Kazan Cathedral, Saint Petersburg

Last updated • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Kazan Cathedral
Казанский кафедральный собор
Kazanskiy kafyedral'nyy sobor
SP KazanskyCathedral 2370.jpg
Kazan Cathedral
Religion
Affiliation Russian Orthodox
Location
Location Nevsky Prospect 25,
Saint Petersburg
Architecture
Architect(s) Andrey Voronikhin
Style Empire
Completed1811
Specifications
Length82.5 m (NS-WE interior)
90 m (exterior-stairs)
Width86 m (exterior-stairs)
Interior area4,000 m2 (interior) [1]
6,200 m2 (exterior)
Height (max)71.6 m (top cross)
Website
kazansky-spb.ru
Interior view Sobor Kazanskoi ikony Bozhiei Materi (g. Sankt-Peterburg, 7 oktiabria 2010 g.).JPG
Interior view
Interior view of the dome Svod kupola Kazanskogo sobora.jpg
Interior view of the dome
Interior, people at the iconostasis Kazan Cathedral, Saint Petersburg, Russia 02.JPG
Interior, people at the iconostasis

Kazan Cathedral or Kazanskiy Kafedralniy Sobor (Russian : Казанский кафедральный собор, romanized: Kazanskiy kafedral'nyy sobor), also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan, is a cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church on the Nevsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg. It is dedicated to Our Lady of Kazan , one of the most venerated icons in Russia.

Contents

Background

Construction of the cathedral started in 1801 and continued for ten years under the supervision of Alexander Sergeyevich Stroganov. [2] Upon its completion in 1811, the new church replaced the Church of Nativity of the Theotokos, which was disassembled when the Kazan Cathedral was consecrated.

The architect Andrey Voronikhin [3] modelled the building on St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. [2] Some art historians assert that Emperor Paul (reigned 1796–1801) intended to build a similar church on the other side of Nevsky Prospect that would mirror the Kazan Cathedral, but such plans failed to materialize.[ citation needed ] Although the Russian Orthodox Church strongly disapproved of the plans to create a replica of a Catholic basilica in Russia's then capital, several courtiers supported Voronikhin's Empire Style design.

After Napoleon invaded Russia (1812) and the commander-in-chief General Mikhail Kutuzov asked Our Lady of Kazan for help, the church's purpose altered. The Patriotic War over, Russians saw the cathedral primarily as a memorial to their victory over Napoleon. [3] Kutuzov himself was interred in the cathedral in 1813; and Alexander Pushkin wrote celebrated lines meditating over his sepulchre. In 1815 keys to seventeen cities and eight fortresses were brought by the victorious Russian army from Europe and placed in the cathedral's sacristy. In 1837, Boris Orlovsky designed two bronze statues of Kutuzov and of Barclay de Tolly which stand in front of the cathedral.

1896 Photochrom print Kazanskiy.jpg
1896 Photochrom print

In 1876 the Kazan demonstration, the first political demonstration in Russia, took place in front of the church. It later became a focal point of student demonstrations against the Tsarist autocracy, following the self-immolation of Maria Vetrova in 1897. [4] After the Russian Revolution of 1917 the authorities closed the cathedral (January 1932). In November 1932 it reopened as the pro-Marxist "Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism". [5] or, as one contemporary writer put it, "Leningrad's largest antireligious museum", complete with Spanish Inquisition waxworks. [6] Services resumed in 1992, and four years later the cathedral was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. As of 2017 it functions as the mother cathedral of the metropolis of St. Petersburg.

The cathedral's interior, with its numerous columns, echoes the exterior colonnade and is reminiscent of a palatial hall, being 69 metres in length and 62 metres in height. The interior features numerous sculptures and icons created by the best Russian artists of the day. A wrought-iron grille separating the cathedral from a small square behind it is sometimes cited as one of the finest ever constructed. [7] [8]

The cathedral's huge bronze doors are one of four copies of the original doors of the Baptistery in Florence, Italy (the other three are at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, United States, at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, United States, and at the Florence Baptistery itself).

The Kazan Cathedral is considered to be the model for the neoclassical style of Helsinki Cathedral, one of the most iconic landmarks of Helsinki, Finland. [9]

Iconostasis

The royal doors of the central iconostasis contain 6 paintings, each of them depicting a different biblical character. The left door contains the portraits of St Luke the Evangelist, the Archangel Gabriel and St Matthew the Evangelist. The right door depicts St Mark the Evangelist, the Virgin Mary and St John the Evangelist. They were painted by Vladimir Borovikovsky.


See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Isaac's Cathedral</span> Cathedral in Saint Petersburg, Russia

Saint Isaac's Cathedral or Isaakievskiy Sobor is a large architectural landmark cathedral that currently functions as a museum with occasional church services in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Great, who had been born on the feast day of that saint. It was originally built as a cathedral but was turned into a museum by the Soviet government in 1931 and has remained a museum ever since, with church services held in a side chapel since the 1990s. In 2017, the Governor of Saint Petersburg offered to transfer the cathedral back to the Russian Orthodox Church, but this was not accomplished due to the protests of St Petersburg citizens opposing the offer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg</span> Russian Orthodox cathedral

The Peter and Paul Cathedral is a Russian Orthodox cathedral located inside the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, Russia. It is the first and oldest landmark in St. Petersburg, built between 1712 and 1733 on Hare Island along the Neva River. Both the cathedral and the fortress were originally built under Peter the Great and designed by Domenico Trezzini. The cathedral's bell tower is the world's tallest Orthodox bell tower. Since the belfry is not standalone, but an integral part of the main building, the cathedral is sometimes considered the highest Orthodox Church in the world. There is another Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul Church in St. Petersburg, located in Petergof.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral of the Archangel</span> Church in Moscow, Russia

The Cathedral of the Archangel is a Russian Orthodox church dedicated to the Archangel Michael. It is located in Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin in Russia between the Great Kremlin Palace and the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. It was the main necropolis of the tsars of Russia until the relocation of the capital to St. Petersburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of Kazan</span> Holy icon of the Virgin Mary in Kazan Cathedral, Moscow

Our Lady of Kazan, also called Mother of God of Kazan, is a holy icon of the highest stature within the Russian Orthodox Church, representing the Virgin Mary as the protector and patroness of the city of Kazan, and a palladium of all of Russia and Rus', known as the Holy Protectress of Russia. As is the case for any holy entity under a Patriarchate in communion within the greater Eastern Orthodox Church, it is venerated by all Orthodox faithful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vladimir Borovikovsky</span> Russian artist (1757–1825)

Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky was a Russian artist of Ukrainian Cossack origin. He served at the court of Catherine the Great and dominated portraiture in Russia at the turn of the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn</span> Church building in Tallinn, Estonia

The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral of Tallinn is an Eastern Orthodox cathedral in central Tallinn, Estonia. It was built in 1894–1900, when the country was part of the former Russian Empire. The cathedral is the city's largest cupola church. The late Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow (1929–2008) started his priestly ministry in the cathedral. It is the primary cathedral of the semi-autonomous Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrey Voronikhin</span> Russian architect and painter (1759–1814)

Andrey (Andrei) Nikiforovich Voronikhin was a Russian architect and painter. As a representative of classicism he was also one of the founders of the monumental Russian Empire style. Born a serf of the Stroganov family, he is best known for his work on Kazan Cathedral in Saint Petersburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Orthodox church architecture</span> Type of church building

Eastern Orthodox church architecture constitutes a distinct, recognizable family of styles among church architectures. These styles share a cluster of fundamental similarities, having been influenced by the common legacy of Byzantine architecture from the Eastern Roman Empire. Some of the styles have become associated with the particular traditions of one specific autocephalous Eastern Orthodox patriarchate, whereas others are more widely used within the Eastern Orthodox Church.

The appearance of Saint Petersburg includes long, straight boulevards, vast spaces, gardens and parks, decorative wrought-iron fences, monuments and decorative sculptures. The Neva River itself, together with its many canals and their granite embankments and bridges help to give the city its particular ambience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Michael's Cathedral (Sitka, Alaska)</span> Historic church in Alaska, United States

St. Michael's Cathedral is a cathedral of the Orthodox Church in America Diocese of Alaska, at Lincoln and Maksoutoff Streets in Sitka, Alaska. The earliest Orthodox cathedral in the New World, it was built in the nineteenth century, when Alaska was under the control of Russia, though this structure burned down in 1966. After 1872, the cathedral came under the control of the Diocese of Alaska. It had been a National Historic Landmark since 1962, notable as an important legacy of Russian influence in North America and Southeast Alaska in particular.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Vladimir's Cathedral (Saint Petersburg)</span>

The Prince St. Vladimir's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral of St. Equal to the Apostles Prince Vladimir is a Russian Orthodox cathedral in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is located on Blokhin Street in the Petrogradsky District of the city across the Malaya Neva from the Spit of Vasilevsky Island, in close proximity to the Sportivnaya metro station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Paris</span> Church in Paris, France

The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a Russian Orthodox cathedral church located at 12 Rue Daru in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. The closest métro station is Courcelles .

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalene, Warsaw</span> Church in Warsaw, Poland

The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy and Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene is a Polish Orthodox cathedral, located at al. Solidarności 52 in Warsaw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lazarevskoe Cemetery</span> Cemetery in St. Petersburg, Russia

Lazarevskoe Cemetery is a historic cemetery in the centre of Saint Petersburg, and the oldest surviving cemetery in the city. It is part of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, and is one of four cemeteries in the complex. Since 1932 it has been part of the State Museum of Urban Sculpture, which refers to it as the Necropolis of the Eighteenth Century. It covers 0.7 hectares.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra</span> Russian Orthodox cathedral in Saint Petersburg

The Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra is a Russian Orthodox cathedral in Saint Petersburg. It is in the Diocese of Saint Petersburg and part of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, where it is the cathedral church of the monastery complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces</span> Church in Moscow Oblast, Russia

The Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces is a lavish Russian Orthodox Patriarchal cathedral in honour of the Resurrection of Christ and "dedicated to the 75th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War, as well as the military feats of the Russian people in all wars", built in the Patriot Park in the Odintsovsky District, Moscow Oblast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kazan Cathedral House</span>

Kazan Cathedral House, also widely known as the house of the clergy of the Kazan Cathedral, is a historic building in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The building was built in 1813-1817 in the style of Russian Neoclassicism. Architects—Vasily Stasov, Andrey Voronikhin. Before the Russian Revolution, the house belonged to the clergy of the Kazan Cathedral . Location: St. Petersburg, Nevsky Prospect, 25 & Kazanskaya street, 1. Regional object of cultural heritage.

References

  1. ↑ Nave & Altar & Three Narthex & Three Porches= 4,000 m2.
    Colonnade (inner courtyard) ~ 1,600 m2.
    Stairs ~ 600 m2.
  2. 1 2 Koeppe & Giusti 2008, p. 352.
  3. 1 2 "Kazan Cathedral". saint-petersburg.com. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  4. ↑ Shulyatikov, Vladimir (16 March 2010). "Мария Ветрова в памяти поколений" [Maria Vetrova in the memory of generations]. Gorodnya (in Russian). Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  5. ↑ For a perspicacious account of the "Museum" written a few years before the fall of Soviet communism, see https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE0D9163BF930A1575BC0A961948260 (retrieved 2008 January 28)
  6. ↑ Capote, Truman (2007). Portraits and Observations: The Essays of Truman Capote. p. 153. ISBN   9780812978919.
  7. ↑ Klimov, Evgeny. "Русское искусство в эпоху Пушкина".
  8. ↑ Л. А. Баранова, В. М. Саблин. "Ансамбль Казанского собора". Ограды Санкт-Петребурга.
  9. ↑ Kirkko Helsingissä, Finnish Evangelic-Lutheran Church. "Cathedral".

Sources

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Kazan Cathedral, Saint Petersburg at Wikimedia Commons

59°56′03″N30°19′28″E / 59.9343°N 30.3245°E / 59.9343; 30.3245

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.