stucco panels on the facades and an unusual fence, which is made of 102 barrels of captured Turkish cannons.
Prince Vladimir Cathedral
Prince Vladimir Cathedral at night
The first wooden church on the site of the cathedral appeared in 1708. The construction and reconstruction of the stone building took a century and a half. It was built until the end of the 19th century, so in the architecture of the church there is a mixture of two styles - late baroque and classicism.
Since 1845, the cathedral served as the main temple of the Order of St. Vladimir. Today it is a functioning temple, where many icons revered by believers are kept.
Sampson Cathedral
Sampson Cathedral from a bird's eye view
In 1709, after the battle near Poltava, Peter I personally laid the foundation for a wooden church in honor of the victory of the Russian troops over the Swedes. After 30 years, a five-domed stone temple with a high hipped bell tower appeared in its place.
The appearance of the cathedral reveals the features of Western European architecture and pre-Petrine architecture. People come here to admire the gilded iconostasis, the height of which reaches 11 meters. The carved miracle was created by Russian craftsmen in the first half of the 18th century. The oldest icons belong to the same period.
Nikolsky Naval Cathedral
General view of the Nikolsky Naval Cathedral
On the banks of the Kryukov Canal, there is a magnificent baroque temple dedicated to the victories of the Russian fleet. According to legend, Peter I saw the Church of St. Nicholas in Astrakhan and wished that exactly the same church would be built in St. Petersburg.
A picturesque two-story cathedral in the form of an equal-pointed cross appeared after the death of the tsar. A huge four-tiered bell tower rises a little to the side of it. Inside you can see a carved colonnade and images painted in the traditions of Byzantine icon painters.
St. Andrew's Cathedral
View of St. Andrew's Cathedral from Bolshoy Avenue of Vasilievsky Island
One of the oldest and most revered Orthodox cathedrals in the city is located on Vasilievsky Island. Before the revolution, he played the role of the capitular, that is, the main, temple of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.
The cathedral consists of a squat refectory, a five-domed church and a two-tiered bell tower. Its interior decoration is impressive. The walls are decorated with paintings and stucco moldings. The three-tiered iconostasis of the 17th century, ancient icons, silver altar vestments and the Gospel in an expensive setting are of particular value.
St. Vladimir's Cathedral
General view of the Vladimirsky Cathedral with a bell tower
The temple dedicated to one of the most revered icons in Russia is located on Vladimirskaya Square. It appeared in the 60s of the 18th century and was finally completed in the middle of the 19th century.
The five-domed cathedral demonstrates the transition from the traditions of the magnificent baroque to the strict and laconic classicism. On the vaults of the main dome, there are sculptural images of the apostles Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, which made up the four Gospels. Inside there is an old iconostasis brought here from the Anichkov Palace.
25-domed wooden Church of the Intercession
View of the Park complex "Manor" Bogoslovka "with a 25-head wooden Pokrovskaya church
One of the main wonders of St. Petersburg is located in the green Nevsky forest park. This is an exact copy of the Intercession wooden church, which stood in the Vytegorsky churchyard of the Vologda region from 1708 to 1963.
Then there was a terrible fire, and the architectural masterpiece was destroyed by fire. At the beginning of the 21st century, the temple was rebuilt in the southeastern suburbs of St. Petersburg. The church has 25 chapters and rises 19 m. Inside there is a large four-tiered iconostasis.
Fedorov Cathedral
View of the Fedorovsky Cathedral from Mirgorodskaya street
At the beginning of the last century, when the whole country celebrated the 300th anniversary of the imperial house, a memorial cathedral appeared in St. Petersburg, similar to the pre-Petrine churches of the Upper Volga region. During the years of Soviet power, the memorial church was deprived of its domes, and a dairy factory was set up in the building. The return of the shrine to the believers took place in 2005.Not so long ago, it was completely restored, and today church services are held in the cathedral every day.
Chesme Church
View of the Chesme Church from Lensovet Street
Near the Chesme Palace is one of the most beautiful temples in the city, dedicated to John the Baptist. The light, graceful building represents the traditions of St. Petersburg pseudo-Gothic - a style that was characteristic of the era of the reign of Catherine II.
The white and pink church is decorated with pointed turrets, lancet windows, five domes and an original crenellated parapet. This is a functioning temple that reminds of Russia's victory in the difficult Chesme battle.
Holy Cross Cathedral
View of the main entrance of the Holy Cross Cathedral
In the central district of the city, on Ligovsky Prospect, there is a festive baroque church, which was built in the middle of the 18th century. During the Great Patriotic War, he was badly hit by artillery shells.
In 1991, the cathedral was handed over to the Cossack parish of the city. The temple itself and the area around it are decorated with a bust of the last emperor of Russia, Nicholas II, monuments to Tsarevich Alexei and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna.
Cathedral Mosque
View of the Cathedral Mosque from Kronverksky Avenue
The majestic Cathedral Mosque stands out from the Muslim temples of St. Petersburg. A huge building on Kronverksky Avenue was laid down at the beginning of the last century in the tradition of Eastern architecture and Northern Art Nouveau.
The mosque is 45 m long and 32 m wide. The main dome rises by 39 m, and the two minarets - by 48 m, which is comparable to the height of a 15-storey building. More than 5,000 believers can be inside at the same time. The first and third floors are for men, while the second is reserved for women.
Catholic Church of St. Catherine
View of the Basilica from Nevsky Prospect
About 10 Catholic churches have been opened in St. Petersburg and its immediate suburbs. The basilica dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria is especially good. One of the oldest churches in our country was founded by order of Empress Anna Ioannovna and completed in 1783.
Today believers and tourists come to the restored temple. The church is famous for its Sunday school and children's center. In addition to masses, concerts and performances by the parish choir take place here.
Buddhist temple
View of the Buddhist temple from Primorsky Avenue
The cultural capital of Russia hosted the "Gunzechoynei" datsan. A Buddhist temple in St. Petersburg was created in 1909 at the request of the Tibetan Dalai Lama. Under Soviet rule, the monastery school was disbanded, some of the monks were shot, and the rest were exiled to Siberia.
In 1990, the historic building at 91 Primorsky Avenue, near the Staraya Derevnya metro station, was returned to the Buddhist Society. People come here to listen to lectures on the philosophy of Buddhism and see colorful stained glass windows created according to Roerich's sketches.
Great choral synagogue
View of the Great Choral Synagogue from Lermontovsky Prospect
The Jewish community of the city unites about 100 thousand people. For more than 120 years, the Great Choral Synagogue has been the center of the social and religious life of the Jews of St. Petersburg. It appeared at the end of the 19th century and still remains the largest synagogue in Russia.
The unique acoustics of this temple are known all over the world. At a distance of 10 m, any sounds and even words spoken in a whisper are perfectly audible. Services and holidays are held in the synagogue, they receive religious education and provide charitable assistance to those in need. Kindergartens and boarding schools for boys and girls are open here.
