Kazan Cathedral

Kazan Cathedral

• The Kazan Cathedral (Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God) is one of the largest churches in Saint-Petersburg.

• It is located on Nevsky Prospekt and is considered a cultural heritage site of federal significance in Russia.

* The cathedral was built in 1801-1811 by the architect Andrey Voronikhin and resembles St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

* The cathedral

was consecrated

in the presence

of Emperor

Alexander I.

• After the Patriotic War of

1812, it became a symbol of

victory over Napoleon's army,

and monuments to Mikhail

Kutuzov and Mikhail Barclay

de Tolly were erected near

the cathedral's colonnades.

* Inside, there is the

main shrine, the

miraculous icon of

Our Lady of Kazan, the ashes of the great

Russian commander Kutuzov, and victorious

French trophies.

• The cathedral is about 72 meters high and has 94 columns, inside, the interior is unique and rich, with a silver iconostasis and bells cast from captured French cannons.

• From 1932 to 2000, the cathedral was closed, the cross was removed from the dome, and the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism was opened in the cathedral.

* Unlike other Orthodox churches, this cathedral is oriented not to the east, but to the north, so that the main facade faces Nevsky Prospekt, there is an underground gallery beneath the cathedral.

• Today, the Kazan Cathedral is open to tourists all year round, and services are held daily, it has become the center of public life in the capital.