DK Travel : St Petersburg : St Isaac’s Cathedral

St Isaac’s Cathedral

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Peter the Great had originally commissioned a smaller church of the same name, much closer to the river, but this was destroyed in floods soon after its construction in 1710. The larger, present-day St Isaac’s was opened in 1858, and was designed by French architect Auguste de Montferrand. The cathedral weighs 300,000 tonnes, and the engineering operation needed to erect it was, at the time, of an almost unprecedented scale. Used as a museum of atheism during the Soviet years, the cathedral, the largest in Russia, is still officially a museum, with a collection of 19th-century art.
St Isaac’s is most impressive around dusk during the winter, when it dominates the snowy skyline like some giant sentinel standing guard in the vastness of St Isaac’s Square. The popular café, Idiot , is close by and does great business lunches. Peter the Great’s birthday fell on 30 May, which was also St Isaac’s birthday, thus making St Isaac Peter’s patron saint. The northeast bell tower contains St Isaac’s heaviest bell, weighing three tonnes.

Top 10 Features

1. Ceiling Painting

1. Ceiling Painting

“The Virgin in Majesty” (1847), the fresco that adorns the inside of the cathedral’s cupola, was created by Karl Bryullov and covers an area of 816 sq m (8,780 sq ft).
2. The Dome

St Isaac’s gilded viewing dome is decorated with angels created by sculptor Josef Hermann. The dome also offers breathtaking views across the city – you can see the Hermitage from here.
3. St Catherine’s Chapel

3. St Catherine’s Chapel

This chapel is remarkable for its “Resurrection” (1850–54) – a stunning hybrid of Baroque and Classical styles. Sculpted by the artist Nikolay Pimenov, it is the crowning point of the exquisite white marble iconostasis.
4. Red Granite Columns

4. Red Granite Columns

The 48 columns in the cathedral were especially imported from Finland at tremendous cost and effort.
5. Angels with Torch

5. Angels with Torch

The reverent angels holding up the gas torches that crown the four corners of the cathedral were created by Ivan Vitali, who was also responsible for many of the other figures that adorn the cathedral.
6. Iconostasis

6. Iconostasis

Three rows of icons surround the royal doors, above which is Pyotr Klodt’s gilded “Christ in Majesty”.
7. Statues of the Apostles

7. Statues of the Apostles

Statues of apostles stand guard at the top of the cathedral. St Mark with a lion, St Matthew with an angel, St John with an eagle and St Luke with a calf are at the four points of the compass.
8. South Doors

8. South Doors

The south portico has three great double-shuttered doors made of cast bronze over oak and decorated with biblical scenes.
9. Internal Walls

The interiors of the cathedral are adorned with 14 different types of coloured marble and over 40 types of semi-precious stones.
10. Traces of Nazi Bombardment

St Isaac’s was hit by artillery bombardment during the Siege of Leningrad . Traces of this have been left on the left-hand side of the cathedral’s steps as a reminder of the war years.

Practical Information

St Isaac’s is most impressive around dusk during the winter, when it dominates the snowy skyline like some giant sentinel standing guard in the vastness of St Isaac’s Square. The popular café, Idiot , is close by and does great business lunches. Isaakievskaya ploshchad 315 9732 Open May–Sep: 10am–8pm Thu–Tue; Oct–Apr: 11am–7pm Thu–Tue Adm: adults 300 roubles; children 170 roubles http://eng.cathedral.ru/isaac