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St.Isaac's Cathedral
 St Isaac’s Cathedral, one of the most prominent landmarks in the silhouette of St Petersburg, towers at the crossing of St Isaac’s Square and Decembrist’s (formerly Senate) Square on the left bank of the Neva. Its gilded dome, covered with 100 kg of
pure gold, soars over 100 meters into the air, making it visible
far out onto the Gulf of Finland. St Isaac’s is the fourth largest domed cathedral in the world after St Peter’s in Rome, St Paul’s in London and Sta Maria del Fiore in Florence. St Isaac’s, amazing by its dimensions even today, is 101.5 m high, 111.3 m long (with porticoes) and 97.6 wide. The inner diameter of the dome is 21.8 m and the outer one 25.8 m. The pediments rest on 112 monolithic granite columns – each of portico’s columns is 17 m high and weighs 114 tons. The cathedral can accommodate about 14,000 people. It was designed by the outstanding architect of the first half of the nineteenth century Auguste Ricard de Montferrand.
In accordance with Greek canons assimilated by Orthodox architects, St Isaac’s Cathedral is cross-shaped in plan. Its compact rectangular block is crowned with a gilded dome surmounted by an octagonal lantern resting on a high drum. The four belfries make a transition from it to the basic volume more gradual. The central dome and the small tops of the belfries form the traditional five-domed design characteristic of Russian architecture.  The porticoes of the Corinthian order projecting on the facades lend an air of grandeur and majesty to the entire edifice. Large arched windows with massive surrounds pierce the quiet planes of the walls; the corners of the building are adorned with pilasters. The exterior of St Isaac’s has an easily traceable imprint of Renaissance and Baroque models, especially as regards the abundance of decor.
The weighty mass of St.Isaac's Cathedral dominates the skyline
of St.Petersburg. Its gilded dome, covered with 100 kg of
pure gold, soars over 100 meters into the air, making it visible
far out onto the Gulf of Finland. It is now the third biggest
Cathedral in the world.
St.Isaac was the patron saint of the Romanov family. The
present version of St.Isaac's, the fourth, was constructed
from 1818 to 1858. The original St.Isaac's, a small wooden
church, was located near the Admiralty. Peter I and Catherine
I were married here in 1712. Soon afterwards it was agreed
that the decrepit structure did not suit the emerging grandeur
of the capital and in 1717 a stone of St.Isaac's was built
on the spot now occupied by the Bronze Horseman. Then in the
1760s Catherine II decided she wanted a huge marble St.Isaac's,
and construction began on the third version in 1768. This
dragged on until it was hastily completed in 1802, but the
result was different from the original plan and was neither
pretty nor well built. When rotten ceiling plaster fell from
high on an Easter service in 1816, Alexander I decided to
get the St.Isaac's business finished once and for all.
By the time the cathedral was completed in 1858, its cost
had spiraled to more than twenty million rubles — as
well as the lives of hundreds of laborers.
Mosaic paintings and icons, ornate marble slabs, as well
as columns decorated with malachite and lapis-lazuli dazzle
the eye inside the cathedral. St.Isaac's was closed in early
1930s and later turned into a museum. Nowadays, church services
are held on major occasions only.
Climb the colonnade for a panoramic view of the city.
Address: 1 Isaakievskaya Sq.
Open: 11.00 - 18.00
Closed: on WED
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Reg. No. MBT #001743