Isaac's Cathedral on the map. Saint Isaac's Cathedral

About the cathedral

St. Isaac's Cathedral is one of the main attractions of St. Petersburg. Its round gilded dome is perhaps the most recognizable accent in the silhouette of the city skyline. In Russia, this temple is the main Orthodox cathedral. It is the 4th largest in the world, second only to St. Peter's in Rome, St. Paul's in London and St. Mary's in Florence.

The scale of this majestic monumental building does not leave indifferent any spectator, even if you contemplate St. Isaac's Cathedral from a distance. Close to it, it is simply breathtaking: the height of the building is 101.5 meters, the diameter of the dome is 26 meters, and the weight of one massive granite column is 114 tons.

Isaac's Cathedral is a monument of Russian classicism, personifying the great era when the Russian Empire was at the peak of its power after the victory over Napoleon's army in the Patriotic War of 1812.

Visit

Tickets with a Guest Card can be obtained at any ticket office. We recommend getting tickets at ticket offices No. 6 and 7 at the entrance to the cathedral (colonnade opposite St. Isaac's Square). Present your guide and map to the ticket office.
Please note: in special cases, guides may be served on a priority basis; tourists with a Guest Card are served on a first come, first served basis
These ticket offices also offer free tickets for children under 7 years old. Tickets for children over 7 years old can be purchased at ticket offices №№ 1-5, which are located on the side of the Alexander Garden and the Admiralty.

Interior decoration

The luxurious interior decoration matches the elegant monumentality of the building. The interior was decorated with marble of various colors, malachite, lapis lazuli and other valuable, rare types of stone. The walls of the cathedral are decorated not only with picturesque icons, but also with unique mosaics.

The altarpiece of St. Isaac's Cathedral is presented in the form of a stained-glass window - a rather atypical element for Russian church architecture. The Risen Christ is one of the largest stained glass windows in Europe.

Under the very dome of the cathedral, a dove hovers - a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Seemingly fragile at first glance, the figurine is made of silvered bronze, and its wingspan is about 2 m.

Colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral

The building of St. Isaac's Cathedral is the second high-rise dominant of St. Petersburg after the spire of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Climbing the colonnade, which is located under the main dome, you can admire the magnificent city panorama from a height of 43 m. A spiral staircase of 262 steps leads to the observation deck. The visit to the colonnade is included in the Guest Card. The colonnade can be closed in case of inclement weather.

From the history

An interesting fact is that this magnificent building was the result of the fourth attempt to build St. Isaac's Cathedral. Initially, the church in the name of St. Isaac of Dalmatia was conceived by Peter I - as a sign of the great emperor's respect to his patron saint. The wooden church near the Admiralty, alas, was destroyed by floods, after which a stone church was erected on the site of the current Bronze Horseman, but it was damaged by fire. Then Catherine II entrusted the project to the architects A. Rinaldi and V. Brenna, but it was never completed. And finally, the magnificent cathedral, already known to our contemporaries, was designed by the French architect O. de Montferrand, and the construction was supervised by Emperor Nicholas I.

More than 400 thousand people took part in the construction - stonecutters, carpenters, talented craftsmen from the people. These were serfs who had to work in unreasonably difficult conditions, often parting with their lives. Behind the splendor that we admire now, there is a real feat of the participants in the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral - courageous and conscientious ordinary people.

St. Isaac's Cathedral (Cathedral of St. Isaac of Dalmatia) in St. Petersburg is the largest Orthodox church in the city, which has the status of a museum. From 1858 to 1929 it was the cathedral of the St. Petersburg diocese. Currently, the cathedral is considered one of the main attractions of the city and its symbol. Thousands of tourists visit the temple every year, especially the colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral, from which a circular panorama opens up.

Cathedral history

The architect of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg is Auguste Montferrand. The temple was built on the site of the old cathedral of St. Isaac of Dalmatia, therefore an important condition was the preservation of the altar of the previous temple. The project was under the supervision of Emperor Nicholas I and the most modern technologies of those years were applied during the construction of the temple.

Construction lasted from 1818 to 1858, and on May 30 (June 11), 1858, the solemn consecration of St. Isaac's Cathedral took place. Since 1991, divine services have been held daily in the temple.

Chips and dents can be seen on the outer walls and columns of the temple - these are the consequences of shelling and bombing during the Great Patriotic War. During the blockade, St. Isaac's Cathedral housed exhibits from the Museum of the History of the City, the Summer Palace of Peter I and from the suburban museums of Leningrad.

Since 1950 and for 10 years, the building was reconstructed, an observation deck was installed on the dome.

Currently, St. Isaac's Cathedral has the status of a State Monument Museum and is part of the museum complex that unites the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood and the Museum of Stone. The ecclesiastical diocese has repeatedly asked to transfer the council to its full jurisdiction, but the municipal authorities refused. Disputes about the transfer of the temple to the Russian Orthodox Church are still ongoing.

Isaac's Cathedral on the Google panorama: outside view

Features of the architecture of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg

The temple is an example of late classicism. The building is 101.5 meters high and 97.6 meters wide. The cathedral has a cross-domed shape, there are three altars in it: Isaac of Dalmatia, Great Martyr Catherine and Alexander Nevsky.

The five-domed temple has four more small domes with bell towers. The cathedral is crowned with a large dome, the outer diameter of which is 25.8 meters. Unlike most Orthodox churches, the cathedral does not have an eastern entrance; the main entrance is located in the western portico. The walls and floor of the building are faced with colored marble and slate.

The building is decorated with 112 granite columns of various sizes. Interior decoration work began in 1841. Famous artists and sculptors (Karl Bryullov, Pyotr Klodt, Ivan Burukhin, Nikolai Pimenov, etc.) worked on the decoration of the cathedral.

The main technique was oil painting on a special ground, the images were also painted in oil on bronze boards. The largest composition of St. Isaac's Cathedral is the painting of the dome, its area is 800 square meters. meters. This part of the work was performed by the famous Russian artist Karl Bryullov.

However, due to the climatic features of St. Petersburg, over time the soil deteriorated and the images had to be rewritten, so it was decided to decorate the cathedral with mosaics. The temple is decorated with over 350 sculptures depicting the glorification and earthly life of Jesus Christ. The sculptural bas-reliefs of the cathedral's porticoes and doors are of great interest. In addition to sculptures, the temple is decorated with 150 panels and paintings, as well as a stained glass window depicting the Resurrection of Christ, with an area of about 30 square meters. meters.

The interior of St. Isaac's Cathedral on the Google panorama:

The colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral is located at a height of 43 meters. To climb it, you need to overcome 2 spiral staircases of 200 steps. The colonnade consists of 24 columns, 14 meters long, and is an observation deck with a circular view.

View from the colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg on the Google panorama:

Opening hours of St. Isaac's Cathedral in 2020

Museum entrance: 10: 30-18: 00, daily, except Wednesday;
Evening programs: 18: 00-22: 30 (from April 27 to September 30, day off - Wednesday);
Entrance to the colonnade: 10: 30-18: 00, daily (from May 1 to October 31);
Evening Colonnade: 18: 00-22: 30 (from April 27 to September 30)

Ticket offices close 30 minutes before closing.

Schedule of services in 2020

During the service, the entrance to St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg is free.

Divine Liturgy: Mon-Fri, except Wednesday - 08:00, Sat-Sun - 09:00;
Evening service: 16:00.

Prices for tickets to St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg in 2020

The cost of tickets during the main working hours:

Full cost - 350 rubles;
Holders of international ISIC cards - 200 rubles;
Children from 7 to 18 years old - 100 rubles;
Pensioners of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus - 100 rubles;
Students (cadets), graduate students, adjuncts, residents, trainee assistants of educational organizations of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus - 100 rubles.

Ticket prices in the evening:

Entrance ticket to St. Isaac's Cathedral - 400 rubles;
Colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral with audio tour "Panorama of St. Petersburg" - 400 rubles.

Additional services:

Audio guide in 10 languages - 200 rubles;
Audio tour "Panorama of St. Petersburg" - 150 rubles;
Complex ticket (cathedral + colonnade) for one person - 400 rubles;
Use of binoculars at the colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral (2 minutes) - 100 rubles;
Using binoculars at the colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral (1 minute) - 50 rubles.

Free admission is possible only from 10: 30-18: 00 and does not apply to cultural events and the entrance to the cathedral colonnade.

The cost of the tour in St. Isaac's Cathedral in 2020

Sculpture of St. Isaac's Cathedral- 400 rubles;
Biblical subjects in the painting of St. Isaac's Cathedral- 400 rubles.

Excursion service in Russian:

for one visitor, subject to joining the excursion group (for persons with the right to visit the museum free of charge) - 50 rubles;
for a group of 1 to 5 people - 600 rubles;
for a group of 6 to 20 people - 1000 rubles;
for a group of 21 to 30 people - 1500 rubles.

Excursion service in a foreign language:

for a group of 1 to 5 people - 1000 rubles;
for a group of 6 to 20 people - 2000 rubles;
for a group of 21 to 30 people - 3000 rubles.

Rules of conduct in the cathedral

In the premises of the cathedral and on the colonnade, it is prohibited:

be in a state of alcoholic, drug or toxic intoxication;
bring suitcases, bulky bags and backpacks;
move on roller skates and sneakers with wheels, bicycle, scooter, skateboard;
consume food and drinks;
go behind the fences and into office premises, lean on the racks and showcases of the temple;
provide commercial and excursion services;
listen to music, sing and make noise;
smoking and littering;
come with animals;
to make professional photo and video shooting, as well as shooting with flash during the excursion.

How to get there

St. Isaac's Cathedral (museum) is located in the historical center of St. Petersburg at the address: St. Isaac's Square, 4. Near it are the main attractions of the city - Palace Square, the Hermitage, the Bronze Horseman monument.

It takes about 10 minutes to walk from the nearest metro station "Admiralteyskaya" to the cathedral.

Public transport stops are also within walking distance:

trolleybuses No. 5, 22 and route taxis No. K-306 (stop "Malaya Morskaya st.");
buses No. 3, 10, 27 and fixed-route taxis No. K-252 (stop “pl. Isaakievskaya”);
buses No. 5, 22, 70, 100 and route taxis No. K-169 (stop "Yakubovich st.").

You can order a taxi using Yandex.Taxi, Maxim, Uber or Gett mobile applications.

If you rent a car, you can drive from Pulkovo Airport to St. Isaac's Cathedral in 40 minutes.

The route from the airport to the cathedral on the map - Google Maps

Video: St. Isaac's Cathedral, aerial photography

The largest church in St. Petersburg

St. Isaac's Cathedral is the largest Orthodox church in St. Petersburg, created in honor of St. Isaac of Dalmatia. On the map of St. Petersburg, St. Isaac's Cathedral is located in the Admiralteysky district of the city on St. Isaac's Square.

The cathedral was built in the style of late classicism in the years 1818-1858. Today St. Isaac's Cathedral is one of the dominants of St. Petersburg: its height is 101.5 m. The width of the cathedral is 100 m. The building has a square shape; the facades of the cathedral are decorated with 4 porticos with bas-reliefs and 112 monolithic granite columns. The diameter of the metal dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral is 25.8 m. The facades are finished with gray marble.

The interiors of St. Isaac's Cathedral are finished with malachite, marble, lapis lazuli, mosaics and gilded bronze. Russian sculptors (P. Klodt, I. Vitali) and artists (F. Bruni, K. Bryullov and others) worked on the interiors of the cathedral. The cathedral has a unique stained-glass window of the main altar depicting the Resurrection of the Savior. Stained glass area - 28.5 m 2.

Today the cathedral is a museum. There is an observation deck on the upper colonnade of the cathedral, which offers a magnificent view of the center of St. Petersburg.

The history of St. Isaac's Cathedral

The first wooden St. Isaac's Church was built from the west of the Admiralty in 1701. In 1712, Peter I and Ekaterina Alekseevna were married in the church. The second stone church was built in 1717 on the site of the Bronze Horseman. But it was too close to the Neva, so the foundation of the church was constantly undermined.

The third St. Isaac's Church began to be built in 1768 on the site of the modern cathedral, designed by A. Rinaldi. But it was only completed up to the cornice. Under Paul I, the architect V. Brenna completed the church as soon as possible, but changed Rinaldi's project, adding brick walls and domes over the marble part of the cathedral. The church was knocked out of the face of ceremonial Petersburg, which gave rise to an evil epigram:

Behold a monument of two kingdoms,
Both are so decent
On the marble bottom
A brick top was erected.

In 1816, A. Montferrand won the competition for the reconstruction of the cathedral. The main condition for the restructuring was the preservation of the altar part of the old church. The final design of Montferrand was adopted in 1825, although the first stone was laid in 1819.

The architect made an extraordinary decision and began to erect porticos with columns before the construction of the walls of the cathedral. To lift the 114-ton columns, special scaffolding was built according to the design of A. Betancourt. These scaffolding allowed the column to be lifted vertically in 45 minutes.

In 1858 St. Isaac's Cathedral was consecrated.

After the revolution, St. Isaac's Cathedral was destroyed. In 1928, the services were stopped, and in 1931 an anti-religious museum was opened in the cathedral.

The cathedral used to have a Foucault pendulum, which was long enough to demonstrate the rotation of the earth.

St. Isaac's Cathedral (the official name is the Cathedral of St. Isaac of Dalmatia) is the largest Orthodox church in St. Petersburg. Located on St. Isaac's Square. Has the status of a museum; registered in June 1991, the church community has the opportunity to perform divine services on special days with the permission of the museum directorate. Consecrated in the name of the Monk Isaac of Dalmatia, revered saint by Peter I, since the emperor was born on the day of his memory - May 30 according to the Julian calendar.

Built in 1818-1858 by the architect Auguste Montferrand; the construction was supervised by Emperor Nicholas I, the chairman of the construction commission was Karl Opperman.

The solemn consecration of the new cathedral on May 30 (June 11), 1858, was performed by Metropolitan of Novgorod, St. Petersburg, Estland and Finland Grigory (Postnikov).

The creation of Montferrand is the fourth temple in honor of Isaac of Dalmatia, built in St. Petersburg.

Height - 101.5 m, internal area - over 4,000 m².

History

First Isaac's Church

First St. Isaac's Church. Lithograph after drawing by O. Montferrand. 1845 year.

By 1706, more than 10 thousand people worked at the Admiralty shipyards, but there were no churches where they could go. To solve this problem, Peter I gave the order to find suitable premises for the future church. The building of a large drawing barn was chosen, located on the western side of the Admiralty at a distance of 15-20 m from the canal (passing around the Admiralty) and 40-50 m from the bank of the Neva.

The construction of both the first and subsequent St. Isaac's churches was carried out at the expense of the treasury. The first temple was erected with the money allocated for the construction of the Admiralty under the leadership of Count F.M. Apraksin; the Dutch architect H. van Boles was invited to build the spire of the church. The first wooden church, named St. Isaac's Church, was consecrated in 1707. Its simplicity is typical of the first buildings in St. Petersburg during the Peter the Great period. It was a blockhouse made of round logs up to 18 m long, 9 m wide and 4-4.5 m high to the roof.The outer walls were covered with horizontal boards up to 20 cm wide.To ensure good snow and rain, the roof had an angle of inclination of at least 45 degrees. It was also made of wood and covered with a waterproof black-brown wax-bitumen compound, which was then used to tarnish the bottoms of the ships.

In 1709, Peter I ordered restoration work in the church. This decision was motivated by the desire to improve the appearance of the church itself, as well as to solve a number of problems that arose during the operation (it was noted that the church was constantly damp and cold, which led to the destruction of wooden structures).

This modest church played the role of one of the main in the city. Here on February 19 (March 1), 1712, Peter I and Ekaterina Alekseevna were married. The travel log contains an entry for this day:

In the coming year, which no longer represented the expectation of adversity, Peter I married Ekaterina Alekseevna on the 19th, on Tuesday, in an omnivorous week. His Majesty's wedding took place in the morning at St. Isaac's Cathedral. At 10 o'clock in the morning, the highly married, with volleys from the bastions of the Peter and Paul and Admiralty fortresses, entered their winter home.

From 1723, according to the imperial decree, sailors of the Baltic Fleet and employees of the Admiralty could take the oath only in St. Isaac's Church.

Second St. Isaac's Church

The second St. Isaac's Church, in stone, was founded in 1717, since the first had already become dilapidated by that time. On August 6 (17), 1717, Peter I personally laid the foundation stone of a new church in the name of Isaac of Dalmatia. The second St. Isaac's Church was built in the style of the "Petrine Baroque" by the project of the prominent architect of the Petrine era GI Mattarnovi, who served in St. Petersburg since 1714. After his death in 1721, the construction was headed by N.F.Gerbel. But three years later he also dies, and in fact the construction of stone works is completed by the master Yakov Neupokoev.

The church, built in 1727, had the shape of an equal-pointed Greek cross 28 fathoms (60.5 m) long. The width from the southern doors to the northern doors was 15 sazhens (32.4 m), in other places - 9.5 sazhens (20.5 m). The dome of the church rested on four pillars and was covered with simple iron on the outside. The bell tower had a height of 12 fathoms and 2 arshins (27.4 m), the spire was 6 fathoms (13 m). The dome and spire of the bell tower were topped with gilded copper crosses 7 feet 8 inches high and 5 feet wide. The vaults of the church were wooden. The facades between the windows were decorated with pilasters.

In appearance, it resembled the Peter and Paul Cathedral. This similarity was further enhanced by the slender bell tower with the chimes brought by Peter I from Amsterdam along with the clock for the Peter and Paul Cathedral. I.P. Zarudny made a carved gilded iconostasis for the church, similar to the iconostasis in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

The church was built on the banks of the Neva, where the Bronze Horseman now stands. The location was clearly unsuccessful, the water, eroding the coast, affected the foundation, destroying the masonry. In addition, in May 1735, a lightning strike caused a fire in the church and it was seriously damaged. So, for example, the cabinet minister, Count A.I.

The Church of St. Isaac of Dalmatsky, whose house is being acquired in the parish, has recently burnt down and the services in it are not only liturgy, but also Vespers, and Matins, and Hours, nowadays.

Already in June of the same year, an estimate was drawn up for the correction of the church. Two thousand rubles were allocated for these purposes, and Major Lyubim Pustoshkin was appointed to supervise the work. The corresponding decree stated:

The Church of Isaac of Dalmatsky, how soon it is possible to start now, although only over the altar in speed to cover with boards, and then over the whole church to order to make rafters and roofs, so that today it could be a service.

As a result of the renovation, the walls and galleries were rebuilt, instead of iron, the dome was covered with copper, and the vaults were replaced with stone ones. Divine services began to be held in the church again. But during the execution of the work, it became clear that due to the settlement of the ground, the temple needed more corrections or even a complete restructuring.

To examine the condition of the church, the Senate sent the architect S.I. Chevakinsky, who stated the impossibility of preserving the building. They decided to dismantle the church and build a new one further from the coast.

Third Isaac Cathedral

A. Rinaldi's project of the third St. Isaac's Cathedral. Lithograph after drawing by O. Montferrand.

By the decree of the Senate on July 15, 1761, SI Chevakinsky was appointed the head of the construction of the new St. Isaac's Cathedral. But the start of work was delayed. In 1762, Catherine II came to the throne. She approved the idea to recreate St. Isaac's Cathedral, associated with the name of Peter I. Soon, SI Chevakinsky resigned and the construction was entrusted to the architect A. Rinaldi. In 1766, a decree was issued on the start of work on a new construction site, outlined by SI Chevakinsky. The ceremonial laying of the building took place on August 8, 1768, and a medal was struck in memory of this event.

According to the project of A. Rinaldi, the cathedral was supposed to have five domes of complex design and a high slender bell tower. The walls were faced with marble over the entire surface. The layout and drawings of the project are kept in the Museum of the Academy of Arts. Circumstances developed in such a way that Rinaldi was unable to complete the work begun. The building was completed only to the cornice, when, after the death of Catherine II, construction stopped and Rinaldi went abroad.

The third St. Isaac's Cathedral in engraving. 1816 year

Paul I, who ascended the throne, instructed the architect V. Brenna to urgently complete the work. Fulfilling the desire of the king, the architect was forced to distort Rinaldi's project - to reduce the size of the upper part of the building and the main dome and abandon the construction of four small domes. The marble for facing the upper part of the cathedral was transferred to the construction of the residence of Paul I - the Mikhailovsky Castle. The cathedral turned out to be squat, and artistically even ridiculous - ugly brick walls towered on a luxurious marble base.

This construction caused ridicule and bitter irony of contemporaries. For example, naval officer Akimov who came to Russia after a long stay in England wrote an epigram:

Behold, a monument of two kingdoms, Both so decent On the marble bottom Erected a brick top.

While trying to attach a sheet with this quatrain to the facade of the cathedral, Akimov was arrested. He paid dearly for his wit: his tongue was cut off and he was exiled to Siberia.

In various versions, Petersburgers retold the dangerous epigram:

This temple will show us Who with caress, who with whip, He started with marble, Finished with brick.

Later, during the reign of Emperor Alexander I, when the brickwork was dismantled during the execution of the final Montferrand version of the cathedral, folklore responded to this with a new epigram.

This temple of three reigns is an image: Granite, brick and destruction.

Modern Isaac's Cathedral

The discrepancy between St. Isaac's Cathedral and the ceremonial appearance of the central part of St. Petersburg made it necessary, already in 1809, to announce a competition for the construction of a new church. The condition was the preservation of the three consecrated altars of the existing cathedral. The program of the competition, approved by Alexander I, was drawn up by the President of the Academy of Arts A.S. Stroganov. It said:

To find a means to decorate the temple ... without closing ... its rich marble clothes ... to look for the shape of a dome that could give grandeur and beauty to such a famous building ... to come up with a way to decorate the square that belongs to this temple, bringing the circumference of it into the proper correctness.

The competition was attended by architects A. D. Zakharov, A. N. Voronikhin, V. P. Stasov, D. Quarenghi, C. Cameron and others. But all projects were rejected by Alexander I, since the authors proposed not rebuilding the cathedral, but building a new one. In 1813, on the same terms, a competition was announced again, and again none of the projects satisfied the emperor. Then, in 1816, Alexander I instructed engineer A. Betancourt, chairman of the newly formed Committee for Buildings and Hydraulic Works, to prepare a project for rebuilding St. Isaac's Cathedral. Bettencourt proposed to entrust the project to the young architect A. Montferrand, who had recently arrived from France to Russia. To show his skill, Montferrand made 24 drawings of buildings of various architectural styles, which Bettencourt presented to Alexander I. The Emperor liked the drawings, and soon a decree was signed appointing Montferrand "imperial architect". At the same time, he was entrusted with the preparation of a project for the restructuring of St. Isaac's Cathedral with the condition to preserve the altar part of the existing cathedral.

1818 project

In 1818, Montferrand, following the instructions of Alexander I, drew up a project that provided for the preservation of the altar part and sub-dome pylons. The bell tower, altar ledges and the western wall of the Rinaldiev Cathedral were to be dismantled, while the southern and northern walls were preserved. The cathedral increased in length, but its width remained the same and the building became rectangular in plan. The height of the vaults did not change either. Columnar porticos were supposed to be erected on the northern and southern sides. The cathedral was to be crowned with one large dome and four small ones at the corners.

Cathedral on original postage stamp, 1986

Inside, Montferrand intended to make the walls cladding with marble, and decorate the vaults of the dome with paintings, sculptures and gilding. On February 20, 1818, the project was approved by Alexander I. Construction management was entrusted to a special commission. Its chairman was Count N.N. Golovin, a member of the State Council, members - Minister of Internal Affairs OP Kozodavlev, Minister of Spiritual Affairs and Public Education, Prince A.N. Golitsyn, engineer A. Betancourt. Architects A. P. Bryullov, R. Weigelt, V. A. Glinka, N. E. Efimov, D. V. Shebuev, A. I. Shtakenshneider, K. A. Moldavsky and many others also worked on the commission. After that, the old cathedral was surrounded by a fence and began to dismantle it.

On June 26, 1819, the ceremonial laying of the new cathedral took place. The first granite stone was laid directly on the piles with a gilded bronze plaque attached to it with the date of the foundation stone of the cathedral.

In 1820, Montferrand released a magnificent album of engravings depicting plans and facades of the future cathedral.

The architect A. Mauduy, who was one of the members of the "Committee for Buildings and Hydraulic Works", came up with sharp criticism of the project. In October 1820, he submitted to the Academy of Arts a note with comments on Montferrand's project. The essence of Modui's remarks boiled down to three main points: doubts about the strength of the foundation, the danger of uneven settlement of the building and improper design of the dome, the size of which exceeded the permissible limits and could collapse when supported on pylons of different construction times. The construction of the cathedral was suspended and a special committee was set up to consider Modui's comments. In his explanations to the committee, Montferrand emphasized his dependence on the conditions of the emperor: “Since, of the several projects that I had the honor to present, preference was given to the one that is already being implemented, then ... this issue should not be discussed with me; I must scrupulously preserve what I have been ordered to preserve ... ”. And in a letter to C. Persier, Montferrand already frankly admits: "It is easy to see that, obeying the order of the emperor, I could not satisfactorily solve the dome." Thus, the project of 1818 was recognized as unsuccessful not only by the members of the committee, but also by the author himself. The committee found it "impossible to rebuild St. Isaac's Cathedral according to the well-known designs of the architect Montferrand."

Having learned about the conclusions, Alexander I ordered the committee to fix the project, while observing the condition of "preserving, if possible, the existing walls, and moreover old and new foundations." It was also ordered to preserve the main features of the Montferrand project - five chapters and columnar porticoes. The decision of the interior space of the cathedral, the main dome, the lighting of the building was provided at the discretion of the committee. Montferrand was allowed to participate in the work on a general basis. In addition to Montferrand himself, the architects V.P. Stasov, A.I. Melnikov, A.A.Mikhailov Sr. and others took part in this new competition.

1825 project

Montferrand took into account the advice and comments of the largest Russian architects, engineers, sculptors and artists. According to his new project, the cathedral was decorated with four columned porticos (in the 1818 project there were only two of them - the southern and northern). The central part of the cathedral was emphasized by a domed square formed by four new support pylons, set wider than the rest. Thanks to this, the main dome was clearly inscribed in the square of the pylons and its sagging was excluded. At the corners of the main volume, four bell towers were installed, as if embedded in the walls. They were now located closer to the central dome than in the previous project. This further strengthened the square structure of the cathedral.

On April 3, 1825, a new Montferrand project was approved. It was in this form that the modern St. Isaac's Cathedral was built.

Cathedral construction

Bust of Auguste Montferrand in St. Isaac's Cathedral, created from stones used in the construction of the cathedral

Work on the construction of the foundation began in 1818, according to the first project of Montferrand. He set himself the difficult task of connecting the old and new foundations. Engineer A. Betancourt took an active part in this. While in Nizhny Novgorod, he writes to Montferrand: “In the last days of my stay in St. Petersburg I was so busy that I did not have the opportunity to talk with you about the methods of laying the foundations of St. Isaac's Church ... Be so kind as to inform me every two weeks about the state of work on the construction of the church, I will not fail and I will answer you, pointing out everything useful for the strength of the structure ... ", and a little later:" Sir, I received your three letters about the work on the construction of St. Isaac's Church and was glad to know that the foundations of this building were made in the way I indicated to you in the previous letter ... "

Deep trenches were dug under the foundation of St. Isaac's Cathedral, from which water was pumped out. Then tarred pine piles with a diameter of 26-28 centimeters and a length of 6.5 meters were vertically driven into the ground. The distance between the piles exactly matched their diameter. The piles were driven into the ground by heavy cast-iron women using gates driven by horses. Ten blows were made on each pile. If after that the pile did not enter the ground, then it was cut off with the permission of the caretaker. After that, all the trenches were connected to each other and filled with water. When the water froze, the piles were cut down to one level calculated from the ice surface. A total of 10,762 piles were driven into the foundation.

When constructing the foundation of St. Isaac's Cathedral, Montferrand used solid masonry, as he believed that "for the foundations of large buildings, solid masonry is preferable to any other type of its implementation, especially ... if the building is being built on flat and swampy ground ..." This also allowed the best way to tie the old Rinaldiev foundation with a new one and largely guaranteed the building from the dangerous consequences of precipitation.

In total, the construction of the foundation took about five years. This work involved 125 thousand masons, carpenters, blacksmiths and workers of other professions [source not specified 466 days].

The cutting of granite monoliths for the columns of the cathedral was carried out in the Puterlax quarry near Vyborg. These lands belonged to the landowner von Exparre. The advantage of this particular place for the quarry was a large supply of granite, the proximity of the Gulf of Finland with a deep fairway and a post road. This is what Montferrand noted in his diary when he visited the quarry for the first time: "The surprise that we experienced when we saw ... the granite rocks was, of course, great, but it was replaced by admiration, when later we admired in the first quarry seven still unworked columns ..."

The work at the quarry was supervised by the contractor Samson Sukhanov, who also participated in the construction of the Rostral Columns and the Kazan Cathedral. At Puterlax, he applied the following method of breaking monoliths. On the sheer granite rock, the outline of the workpiece was marked, then holes were drilled along this line, into which iron wedges were then inserted. Strong workers, according to the conventional sign, simultaneously hit the wedges with heavy sledgehammers. The operation was repeated several times until a crack appeared. Iron levers with rings were laid in it, in which the ropes were fixed. Forty people were taken for each rope and, pulling them to the sides, moved the workpiece aside. Birch struts were placed in the gap formed to keep the monoliths in this state. Next, the workers punched holes in the workpiece and launched hooks into them with ropes attached to the adjacent gates, with the help of which the monolith was finally separated from the rock and rolled onto a previously prepared wooden platform.

Frequently visiting the quarters, Montferrand noted: “The extraction of granites, work of this kind in all other places is not very ordinary, is encountered in Russia very often and is very well understood ... works that arouse our surprise at the works of antiquity are nothing but a daily matter. that no one is surprised at. "

Transportation from the quarry was carried out on flat-bottomed vessels specially manufactured at the Charles Byrd factory. The monoliths of the columns were rolled onto the seashore, where they were loaded onto barges. Each ship was towed by two steamers to the pier in St. Petersburg. There, the monoliths were unloaded and transported along a special rail track to the construction site for their final processing. The use of this track at a construction site was the first in Russia.

The next stage of construction was the erection of the porticoes before the construction of the walls of the cathedral. This decision of the architect, contrary to the rules of architecture, was due to the complexity of the installation of granite columns.

Model of scaffolding used for lifting columns

To lift the columns, special scaffolding was built, consisting of three high spans formed by four rows of vertical posts covered with beams. To the side, 16 cast-iron gates-capstans were installed, each of which employed eight people. The column was sheathed with felt and mats, tied with ship ropes and rolled into one of the scaffolding spans, and the ends of the ropes through a system of blocks were fixed on capstans. The workers, turning the gates, brought the monolith to a vertical position. The installation of one 17-meter column weighing 114 tons took about 45 minutes. Montferrand noted in his notes, "that the wooden structure of the scaffolding ... is so perfect that with all forty-eight installations of the columns, not even a simple creak was heard."

The first column was erected on March 20, 1828 in the presence of the royal family, foreign guests, many architects who came specially for this celebration, and ordinary townspeople who filled the square and the roofs of the surrounding houses. A platinum medal with the image of Alexander I was laid under the base of the column.

The construction of the porticoes was completed by the fall of 1830, when the inhabitants of St. Petersburg could already see the four twelve-column porticoes and the altar part of the old Rinaldievskaya church.

Then the construction of the support pylons and the walls of the cathedral began. Here, brickwork was used, fastened with lime mortar. For greater strength, granite gaskets and metal ties of various profiles were used. The walls were 2.5 to 5 meters thick. The thickness of the outer marble cladding was 50-60 cm, the inner one - 15-20 cm. It was carried out simultaneously with the brickwork, using iron hooks (pyrons) inserted into holes specially drilled for this. For the roofing, wrought iron rafters were made. Ventilation galleries were installed inside the southern and northern walls. For natural illumination of the cathedral, light galleries were made above the galleries of the attic.

In 1836, the construction of walls and pylons was completed and the construction of floors began. The constructed brick vaults are from 1.1 to 1.25 meters thick and rest on six pylons. In addition to structural brick vaults, decorative ones were also made, which were an iron frame, covered with a metal mesh and faced with artificial marble. Between the decorative and constructive vaults, a space of 30 cm was left. Such a double overlapping of the vaults is a characteristic feature of the cathedral, which has never been seen in other church buildings in Russia and Western Europe.

In 1837, when the base of the dome was completed, the installation of the 24 upper columns began. The columns were lifted up the inclined flooring on special trolleys using original mechanisms. To rotate the columns, devices from two cast-iron circles were used, balls were inserted into the groove of the lower one.

The next stage in the construction of the cathedral was the construction of the dome. Montferrand sought to lighten the dome as much as possible without losing strength. To do this, he proposed to make it not brick, as envisaged by the 1825 project, but completely metal. The calculations of the dome were carried out by the engineer P.K.Lomnovsky. The dome's metalwork was cast at Charles Byrd's plant. At the same time, 490 tons of iron, 990 tons of pig iron, 49 tons of copper and 30 tons of bronze were used. The dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral became the third dome in the world made with the use of metal structures and shells (after the tower of the Nevyansk plant in the Urals, built in 1725, and the dome of the Mainz Cathedral - in 1828). The example was the dome of London's St Paul's Cathedral, designed by Wren. But Montferrand, borrowing the design, made it from other materials.

Structurally, the dome consists of three interconnected parts formed by cast-iron ribs: the lower spherical, the middle - conical, and the outer - parabolic. The metal frame is composed of 24 I-ribs. The strip connecting the I-beam flanges is perforated. The connections of the frame parts were made with bolts. The diameter of the outer vault is 25.8 m, the lower vault - 22.15 m. The space between the trusses was laid with hollow, conical pottery pots on bridges made of bricks, filling the gaps between them with limestone and chippings. For the vaults, it took about 100 thousand of these pots. Pot vaults improve the acoustics of the temple, protect from the cold and are much lighter than brick vaults.

The pot vaults were insulated with two layers of felt filled with resin; the felt, in turn, was covered with lime-sand mortar, which was painted with oil paint. The exposed parts of the metal structures were also protected with felt. The inner conical dome is covered with bluish copper sheets, with large bronze beams and stars that create a dramatic picture of the night sky. Outside, the dome is covered with gilded copper sheets tightly fitted to each other.

The gilding of the domes of the cathedral in 1838-1841 was carried out by the method of fire gilding, 60 craftsmen poisoned and died with mercury vapor. In total, 400,000 workers - state and serfs - took part in the construction of the cathedral. According to documents from that time, about a quarter of them died from illness or died as a result of accidents.

Consecration

The solemn consecration of the cathedral took place in 1858, on May 30, on the day of memory of St. Isaac of Dalmatia, in the presence of Emperor Alexander II and other members of the imperial family. Troops were lined up, which the emperor greeted before the beginning of the rite of consecration, which was headed by Metropolitan of Novgorod and St. Petersburg Grigory (Postnikov). On the Petrovskaya and Isaakievskaya squares, tribunes were arranged for the people; the neighboring streets and the roofs of the nearest houses were crowded with people.

St. Isaac's Cathedral plan

1 - west portico 2 - north portico 3 - east portico 4 - south portico 5 - altar 6 - chapel of St. Catherine 7 - chapel of St. Alexander Nevsky 8 - main iconostasis 9 - Royal gates 10 - dome pylons

Appearance

Isaac's Cathedral and Senate Square from a bird's eye view

St. Isaac's Cathedral is an outstanding example of late classicism, in which new trends (neo-Renaissance, Byzantine style, eclecticism) are already manifesting, as well as a unique architectural structure and high-rise dominant of the central part of the city.

The height of the cathedral is 101.5 m, the length and width are about 100 meters. The outer diameter of the dome is 25.8 m. The building is decorated with 112 monolithic granite columns of various sizes. The walls are faced with light gray Ruskeala marble. When installing the columns, wooden structures by engineer A. Betancourt were used. On the frieze of one of the porticoes, you can see a sculptural image of the architect himself (Montferrand died almost immediately after the consecration of the cathedral, but the architect's desire to be buried in his own creation was denied).

North facade

North pediment. "Resurrection of Christ"

The phrase placed in the frieze of the northern portico - "Lord, the king will rejoice in your strength" - can be considered an expression of the idea of the whole structure.

The relief of the pediment of the northern portico is the Resurrection of Christ (1839-1843, sculptor F. Lemer). In the center of the composition is Christ who has risen from the tomb, to the right and to the left of him are angels, followed by frightened guards and shocked women. The idea of the resurrection of Christ, who was crucified on the cross by the verdict of the court and rose from the dead on the third day, lies at the basis of the entire Christian religion. In honor of Jesus Christ, who conquered death and gave people hope for salvation and immortality, the most solemn and joyful holiday of the Christian church is celebrated - Easter. It is in honor of this holiday that tall lamps are lit in the corners of the cathedral, above the attic, and the hands of kneeling angels (sculptor I.P. Vitali) reverently support them.

The statues located at the corners and tops of the pediments represent the 12 holy apostles (sculptor Vitali) - the closest disciples of Jesus Christ - and the tops are crowned with statues of the evangelists, that is, the authors of the Gospels - the first 4 books of the New Testament, telling about the teachings and life of Jesus.

The Apostle Peter (left) is depicted with the keys to the gates of the kingdom of heaven. By the nature of his occupation, he was a fisherman, and his life from the very beginning to the end was filled with all kinds of miraculous events, which are mentioned in the Gospel legends. This is, first of all, wonderful fishing: the fish went in such numbers that even “the net broke through”, and “horror seized him and everyone who was with him from this fishing trip”; this is a storm on Lake Galilee, when the Lord walked along the waves to his drowning disciples and allowed Peter to walk on the waves as well. A zealous preacher of the word of Christianity, he could heal the paralyzed and raise from the dead, and he proved his faith in Christ by martyrdom: according to legend, under the emperor Nero he was crucified upside down.

The Apostle Paul (right) is depicted with a sword, a symbol of his zealous service to Jesus Christ. At first he was an ardent persecutor of Christians, everywhere he sought out and tortured them, but one day a ray from heaven hit him - he went blind. He heard the voice of Jesus Christ, was imbued with his teaching, and from that time he completely changed. The sight returned to him; he became one of the most zealous preachers of the Christian faith, performed many miracles, endured a lot of suffering and confirmed his faith by a martyr's death: in Rome, under the emperor Nero, his head was cut off.

The Evangelist John (in the center) is depicted with an eagle, from whose all-seeing eye no sins can hide. He lived longer than other apostles, and, according to legend, the disciples (following his desire) buried him alive. When, soon after his burial, his grave was opened, the apostle was not there: like Jesus Christ, he rose from the dead.

The sculptures in the niches - "Carrying the Cross" (left niche) and "Placement in the coffin" (right niche) - were made by the sculptor PK Klodt.

Doors: (sculptor Vitali) "Entry into Jerusalem", "Behold the Man", "The Flagellation of Christ", St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Rev. Isaac of Dalmatia, Kneeling Angels.

Apostle John

Right niche "Position in the coffin"

North door of the cathedral

View of St. Isaac's Cathedral and Voznesensky Avenue from the Admiralty

West facade

Bas-relief "Meeting of Isaac of Dalmatia with the Emperor Theodosius"

On the pediment of the western portico there is a bas-relief "The Meeting of Isaac of Dalmatia with the Emperor Theodosius", made in 1842-1845 by the sculptor IP Vitali. Its plot is the union of the two branches of power - the royal and the spiritual (it is no coincidence that the portico faces the Senate and the Synod). Isaac of Dalmatian depicted in the center of the bas-relief with a cross in his left hand as if blessed Theodosius, who bowed his head, dressed in armor. To the left of the emperor is his wife Flacilla. To the left are two figures, the first of which resembles the president of the Academy of Arts A.N. Olenin, and the second - with the minister of the imperial court and chairman of the Commission for the construction of the cathedral of Prince P.M.Volkonsky. On the right are the kneeling warriors. In the left corner of the bas-relief there is a small half-naked figure with a model of the cathedral in his hands - a portrait of the author of the project of St. Isaac's Cathedral, O. Montferrand. The inscription on the frieze - "King of reigning".

Thomas (sculptor Vitali) - this apostle is depicted with a square in his left hand (as an architect), with his right hand extended forward, with a surprised expression on his face. He was prone to little faith and believed in the resurrection of Christ only when he touched him.

Bartholomew (sculptor Vitali) - depicted with a cross and a scraper. He preached the doctrine in Arabia, Ethiopia, India, Armenia, where he was martyred: he was flayed with a scraper and then hung upside down.

Mark (sculptor Vitali) - the evangelist is depicted with a lion, symbolizing wisdom and courage. Preaching the teachings of Christ, he was martyred in Alexandria.

Door: sculptor Vitali: Sermon on the Mount, Resurrection of Lazarus, Healing of the Paralytic, Apostle Peter, Apostle Paul, Kneeling angels.

fragment of the western pediment "The meeting of Isaac of Dalmatia with the emperor Theodosius"

bas-relief depicting Montferrand

Apostle Thomas
- Apostle Bartholomew
  
  Apostle Mark
  
  Western doors
  
  South facade
  
  Bas-relief "Adoration of the Magi"
  
  On the pediment of the southern portico there is a bas-relief "Adoration of the Magi" made in 1839-1844 by the sculptor IP Vitali. In the center is depicted Mary with a baby, seated on a throne. She is surrounded by the magi who came to worship, among them the figures of the Mesopotamian and Ethiopian kings stand out. To the right of Mary, Joseph stands with his head bowed. On the left side there is an old man with a child, in the hands of a child there is a small box with offerings. In the figures of an old man with a child, the Mesopotamian and Ethiopian kings, the Ethiopian slave, individual characteristics are visible; there is evidence that they were sculpted from sitters. The inscription on the frieze - "My temple, the temple of prayer will be called."
  
  Andrey (sculptor Vitali) - preached in many countries, even in the Russian land. He was crucified on a cross of a special shape, like the letter X, which has since become known as Andreevsky. In Russia, he is considered the patron saint of the fleet; under Peter I, the St. Andrew's flag was established, as well as the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called.
  
  Philip (sculptor Vitali) is modest and inconspicuous, he did not stand out in anything special among the disciples of Christ. Tradition says that he preached the Gospel in Scythia and Phrygia and died crucified on the cross.
  
  Matthew (sculptor Vitali) - the evangelist is depicted at the time of work, with an angel behind his back, a symbol of purity of deeds and thoughts; he was martyred for Christ: he was stoned and then beheaded.
  
  Left niche - "Annunciation" (sculptor A. Loganovsky)
  
  Right niche - "Beating up babies" (sculptor A. V. Loganovsky)
  
  Doors: sculptor Vitali: "Meeting", "Flight into Egypt", "Christ explains to St. scripture in the temple ”, Alexander Nevsky, Archangel Michael, Kneeling angels.
  - Apostle Andrew
    
    Apostle Philip
    
    Apostle Matthew
    - Left niche. "Annunciation"
      
      Right niche. "Massacre of the innocents"
      
      South doors
      
      East facade
      
      East pediment "Isaac of Dalmatia stops Emperor Valens"
      
      On the bas-relief of the eastern portico facing Nevsky Prospekt: "Isaac of Dalmatsky stops the Emperor Valent" (1841-1845, sculptor Lemer). In the center of the bas-relief - Isaac of Dalmatia blocks the path of Emperor Valens, predicting his imminent death, an experienced warrior who reigned before Theodosius was the patron saint of the Arians, whose teachings were an attempt to revise Christian teachings. Isaac of Dalmatia, a follower of Christians, was imprisoned (the bas-relief shows the moment when soldiers chained his hands with chains), and only Theodosius, a follower of Christian teachings, freed him. The inscription on the frieze: "In Thee, Lord, hope, let us not be ashamed forever."
      
      Jacob (sculptor Vitali) - brother of the Evangelist John, he had an active character, was resolute and unshakable in faith, for which he suffered faster than others. The first martyr among the apostles, James was beheaded in Jerusalem.
      
      Simon (sculptor Vitali) - depicted with a saw. This apostle enlightened Africa with the teaching of Christ, according to another legend - the British Isles, Babylonia, Persia, and was crucified on the cross. The saw is a symbol of the torment that all the apostles had to experience.
      
      Luke (sculptor Vitali) - the evangelist is depicted with a calf, symbolizing the holiness of the covenant. He preached in Libya, Egypt, Macedonia, Italy and Greece and, according to one version, died peacefully at the age of 80; on the other, he was martyred and, for lack of a cross, was hanged on an olive tree.
      - Apostle James
        
        Apostle Simon
      - Apostle Luke
        
        Interior
        
        K.P.Bryullov. The Mother of God surrounded by saints. The plafond of the main dome. The figures of the 12 apostles in the drum of the dome were painted by P.A.
        
        There are three altars in the cathedral, the main one is dedicated to Isaac of Dalmatia, the left one - to the Great Martyr Catherine, the right one - to the faithful Alexander Nevsky. The interiors are finished with marble, malachite, lapis lazuli, gilded bronze and mosaics. Work on the interior began in 1841, with the participation of famous Russian artists (F.A.Bruni, K.P.Bryullov, I.D.Burukhin, V.K.Shebuev, F.N. P. Vitali, P. K. Klodt, N. S. Pimenov).
        
        Resurrection of Christ. 1841-1843. Main altar stained glass
        
        At the suggestion of L. Klenze, a stained glass window was included in the interior of the Orthodox church - originally an element of the decoration of Catholic churches. The image of the Risen Savior in the window of the main altar was approved by the Holy Synod and personally by Emperor Nicholas I. The German artist Heinrich Maria von Hess was involved in the creation of the stained glass sketch for St. Isaac's Cathedral; a porcelain manufactory in Munich. The area of the stained-glass window is 28.5 square meters, the parts are held together with lead solders. By 1843, the stained glass window was installed in the window of the cathedral in St. Petersburg. It is a key monument in the history of stained glass art in Russia. The appearance in the cathedral church of the capital of a glass painting depicting Jesus Christ occurred as a result of the interaction of Western and Eastern Christian traditions, a kind of synthesis of a figurative Catholic stained glass window and an altarpiece Orthodox icon. Installing it in the main church in Russia approved the stained glass window in the decoration system of the country's Orthodox churches. Stained-glass windows received "legal" rights in Orthodox churches. And the image of the Risen Savior on the altar window of St. Isaac's Cathedral has become an iconographic model for many stained glass windows in Russian churches, both in the 19th century and in our time.
        
        St. Isaac's Cathedral displays a unique collection of monumental painting of the first half of the 19th century - 150 panels and paintings. To work on the paintings, academic artists Bryullov, Basin, Bruni, Shebuyev, Markov, Alekseev, Shamshin, Zavyalov and others were involved. The management of the paintings was entrusted to the rector of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, Professor V. K. Shebuev, the decor project and the general concept of the paintings were developed by Montferrand. The work was carried out under the supervision of the Emperor and the Synod. One of the main problems was the choice of painting technique. According to the initial proposal of Klenze (Nicholas I agreed with him), the frescoes of the cathedral were to be carried out using the encaustic technique. However, Bruni, attracted to the discussion of the method of making future paintings, after consultations with Klenze, which took place at the beginning of 1842 in Munich, made a report in which he indicated that this painting technique was completely unsuitable for the climatic conditions of St. Petersburg. Based on the opinion of the restorer Valati, Bruni spoke in favor of oil painting on canvas, framed by copper frames with a bottom. Montferrand also leaned towards oil painting. Bruni was commissioned to carry out a sample of encaustic painting on copper, but soon it was decided to paint the walls of the cathedral with oil paints on a special ground, and the images with oil on bronze boards. According to the distribution of works, Bryullov had to paint the main dome (the largest composition with an area of 800 square meters) and the sails in the central nave, Bruni - the box vault and attic of the main nave, Basin - the side-chapels of Alexander Nevsky and St. Catherine. The western part of the cathedral was set aside for plots on themes from the Old Testament, the eastern part for episodes from the life of Christ.
        
        The high humidity in the cathedral room prevented the creation of a soil resistant to adverse external influences. The wall for painting was plastered, cleaned with a pumice stone, heated with braziers to 100-120 degrees and several layers of mastic were applied to it. The low quality of the basis for the painting was the reason that in some cases it had to be removed, and the artists had to rewrite the paintings anew. In some places, the soil lagged behind the plaster. In his letter dated December 24, 1849, Bruni noted that painting on fresh ground is impossible because of the "saltpeter oxide" that subsequently protrudes onto the surface of the painting. The stable composition was created only in 1855, three years before the completion of the painting in the cathedral.
        
        Since in the cathedral, due to the temperature difference, high humidity and lack of ventilation, unfavorable conditions developed for preserving the paintings in their original form, when decorating the interior, it was decided to use mosaics for interior decoration since 1851. The creation of mosaic panels continued until the outbreak of the First World War. Smalt for St. Isaac's Cathedral was made in the mosaic workshop of the Academy of Arts. When creating the panel, more than 12 thousand shades of smalt were used, the backgrounds were typed from gold smalt (cantoreli). Mosaic images were made from the originals of T.A.Neff. Mosaics replaced the painting by S. A. Zhivago "The Last Supper", the painting of the sails of the main dome, the attic ("The Kiss of Judas", "Behold the Man", "The Scourging", "Carrying the Cross" by Basin) and pylons.
        
        In 1990, the first church service was held; now they are held regularly on holidays and Sundays.
        
        The cathedral is under the jurisdiction of the State Museum-Monument "St. Isaac's Cathedral".
        Museum directors
        Georgy Petrovich Butikov - from 1968 to 2002.
        
        Until January 2008 - Nikolay Nagorsky (died in January 2008).
        
        List of abbots of the cathedral
        Rectors of the cathedral in the entire history of the Dates Rector The first church ... - ... ... 1721-1727 Archpriest Alexei Vasiliev Second church 1727 - July 7, 1735 Archpriest Joseph Timofeevich Chednevsky (died on April 13, 1736) 1736-1741 Archpriest Vasily Pavlovich Terletsky (1673-after 1761) 1742 - November 10, 1744 Archpriest Peter Yakovlev (1704 - November 10, 1744) January 12, 1745 - December 29, 1750 Archpriest Timofey Semyonov (died on December 29, 1750) 1751-1757 Archpriest Alexander Lvov 1757 - October 20, 1758 Archpriest Theodor Lukin (died October 20, 1758) December 8, 1758 - October 29, 1771 Archpriest Nikita Dalmatov (Dolmatov) (died on October 29, 1771) 1771 - early 1789 Archpriest John Matfeyev February 11, 1789 - February 16, 1800 Archpriest Georgy Mikhailovich Pokorsky (1740 - October 15, 1800) The third temple May 21, 1800 - December 31, 1829 Archpriest Mikhail Alekseevich Sokolov (1762 - December 31, 1829) 1829 - October 27, 1836 Archpriest Iakov Ivanovich Voskresensky (April 30, 1775 - October 27, 1836) 1836 - October 31, 1855 Toy Priest Alexei Ivanovich Malov (died October 31, 1855) Fourth Church 1858 - December 22, 1860 Archpriest Andrei Ivanovich Okunev (August 7, 1794 - December 22, 1860) December 24, 1860 - December 9, 1869 Archpriest John Dmitrievich Kolokolov (1799 - December 9, 1869) September 30 1870 - September 2, 1884 Archpriest Pyotr Alekseevich Lebedev (January 13, 1807 - September 2, 1884) 1884 - February 16, 1886 Archpriest Platon Ivanovich Karashevich (1824 - February 16, 1886) 1886 - October 4, 1897 Archpriest Pyotr Alekseevich Smirnov (1831-1907) October 13 1897 - October 22, 1909 Archpriest John Antonovich Sobolev (1829-1909) November 4, 1909 - February 19, 1917 Archpriest Alexander Ivanovich Ispolatov (1835-1917) February 23, 1917 - July 3, 1919 Archpriest Nikolai Grigorievich Smiryagin (1839-1919) July 1919 - 29 April 1922 Archpriest Leonid Konstantinovich Bogoyavlensky (1871-1937) May - 23 July 1922 Archpriest Pyotr Pavlovich Balykov (1892-after 1922) July 1922 - 18 March 1923 Archpriest Vasily Nikolaevich Veltistov (1854-after 1923) m art 1923 - July 1924 Archpriest Nikolai Fedorovich Platonov (1889-1942) July 1924 - January 1925 Archpriest Pavel Porfirievich Chuev (1889-after 1925) 1925 Archpriest Dmitry Feofanovich Stefanovich (1876-1926) January - August 1926 Archpriest Alexander Ivanovich Boyarsky , (1885-1937) August 1926 - October 3, 1927 Archpriest Lev Mikhailovich Teodorovich (1867-after 1930) October 1927 - March 9, 1928 Archpriest Pyotr Nikolaevich Nikolsky March - July 14, 1928 "Archbishop" Gerontiy (Grigory Andreevich Shevlyagin), (1893- after 1934) On July 14, 1928-1990, services in the church were not held 1990-2001 Archpriest Boris Mikhailovich Glebov 2002 - present, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg Vladimir (Kotlyarov)
        Public opinion about the cathedral
        
        Modern hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church did not single out the largest church building in the city as the main thing. At present, St. Isaac's Cathedral is not the cathedral of the St. Petersburg Metropolitanate.
        
        State of the art assessments
        
        In the opinion of Valery Golod, a professor at the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, in the 2000s, “from a mechanical point of view, the cathedral was in an emergency condition. The safety factor is sometimes from two to six times. But how much of this reserve has been exhausted, and how much continues to hold the structure? You cannot close your eyes to this. "
        
        Facts
        
        Saint Isaac's Cathedral. 2008 year
        
        In connection with the construction and consecration of the cathedral, Alexander II instituted a state award - the medal "In memory of the consecration of St. Isaac's Cathedral." It was awarded to persons who took part in the construction, decoration and consecration of the cathedral.
        
        A new tomb was made for the temple. It was made on the model of the tomb of the Cathedral of the Savior-on-Sennaya (the author is the famous jeweler F.A. Verkhovtsev).
        
        The famous German painter on glass, Max Einmiller, created a 9.5 m high altar-window stained glass window for the cathedral.
        
        The interior uses shungite and siltstone shale, the only deposits of which are located in Karelia.
        
        Montferrand's contemporaries explained the long construction period of the cathedral (40 years) by the fact that a certain soothsayer predicted the death of the architect immediately after the completion of the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral. Therefore, the architect was in no hurry with the construction. Montferrand actually lived a little less than a month after the consecration of the cathedral.
        
        In 1879, IN Polisadov founded the Society of Preachers for the pulpit of St. Isaac's Cathedral - the first society of this kind in the capital.
        
        On September 3, 1991, the Bank of the USSR issued a commemorative 50-ruble coin with the image of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg in the series “500th Anniversary of the United Russian State”. The coin is made of 999 standard gold with a circulation of 25,000 copies and weighing 7.78 grams.

Received the name in honor of Isaac of Dalmatia. The fact is that the day of remembrance of this saint coincided with the birthday of Peter the Great. Here, with Peter the Great, begins the history of the formation of the great Russian temple and a monument of magnificent architecture - St. Isaac's Cathedral. Included in the version of our site.

The first church in honor of Isaac was a wooden church built in 1710, in which Peter was married to Catherine, who later became Empress Catherine the First. In the same church, by order of Peter, the ranks of the Admiralty and officers of the Baltic fleet were to take the oath in this church. But wooden structures do not last long. Therefore, it was decided to build a stone church.

There is information that there were two more cathedrals before the present. The second cathedral and the third cathedral were built for a long time, but served shortly. The current St. Isaac's Cathedral was built by order of Nicholas I by many great architects. Chief among them is Auguste Ricard de Montferrand. Nicholas the First strictly followed the construction of the cathedral, made his proposals on the technical and aesthetic aspects of chrome. The state treasury allocated 23 million silver rubles for the construction of the cathedral. And it was worth it, St. Isaac's Cathedral is an outstanding temple, a unique architectural and engineering work, the world's largest domed building.

St. Isaac's Cathedral is an example of monumental architecture inspiring great respect. If we talk about St. Isaac's Cathedral in numbers, they are amazing. Here are a few of them. The diameter of the dome of the cathedral is 21.8 meters, the height of the building is 101.5 meters, 72 columns are installed in the building, all of which are more than 100 tons, the temple was built for exactly 40 years.
The interior of the cathedral is no less impressive than the exterior. For the decoration of the premises of St. Isaac's Cathedral, 20 types of various decorative stones were used, such as marble of various varieties, malachite, lapis lazuli. The halls of the cathedral are also decorated with sculptural works of art and other objects of Russian art of that era.

The temple was active for a long time, and one of the main temples of the country. All great events in the country were necessarily celebrated in St. Isaac's Cathedral. The cathedral was led by prominent representatives of Russian Orthodoxy. However, the glorious traditions were broken by the October Revolution. Guided, it is not clear what motives, the power of the Bolsheviks, destroying all church churches, reached the Isaac Cathedral. Therefore, many of the works of art that adorned the cathedral have been lost.

Fortunately, a unique mosaic has survived, the pride of St. Isaac's Cathedral. This outstanding work of art covers an area of almost 600 square meters. Paintings and sculptures for the cathedral were made by the world's great architects: Bryullov, Vitali, Bruni, Klodt, Basin, Shebuev.

Today, St. Isaac's Cathedral perfectly combines two functions - services are held in it, and it is open as a museum. In St. Isaac's Cathedral, there are several thematic exhibitions dedicated to the uniqueness of the architectural and technical structure of the temple, as well as to the peculiarities of the art that adorns the interior of the cathedral. One of the attractions when visiting St. Isaac's Cathedral is the opportunity to climb its colonnade and admire the views of beautiful St. Petersburg from a height of 43 meters.

The best way to get to St. Isaac's Cathedral is from the Admiralteyskaya metro station, walking 5 minutes along Malaya Morskaya street.