St. Isaac's Cathedral contacts. Saint Isaac's Cathedral
Telephone: (812) 274-48-90.
Website of St. Isaac's Cathedral (museum): cathedral.ru
Saint Isaac's Cathedral(Cathedral of St. Isaac of Dalmatia) is the largest building in St. Petersburg. Its gilded dome reigns over the city center.
In terms of scale, the cathedral far exceeds all other St. Petersburg churches and can accommodate more than 12 thousand people.
The history of St. Isaac's Cathedral began in 1710, when a temporary wooden church Isaac of Dalmatia - the day of memory of this saint was the birthday of Peter I. In the 1810s, a competition was announced to develop a design for a new cathedral, in which the most prominent architects of the time took part. Among them was the Frenchman O. Montferrand, who came to Russia in 1816.
He immediately presented twenty-four versions of the cathedral project in all types: in Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic classical styles, and even in the spirit of Chinese and Indian architecture. Having examined this album of projects, Emperor Alexander I approved the version of the five-domed cathedral in the classical style. On February 20, 1818, a decree followed: “To carry out the final reconstruction of St. Isaac’s Cathedral with decent splendor and approving the plan for such reconstruction according to the Montferrand project.” St. Isaac's Cathedral was solemnly founded on June 26, 1818.
Saint Isaac's Cathedral.
Construction of the cathedral began, but Montferrand, a talented architect-draftsman, had absolutely no experience as an architect-builder and made a number of serious technical mistakes in his project. Therefore, soon the construction had to be interrupted and a special commission of the Academy of Arts was created, headed by its president A.N. Olenin to make corrections to the project. The commission included architects V.P. Stasov, A.I. Melnikov, A.A. Mikhailov and others. Only with the support of this commission did Montferrand manage to complete the construction. A major role in the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral was played by the head of the “Committee for Structures and Hydraulic Works,” a talented engineer, Lieutenant General A.A. Betancourt.
Saint Isaac's Cathedral.
Construction of the cathedral lasted forty years, from 1818 to 1858. Hundreds of thousands of people took part in the work. In 1818-1827, the old cathedral was dismantled and the foundations of a new one were built. To lay the foundation, 24 thousand piles had to be driven into the swampy soil. In 1828, even before the construction of the walls, the installation of forty-eight columns of the lower porticoes, carved from monolithic granite blocks, began. The height of the columns is 17 m, and each weight is 114 tons. Granite blocks were cut into the rocks near Vyborg, loaded onto special ships and transported by water to St. Petersburg. Here they were processed, polished and installed. This extremely labor-intensive work was completed in 1830.
The following year, the construction of walls and dome pylons began. In 1836, the ceilings of the porticos were built, and in 1838, a dome with a diameter of 21.8 m was built, mounted on a high drum surrounded by monolithic granite columns.
When designing the dome, Montferrand used the idea of the dome of London's St. Paul's Cathedral. The dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral consists of three shells and is covered with sheets of gilded copper. All structures are made of metal. The 24 columns surrounding the drum of the central dome are three meters smaller than the lower ones and weigh 64 tons each, and had to be raised by greater height. The history of architecture has never known anything like this!
The cathedral, faced with gray marble, was completed in 1842 but was consecrated only in 1858. Work has been going on for almost fifteen years interior decoration building. Famous painters K.P. were involved in them. Bryullov, F.A. Bruni, P.V. Basin, V.K. Shebuev, sculptors P.K. Klodt, I.P. Vitali, A.V. Loganovsky, N.S. Pimenov and others.
Many types of valuable stones were used in the interior decoration: malachite, lapis lazuli, porphyry, marble of different colors - light pink, dark red, yellow, green, gray. Richest interior decoration complemented by numerous gilded bronze details. Numerous pictorial and mosaic paintings cover the walls and vaults of the cathedral; the interior is decorated with polished granite columns, patterned doors, more than two hundred intricate sculptural groups and reliefs. The main part of the sculptural decoration of the temple was made by sculptor I.P. Vitali. He also made reliefs of the cathedral's three large double-leaf bronze doors.
The “Royal Doors” are framed by two columns made of precious Badakhshan lapis lazuli. The iconostases are made of white Italian marble in combination with mosaic panels, gilded bronze overlays and columns of malachite and lapis lazuli. A gray marble floor with mosaic inserts frames a frieze of red Shoksha quartzite. On the walls of St. Isaac's Cathedral you can see 62 mosaic paintings. These mosaics were made between 1851 and 1914 and are distinguished by their exceptional variety and richness of colors.
During the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral, many technical innovations and improvements were used for the first time, in particular, galvanoplasty - the discovery of Academician B.S. Jacobi. Bronze sculptures decorating the interior of the temple were cast using this method. In total, about 25 pounds of gold were spent on decorating the cathedral, and the total cost of construction was 23 million rubles.
The height of St. Isaac's Cathedral with the cross is 101.8 m, length - 102.2 m, height of the porticoes - 18 m, diameter of the base of the dome - 33.7 m. The building looks somewhat heavy, and with all its splendor, the decline of an era is felt in the appearance of St. Isaac's Cathedral classicism. The outer colonnade of the temple has 112 columns, each of which is a granite monolith. Multi-column porticoes surround the quadrangular building of the cathedral on all sides, above the main volume of which rises a drum topped with a sparkling dome. On its sides there are four more smaller domes. The central dome is very beautiful in design and fits well into the silhouette of the city.
During the Great Patriotic War, the golden dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral was carefully camouflaged, but despite this, the building was significantly damaged. In the post-war years, the cathedral was restored and now again appears in all its splendor.
In 1957, the cathedral was opened as a museum-monument protected by the state.
In 1992, a decision was made to share the use of the cathedral by believers and the museum.
The temple has three altars: the central one - in the name of St. St. Isaac of Dalmatia (patronal feast day June 12); left aisle - St. blgv. led book Alexander Nevsky (September 12, December 6); right - St. VMC. Catherine (December 7).
A particularly revered shrine is a copy of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God.
Divine services: on Sundays (according to a special schedule agreed with the administration of the Museum “St. Isaac’s Cathedral” and approved by His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir).
Liturgy: 10.00 or 11.00. All-night vigil the day before: 16.00 or 17.00.
In addition, the following are celebrated in the church: Christmas Vespers on January 8 (17.00); Easter Vespers on Monday of Bright Week (17.00); on the patronal feast of St. Isaac of Dalmatia - all-night vigil (June 11) and Liturgy (June 12); Liturgy on the day of the founding of St. Petersburg (May 27).
Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Vladimir - rector; prot. Georgy Minaev - keymaster and chairman of the Parish Council; Hier. Alexy Suslov; diak. Antony Shcherbakov.
St. Isaac's Cathedral (Cathedral of St. Isaac of Dalmatia) in St. Petersburg is the largest Orthodox church 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. Every year the temple is visited by thousands of tourists; the colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral, which offers a 360-degree panorama, is especially popular.
History of the cathedral
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, so 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 used during the construction of the temple.
Construction continued from 1818 to 1858, and on May 30 (June 11), 1858, the solemn consecration of St. Isaac's Cathedral took place. Since 1991, services have been held daily in the temple.
On external walls and the columns of the temple you can see chips and dents - these are the consequences of shelling and bombing during the Great Patriotic War. During the blockade, exhibits from the City History Museum were kept in St. Isaac's Cathedral, Summer Palace Peter I and from the suburban museums of Leningrad.
Since 1950 and over the course of 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 included in museum complex, uniting the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood and the Museum of Stone. The church diocese repeatedly asked to transfer the cathedral to its full jurisdiction, but the municipal authorities refused. Disputes about the transfer of the temple to the Russian Orthodox Church are still ongoing.
St. Isaac's Cathedral on 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 height of the building reaches 101.5 meters and the width is 97.6 meters. The cathedral has a cross-domed shape, there are three altars in it: St. Isaac of Dalmatia, the 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, main entrance located in the western portico. The walls and floor of the building are lined with colored marble and slate.
The building is decorated with 112 granite columns of different sizes. Work on the interior decoration began in 1841. Famous artists and sculptors (Karl Bryullov, Pyotr Klodt, Ivan Burukhin, Nikolai Pimenov, etc.) worked on decorating the cathedral. Their work was supervised by the administration of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, all sketches were approved by the Synod and the emperor.
The main technique chosen was oil painting on a special primer; 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 climatic features 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 more than 350 sculptures depicting the glorification and earthly life of Jesus Christ. The sculptural bas-reliefs of the porticoes and doors of the cathedral 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.
Interior of St. Isaac's Cathedral on Google panorama:
The colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral is located at an altitude 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 represents observation deck with all-round visibility.
View from the colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg on Google panorama:
Opening hours of St. Isaac's Cathedral in 2019
- Museum entrance: 10:30–18:00, daily, except Wednesday;
- Evening programs: 18:00–22:30 (from April 27 to September 30, closed on 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)
The box office closes 30 minutes before closing.
Schedule of services in 2019
During the service, 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 2019
Main ticket prices work time:
- Full cost - 250 rubles;
- Owners international maps ISIC - 150 rubles;
- Children from 7 to 18 years old - 50 rubles;
- Pensioners of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus - 50 rubles;
- Students (cadets), graduate students, adjuncts, residents, assistant trainees of educational organizations of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus - 50 rubles.
Evening ticket prices:
- 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) per person - 400 rubles;
- Use of binoculars on the colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral (2 minutes) - 100 rubles;
- Use of binoculars on the colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral (1 minute) - 50 rubles.
Free visits are only possible from 10:30-18:00 and do not apply to cultural events and entrance to the cathedral colonnade.
Cost of an excursion to St. Isaac's Cathedral in 2019
- Sculpture of St. Isaac's Cathedral— 400 rubles;
- Biblical scenes in the painting of St. Isaac's Cathedral- 400 rubles.
Excursion service in Russian:
- for one visitor, subject to joining excursion group(for persons entitled to free admission to the museum) - 50 rubles;
- for a group of 1 to 5 people - 600 rubles;
- for a group from 6 to 20 people - 1000 rubles;
- for a group from 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 from 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, narcotic or toxic intoxication;
- bring suitcases, bulky bags and backpacks;
- move around on roller skates and sneakers with wheels, a bicycle, a scooter, a skateboard;
- consume food and drinks;
- go beyond the fences and into the service premises, lean on the racks and display windows of the temple;
- provide commercial and excursion services;
- listen to music, sing and make noise;
- smoking and littering;
- come with animals;
- take professional photos and videos, as well as flash photography during the excursion.
How to get there
St. Isaac's Cathedral (museum) is located in historical center St. Petersburg at the address: Isaac's Square, 4. Next to it are the main attractions of the city - Palace Square, the Hermitage, the Bronze Horseman monument.
From the nearest metro station “Admiralteyskaya” it takes about 10 minutes to walk to the cathedral.
Stops public transport are also located within walking distance:
- trolleybuses No. 5, 22 and minibuses No. K-306 (stop “Malaya Morskaya street”);
- buses No. 3, 10, 27 and minibuses No. K-252 (stop “Isaakievskaya Square”);
- buses No. 5, 22, 70, 100 and minibuses No. K-169 (stop “Yakubovicha street”).
You can order a taxi using the mobile applications Yandex.Taxi, Maxim, Uber or Gett.
If you rent a car, you can drive from Pulkovo Airport to St. Isaac's Cathedral in 40 minutes.
Route from the airport to the cathedral on the map - Google Maps
Video: St. Isaac's Cathedral, aerial photography
The colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral is open for tours from 10:30 to 18:00 from May 1 to October 31 daily, from November 1 to April 30 the day off is the third Wednesday of the month. The operation of the ticket office and the admission of visitors stops 30 minutes before the closing of museum facilities.
Created by the architect Auguste Montferrand, the Church of St. Isaac of Dalmatia in St. Petersburg is an outstanding monument to Russian architecture of the 19th century century. The grandeur of the temple is determined by its dimensions: height 101.5 meters; length 111.2 meters; width 97.6 meters.
The cathedral is one of the architectural dominants of St. Petersburg and the second tallest building after the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Its monumental and majestic image creates a unique accent in the city silhouette and serves as the same calling card northern capital, like the spire of the Peter and Paul Fortress Cathedral, the Bronze Horseman and the golden ship of the Admiralty.
The prototype of the cathedral was the type of centric, square, five-domed church with facades decorated with porticoes, developed at the end of the 18th century.
The building of St. Isaac's Cathedral itself is designed as a solid, compact cubic volume, above which rises a tall cylindrical drum, cut through by arched windows and surrounded by an elegant colonnade. The drum is topped with a gilded dome with a light octagonal light lantern.
At the corners of the protruding main volume of the building there are four small belfries, successfully complementing the silhouette of the temple. They are completed with light gilded domes, the size of which is dictated by the scale of the bell towers themselves, so they turned out to be much smaller than the main dome. The smooth planes of the cathedral walls are cut through by large arched windows with massive platbands and volutes at the top. At the top, a third of the façade is occupied by a colossal-sized attic, which unnecessarily dominates the main order.
St. Isaac's Cathedral is the only monument of Russian classicism (with the exception of the Marble Palace of A. Rinaldi), the exterior decoration of which uses polished granite columns and marble. The spectacular combination of dark red columns of the porticoes, the colonnade of the main dome, the building's base with gray marble wall cladding and gilded domes gives the entire structure a ceremonial appearance.
St. Isaac's Cathedral - history of creation
First St. Isaac's Church was created in 1707 by decree of Peter I in the name of the Tsar's heavenly patron - St. Isaac of Dalmatia. It was converted from a drafting barn located next to the Admiralty. Emperor Peter I and Empress Ekaterina Alekseevna were married in this temple.
Second stone cathedral was erected by the architect G.I. Mattarnovi near the Neva embankment.
Third Temple began to be built during the reign of Empress Catherine II according to the design of Antonio Rinaldi, and was completed in a simplified form by the architect V. Brenna under Paul I. The cathedral did not correspond to the ceremonial appearance of the northern capital, and Emperor Alexander I announced its reconstruction. Many famous architects took part in the competition, but they did not fulfill the tsar’s main requirement - to preserve the altar part of the old one in the new cathedral in memory of their great ancestors. The Emperor entrusted this to the young French architect Auguste Montferrand; his project for rebuilding the temple received the Highest approval.
Fourth St. Isaac's Cathedral
The grandiose structure conceived by Montferrand required a reliable solid foundation. Tarred pine piles were driven into the bottom of the pit, and granite slabs and rubble stone were laid on them.
The four facades of the cathedral were decorated with porticoes with monolithic granite columns, which were cut at the Pueterlax quarry and transported by water on barges to the construction site. The installation of these columns aroused the admiration of contemporaries - they were raised manually, using wooden scaffolding. The columns of the dome drum were also raised to a height of 43 meters.
The construction of St. Isaac's Church lasted four decades and became a school of new technologies, many of which were used for the first time, including a rail track, a lightweight metal dome and the widespread use of electroforming in decorative decoration.
The consecration and opening ceremony of the temple took place on May 30, 1858, in the presence of Emperor Alexander II, members of the royal family and a choir of 1,200 singers. St. Isaac's Cathedral became the main cathedral Russia.
History of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg
The history of the creation of St. Isaac's Cathedral dates back to 1707, when, by decree of Emperor Peter I, the first temple was created in honor of his heavenly patron - St. Isaac of Dalmatia. It was converted from a drafting barn located next to the Admiralty. Then, not far from the embankment of the Neva River, a second stone cathedral was erected according to the design of the architect G. I. Mattarnovi.
During the reign of Catherine II, the architect A. Rinaldi began the construction of the third temple, but it was completed under Paul I. The facade of the cathedral turned out to be quite modest and, in the opinion of Alexander I, did not at all correspond to the magnificent appearance of the capital, in connection with which it was announced perestroika. As a result, the reconstruction of the temple was entrusted to the young Frenchman Auguste Montferrand: it was his project that received the approval of the emperor.
The structure planned by Montferrand was grandiose and required a reliable foundation. Therefore, during its construction, pine piles impregnated with resin were driven into the bottom of the pit, and granite slabs and stone were laid on them.
All four facades of the cathedral had porticoes with granite columns, which were entirely cut out in quarries, transported by water to the construction site and installed manually using wooden scaffolding. The same technique was used to raise the dome to a height of 43 meters.
The construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg lasted 4 decades and was an example of use latest technologies, including those used for the first time, for example, a rail track or the installation of a lightweight metal dome.
The procedure for the consecration and opening of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg took place in May 1858. It was attended by Emperor Alexander II and other members of the royal family. From that moment on, the temple acquired the status of the main cathedral Russia.
Architecture and external sculpture of St. Isaac's Cathedral
St. Isaac's Cathedral is one of the most important buildings in the city, second in height only to the Peter and Paul Cathedral. His image is one of the most famous landmarks of St. Petersburg along with the Bronze Horseman, the Admiralty, Peter and Paul Fortress.
St. Isaac's Cathedral is one of the few monuments of Russian classicism that have polished granite columns and marble in its exterior decoration. It is given a majestic and solemn appearance by the amazing combination of dark red columns, marble wall cladding and gilded domes.
The outside of the cathedral is decorated with many sculptural compositions, including:
“The Resurrection of Christ” and “The Meeting of Isaac of Dalmatia with Emperor Valens”, created by F. Lemaire;
“Adoration of the Magi”, “Sermon on the Mount”, “Healing of the Paralytic” by I. Vitali;
“Carrying the Cross”, “Massacre of the Innocents” by P. Klodt and A. Loganovsky.
Currently, St. Isaac's Cathedral proudly bears the title of an example of the unity of decorative and monumental art.
Thematic excursions of St. Isaac's Cathedral
Despite the fact that the cathedral is a working temple, at certain times it is possible to visit specially organized thematic excursions:
"Artistic decoration of St. Isaac's Cathedral." Introduces you to the interior of the temple. Thanks to special lighting, it is possible to feel the full depth of its architectural design.
"Sculpture of St. Isaac's Cathedral." Dedicated to showing not only indoor sculpture, but also outdoor sculpture, introducing its subjects.
"Biblical scenes in the painting of St. Isaac's Cathedral." A series of excursions dedicated to the history of the creation of more than 150 paintings of the temple.
“To remember...” A memorial composition dedicated to the feat of the museum workers during the siege years.
"A bird's eye view of Petersburg for a person in a wheelchair." An excursion for people with disabilities, allowing you to take a unique panoramic photo of St. Petersburg from the 37-meter height of St. Isaac's Cathedral.
St. Isaac's Cathedral is the largest Orthodox church in St. Petersburg.
