The architecture of the Kazan Cathedral in the northern capital. Kazan Cathedral on Red Square: history and description Kazan Cathedral Temple

The icon of the Kazan Mother of God is one of the most revered in Rus'. Therefore, a huge number of temples and cathedrals were built in honor of her. In our article you will learn about the main ones.

Sometimes a person is saved in life only by his strong faith. Many have changed their lives with the help of prayers. But you need to pray not only at home, but also in church, because some of them contain miraculous icons. On the eve of the day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God on July 21, we have prepared for you an article about the most famous churches where you can ask for protection and support from this miraculous image.

Moscow: Kazan Cathedral

The full name of this temple is the Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. It is located on Red Square, opposite the mint. It was built under Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov and was one of the first to be destroyed during the Revolution.

The miraculous copy of the icon contained in it was transferred in 1930 to the Epiphany Cathedral (Elohovo). The reliquary remains in the Moscow Kazan Cathedral itself. There are suggestions that the first, still wooden, church in honor of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God was built on Nikolskaya Street back in the 16th century. The initiator was none other than Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, who allocated funds for construction.

Many historians have doubts about this theory. But it is reliably known that it was the list of the Kazan Mother of God that was brought to help the militia of K. Minin and D. Pozharsky to fight the Polish-Lithuanian invaders.

St. Petersburg: Kazan Cathedral

Initially, the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built on Nevsky Prospect. By the time of the reign of Paul I, it had become dilapidated. A competition was announced for a new project for this church. The result is universally recognizable columns and a modern look. This cathedral was initially perceived as a symbol of victories in the war with Napoleon. During Soviet times, the cathedral became a museum of the history of religion and atheism.

Today the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg is a functioning temple. To this day, one of the most noticeable parts of its interior decoration is the silver-covered iconostasis. At one time, there was an Icon of the Ascension of Christ with a piece of the Holy Sepulcher and an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. It is to him that people often pray for help in order to get rid of illnesses and fulfill desires.

Kazan: Kazan Bogoroditsky Monastery

It is with this city and place that the very story of the discovery of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God is connected. According to legend, the Mother of God appeared to a girl named Matrona in a dream and pointed to the place where the icon was located. This happened after a severe fire, and the icon itself was found under ash and earth at a depth of about a meter. The convent of the Mother of God was built on this site, in which the girl Matrona, who grew up, became the first nun.

The icon was and remains very revered, but the original itself is considered lost. The investigation into the case of her abduction confirmed that she was burned by an attacker. It was stolen along with the image of the savior in order to sell the precious frames. Nevertheless, by this time many copies had been made of the Kazan icon of the Mother of God. Since the icon is miraculous, miracles also happen next to its copies.

During Soviet times, this monastery, like many, was closed. The ensemble that included this monastery was destroyed in 1931. At the moment, some of the buildings have already been restored, but not the Bogoroditsky Monastery itself. Excavations are currently underway at its site.

There are two days on which the day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is celebrated: 21 July And November 4. These days it is especially good to visit any of these temples, since solemn services are held there.

On the eve of the discovery of the great icon, the spirit of every believer becomes stronger, which means that we will all be more likely to be heard by God. At this time, it is especially good to pray for financial well-being. We wish you good luck, and don't forget to press the buttons and

17.07.2016 05:10

The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is one of the most powerful in Orthodox culture. It's connected...

A fire in 1635 destroyed the church, and it was soon replaced by a stone cathedral, erected by Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov. The following year, the temple was consecrated by Patriarch Joseph. Gradually it becomes one of the most important places of worship. In 1812, during the war with Napoleon, Kutuzov received a blessing here. This event made the cathedral the first monument to the Patriotic War.

The Kazan Cathedral on Red Square noticeably changes its appearance in the period from the 17th to the 19th centuries. As a result of the reconstruction, the temple becomes little distinguishable from other Moscow cathedrals and churches. In 1925, reconstruction of the religious building began. The temple is returning to its original appearance. However, the renovated cathedral did not last long. In 1936, the Soviet government decided to demolish it. The temple did not correspond to the purpose of the main square of the state - to hold ceremonial events.

Instead of a cathedral, the square featured a pavilion dedicated to the International and a public toilet. In 1990, the toilet was closed and construction of the temple began again. The new Kazan Cathedral (see photo below) repeated the features of the previous one. It was possible to recreate the previous appearance with the help of drawings and measurements made by Pyotr Baranovsky before the demolition of the temple.

Icon of the Kazan Mother of God

The discovery of the icon dates back to 1579, when a strong fire turned part of Kazan into ruins. Sagittarius Daniil Onuchin, whose home was badly damaged by the fire, immediately began to rebuild a new house, and under a layer of ash he discovered an icon of the Mother of God.

According to legend, the Mother of God appeared three times in a dream to the ten-year-old daughter of a Sagittarius. The Mother of God asked the girl to find the hidden icon. At first, no one believed the child, but going to the indicated place, Daniel found a sacred image wrapped in cloth. Soon rumors spread throughout the city about miraculous healings thanks to the icon.

The Kazan icon has long served as a symbol of protection and patronage for Russian soldiers. Before the Battle of Poltava, Tsar Peter I prayed to her for victory, and during the Russian-French War - Mikhail Kutuzov. During the war with the Poles, Russian troops carried miraculous copies of the icon with them, and upon the successful completion of the battle, it was promised to build a temple in honor of the Kazan Mother of God on Red Square.

Kazan Cathedral: photo and description of architecture

Initially, the stone temple had the features of typical architectural structures of the late 14th century. The small pillarless cathedral repeated the outlines of the Rubtsovskaya Church of the Intercession of the Virgin and the cathedral in the Donskoy Monastery.

Unlike similar temples, the Kazan Cathedral on Red Square was devoid of symmetry. The composition was disrupted by the fact that the aisle was only on one side. Later, another chapel was added to the cathedral in honor of Saints Gurias and Barsanuphius. A tented bell tower appears - one of the first of its kind in Moscow. Later it is replaced by first a two- and then a three-tier bell tower.

At the top of the temple, kokoshniks were placed in a checkerboard pattern. Small and large ones were placed in turns, giving the temple a toy and solemn appearance. In the second half of the 19th century, the architect Nikolai Kozlovsky began redesigning the facade. The temple acquired a classic appearance, losing its distinctive features. Many parishioners were outraged by this transformation of the shrine, and Metropolitan Leonty even compared it to a typical rural church.

Thanks to which he saved and restored more than one Russian temple, we can observe the cathedral almost in its original form. This is a square, single-domed structure, made in red and white colors. The top of the temple is decorated with kokoshniks. The main dome of the temple is covered with gold. From three there are galleries leading to the bell tower. Alternating small and large kokoshniks create the effect of volume and pattern of the composition.

Location, opening hours of the temple

The Kazan Cathedral is located on Red Square, opposite the State Historical Museum, on Nikolskaya Street, 3. There are three metro stations next to it: “Ploshchad Revolutsii”, “Okhotny Ryad”, “Teatralnaya”. The entrance to the temple is located from Red Square.

The cathedral is open daily from 8 am to 8 pm. On holidays and Sundays, church services are held from 7 to 10 am.

Conclusion

The Kazan Cathedral on Red Square was first erected in 1625. Since that time, it has been destroyed several times and has undergone numerous reconstructions, each time changing its appearance. Rebuilt in 1990, the cathedral is now a monument to the history and architecture of Russia, testifying to important historical events in the country.

One of the most famous sights of St. Petersburg is the majestic Kazan Cathedral (another name for the temple is Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God). It was built at the beginning of the 19th century. The temple was consecrated in honor of the highly revered image, for the sake of which the magnificent building was erected. The shrine is located in the temple to this day: this is a list of one of the most famous icons - the image of the Kazan Mother of God.

Soon after the completion of construction, a war began between the French and Russian empires, after which the temple began to be perceived as a monument to the glory of the Russian army. Here you can see military trophies from that period. On the territory of the temple there is the grave of the famous commander Mikhail Kutuzov.

Three centuries of temple history

Before the Kazan Cathedral was built, a copy of the miraculous icon was kept in a church consecrated in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. This church was built in the 30s of the 18th century, and by the end of that century it had fallen into disrepair. Then it was decided to build a new temple in its place. The emperor announced a competition, famous architects presented their projects, but none of them became a winner. After some time, the emperor was offered another project, the author of which was a former serf Andrey Voronikhin. It was this project that received the approval of the emperor.

Construction work continued ten years(a very short period of time, considering the technology of the 19th century!). The cost of these works exceeded four and a half million rubles. The old church, in which the list of the miraculous image was kept, was dismantled only after the construction of the new temple was completed.

Work on finishing the building continued until late 20s of the XIX century. They ended almost eighteen years after the consecration of the cathedral. In the 40s of the 19th century, repair work was carried out in the temple for the first time. Almost twenty years later, a second renovation was carried out. It included restoration of wall paintings and restoration of icons.

Student demonstrations have repeatedly taken place in the square in front of the cathedral. There, in the mid-70s of the 19th century, a demonstration of one of the revolutionary societies took place.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a solemn event took place in the temple - celebration of the tercentenary of the Romanov dynasty. But this page in the history of the temple cannot be called joyful: during the celebrations, a terrible stampede broke out in the crowded cathedral, in which several dozen people died.

In the post-revolutionary period, or more precisely, in the 20s of the 20th century, many valuables were confiscated from the temple, and its interiors were badly damaged. In particular, a unique iconostasis made from captured silver was destroyed. It was sent to the smelter. In total, approximately two tons of silver were seized from the cathedral (not counting many other valuables). In the early 30s of the 20th century, the temple was closed, and a short time later a museum was opened in its building, the exhibitions of which were dedicated to the history of religion and atheism. In the middle of the 20th century, restoration work was carried out in the building. First, the interiors were carefully restored, then the facades.

In the early 90s, services resumed in one of the chapels of the cathedral.. A few years later, the cross shone again over the dome of the temple. At the end of the 90s, the building was completely consecrated. At the beginning of the 21st century, it was finally returned to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Temple interiors and architecture

Before construction of the cathedral began, the emperor expressed the following wish: the temple should resemble a Roman cathedral, consecrated in honor of St. Peter. This wish was fulfilled: the colonnade of the Kazan Cathedral really resembles the columns of the famous Vatican Church.

The colonnade of the St. Petersburg Cathedral consists of ninety-six columns. In addition to the fact that it gave the temple a resemblance to an Italian cathedral, it also allowed the architect to solve one difficult problem. The fact is that in Orthodox churches the entrance is traditionally located in the western part of the building, and the altar in the eastern part; The avenue on which the cathedral was built stretched from west to east. For this reason, the temple actually stands sideways to the avenue, but this is invisible thanks to the columns adorning the northern (that is, side) part of the church. By the way, the architect planned to decorate the temple on the southern side with exactly the same columns, but for a number of reasons he was unable to complete his plan.

The diameter of the cathedral dome is almost eighteen meters. It is formed by two rows of ribs made of iron. And under the huge iron dome there are two more, these domes are built of brick. Interestingly, all of the listed domes were built before methods for static calculation of such structures appeared. We can say that the architect’s intuition helped him successfully design the domes.

The walls of the cathedral are lined with special tuff, mined in the Gatchina region. Pedestals have been preserved on both sides of the giant colonnade. Once upon a time there were sculptures depicting angels on them. They were made of plaster and, according to the builders' plan, they were to be replaced by similar bronze sculptures. But these plans never came to fruition. In the 20s of the 19th century, the plaster sculptures were removed, but for a number of reasons new ones were not installed.

Tourists are impressed by the facades of the cathedral, but its interiors do not disappoint. Installed in the temple more than fifty columns. They are made from pink granite, they are decorated with gilded capitals. The bas-reliefs of the early 19th century also make an impression on those entering. The images of the temple were painted by famous painters of the same period. Speaking about images, one cannot fail to mention the most important shrine of the temple. It is, as mentioned above, a list of the famous miraculous icon, in whose honor the cathedral was consecrated.

Sculpture and painting

The cathedral contains many beautiful works of art; Which ones should you pay the most attention to? Which ones to inspect first? Let's name some of these works:

The temple is decorated both inside and outside many sculptures. All of them deserve close attention, as they were created by the best sculptors of the country.

pay attention to bronze northern doors of the temple. They were made by foundry master Vasily Ekimov, famous in the 19th century. These doors are an exact copy of the doors cast in the 15th century by the sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti for the Florentine baptismal house.

Separately, a few words need to be said about painting. The iconostasis of the temple, its pylons and walls were painted by famous artists of the early 19th century. Among them Karl Bryullov, Fyodor Bruni, Pyotr Basin and many others.

Also pay special attention to the pictorial work " Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven" This is an altarpiece, its author is Karl Bryullov. According to experts, this work is one of the main decorations of the cathedral, although the rest of the paintings in the temple are certainly worthy of careful inspection.

Monument to Military Glory

As mentioned above, the temple is a kind of monument to Russian military valor, victory over the French Empire. Here, after the end of the war with Napoleon's army, enemy banners captured by the victors were displayed. There were one hundred and seven such banners (currently most of them are in the Russian capital). And next to them one could see ninety-seven keys. These are the keys to cities that surrendered to the Russian army. Most of these trophies are also currently in Moscow. Six bunches of keys can be seen in the St. Petersburg church, they are placed above grave of Mikhail Kutuzov(the great military leader is buried on the territory of the cathedral).

By the way, there is a misconception that the heart of the famous Russian commander was buried separately from his body, in one of the Polish cities. But this version is not true. In the first half of the 20th century, an autopsy was performed on the commander's body. The results of this autopsy completely debunked the version of a separate burial of the heart.

Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg./ Photo: miroworld.ru
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Europe is capable of presenting progressive ideas to anyone who travels through it. A striking example of this is the trip of the Russian Emperor Paul I to Italy, where he was honored with a personal meeting with the Pope and was so inspired by the beauty of the Vatican that he ordered the construction of a copy of it in St. Petersburg. And his order was carried out.

Your own Vatican

Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg./ Photo: travel-ru.ru
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Upon returning to his native land and finding himself on the throne, in the last year of his already short reign, Emperor Paul I managed to lay the foundation for the implementation of his plans. They didn’t spend much time looking for a place to build, especially since the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, located on Nevsky Prospekt, had long since fallen into disrepair.

Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg./ Photo: aeslib.ru
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It was possible to “kill two birds with one stone” with one construction - demolish the old building and erect a new temple, which beautified the appearance of the city. Either during the Pavlovian period there was an embargo on foreign goods, or there was not enough finance for overseas things.

Interior decoration of the Kazan Cathedral./ Photo: infourok.ru
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Stroganov personally persuaded the ruler to build the temple exclusively from domestically produced materials, and even to apply the construction plan of a Russian architect, while pushing forward the sketches of a former serf - A. Voronikhin. Stroganov personally trained the latter, and awarded him freedom for his diligent studies.

Second colonnade

Postcard “Kazan Cathedral of St. Petersburg.”/ Photo: kolpakovs.ru
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The protégé quickly assessed the possibilities of the area presented for development and decided to build a trusted facility with some differences. The reason for this was the need to turn the altar to the eastern side, without violating the accepted norms and projections for the construction of temples.

Kazan Cathedral on the map of St. Petersburg./ Photo: kolpakovs.ru
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This snag prevented the implementation of an exact copy of the Vatican Cathedral of St. Peter, for this reason it was decided to turn the colonnade towards Nevsky Prospekt. This step made it possible to simultaneously create a “ceremonial” side zone and please the royal person. Few people know that it was never possible to fully implement the project conceived by Voronikhin.

The original plan of the Kazan Cathedral./ Photo: infourok.ru
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The idea implied that the southern part of the cathedral would be a mirror image of the northern one, and it was there that the second colonnade was to be located. If the original project had nevertheless found its place in life, then today on Nevsky Prospekt there would be a semblance of an alien starship.

Waiting Angels

View of the Kazan Cathedral from the Griboyedov Canal./ Photo: kolpakovs.ru
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Continuing the theme of differences between the planned project and the finished cathedral, it is worth mentioning a couple of sculptures. To this day, the pedestals remain empty, but the archangels were supposed to sit on them. It is worth saying that they were not empty all the time. Until the 24th year of the 19th century, at the ends of the wings there were copies of archangels made of plaster, which were planned to be replaced with original bronze ones, but this never happened. Why?

View of the Kazan Cathedral from Kazanskaya Street./ Photo: tvereparhia.ru
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The reason is still unknown. However, the people put forward their own version on this matter, saying that the archangels refused to take their place until an honest, worthy and wise politician appeared in Russia! The bell tower and houses for the clergy were also supposed to become part of the cathedral, but when approving the project, Paul wanted to remove them, arguing that there was nothing of this in the Vatican.

Kutuzov's heart

Monument to Kutuzov M.I. near the Kazan Cathedral./ Photo: infourok.ru
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For most scientists, the main mystery was the location of the heart of the mighty commander Mikhail Illarionovich. Many legends boil down to the fact that only Kutuzov’s body was delivered to St. Petersburg, and his heart, by the will of the military leader himself, was left on the road in Prussia.

Monument to Field Marshal M. I. Kutuzov near the Kazan Cathedral./ Photo: kolpakovs.ru
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But meticulous scientists were not satisfied with this and, having decided to get to the bottom of the truth, in 1933 they decided to open the grave located in the Kazan Cathedral. What do you think they found there? And there was a jar with the commander’s unembalmed “legendary” organ. Thus, the beautiful legend was destroyed to smithereens.
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Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism

Brochure “Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism.”/ Photo: tvereparhia.ru
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TO Azan Cathedral is one of the main and most beautiful churches in St. Petersburg.
The Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is located on Nevsky Prospect near the metro, in the heart of tourist routes and almost all tourists visiting St. Petersburg are sure to see it. I've been wanting to write a detailed post about it for a long time...

Paul I really wanted to build something Great that would outshine the churches in Rome. The cathedral was built in the Empire style in 1801-1811 by the Russian architect A. N. Voronikhin.

Artist Alekseev F.Ya. View of the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

The cathedral is dedicated to the Kazan Mother of God. This St. Petersburg shrine, which belonged to Tsarina Praskovia Feodorovna, is a copy of the famous icon that miraculously appeared in 1579 in Kazan to a nine-year-old girl Matryona Onuchina and 33 years later inspired the Russians to fight the Polish invaders.

The St. Petersburg icon was brought to the capital by Peter I and placed in the modest Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary on Nevsky Prospekt with a wooden dome and a bell tower above the entrance. The church was somewhat similar to the temple in the Peropalovskaya fortress. The Kazan Cathedral was built on the site of this church.

Previously, there was an obelisk in front of the cathedral (it looked like a hike). A temporary wooden obelisk was erected for the consecration of the cathedral on September 15, 1811. They didn’t have time to make it out of stone, just like a cast-iron fence. The obelisk stood for 15 years and then it was removed.

There was also a column from the cathedral near the temple. It was a spare one and was originally planned to be used as an obelisk. But alas, it didn’t work out. Voronikhin placed a golden ball on the column and made a monument out of it to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Academy of Arts. Now the column stands on a pedestal in the academic garden on Vasilyevsky Island.

The church was opened on September 6 (17), 1733. Her image is on the left, (the author is unknown to me).

The cornice of the Nativity Church was decorated with sculptures of the apostles and other saints. All elements of architectural design were made in the Doric order.

Paul I got married in this church and when it fell into disrepair, he decided to build a beautiful temple worthy of Nevsky Prospekt.

In 1799, Emperor Paul I announced a competition for the design of a new cathedral. Among the competition participants were famous architects: P. Gonzago, C. Cameron, D. Trombaro, J. Thomas de Thomon. However, not a single submitted project was approved.

A year later, Count Alexander Sergeevich Stroganov, near whose residence the temple was located, proposed the emperor a new project created by a young talented architect (and former serf of the Stroganovs) A.N.
Voronikhin.

Surprisingly, it was this project that received approval, and Count Stroganov became the chairman of the board of trustees during the construction of the cathedral.
The forty-year-old talented Voronikhin had not yet managed to build any significant buildings. He studied architecture and painting with V.I. Bazhenov and M.F. Kazakov, was engaged in self-education, and after receiving his freedom, he visited abroad. He became Stroganov’s “home” architect.

Emperor Paul I wished that the temple being built at his behest would be similar to the majestic St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome.

A reflection of this wish was the grandiose colonnade of 96 columns erected by A. N. Voronikhin in front of the northern facade. If the colonnade of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome closes the square, then the colonnade of the Kazan Cathedral opens towards Nevsky Prospekt.

In 1800, the “Commission on the Construction of the Kazan Church” was created, headed by Count A. S. Stroganov. In 1801, she reported to the emperor about the need to build a bell tower and houses for the clergy.

Paul I refused this request: “Peter has no bell tower in Rome, and we don’t even need one! As for the clergy, these will not be left without housing.” In my opinion, the right decision. The cathedral does not need a bell tower.

Later, the clergy got a residential building on the corner of Nevsky Prospect and Kazanskaya Street. The bell tower was never built; the bells were placed in openings in the cathedral colonnade. And time has shown that this was the right decision.

Pudost stone, mined near Gatchina, was used to cover the brick walls. In addition, marble, limestone, and granite are widely used here for 56 monolithic columns in the interiors. Voronikhin was the first to use a metal truss structure for a dome with a span of 17 meters.

The cathedral often appeared on postcards. He is a favorite of artists and photographers.

The height of the cathedral is 71.5 meters. Inside the temple there are 56 columns of the Corinthian order made of pink Finnish granite with gilded capitals.

According to Orthodox canons, the cathedral is oriented from West to East, but Nevsky Prospekt has the same direction, thus, the main entrance to the Kazan Cathedral is not from the side of the avenue, but from the side of Kazanskaya Street.

The monumental doors of the northern entrance (from Nevsky Prospekt) are a bronze copy of the famous “Gates of Heaven” of the Florence Baptistery, executed by the 15th century Italian sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti.
Post about the original)))

The iconostasis of the main chapel was noteworthy. In 1834-1836, it was lined with captured silver taken from the French. 40 pounds of this silver was sent by the Don ataman M.I. Platov. After 30 years, the iconostases of the northern and southern aisles were also lined with silver. After the confiscation of church valuables, the iconostasis was lost. Currently, the silver on the iconostasis has been restored.

The interior of the temple resembles a huge palace hall. Rows of tall granite columns unite the space of the hall. The light pouring from the windows gives the impression that the dome is floating at a great height.

From the south, the cathedral was supposed to be decorated with the same colonnade, but A. N. Voronikhin’s plan was not completed. The cathedral does not have a bell tower; the belfry is located in the western wing of the colonnade. Having secured the ends of the colonnade with monumental porticoes, Voronikhin designed passages along the canal and the street towards which the western façade of the cathedral was facing.

Sculptures in front of the entrance to the cathedral.

In the porticos, according to Voronikhin’s plan, bronze figures of princes Vladimir and Alexander Nevsky, John the Baptist, and St. Andrew the First-Called were installed. Not all statues were installed due to lack of funds. Unfortunately, almost no sculptural decor of the interiors has survived, which was later replaced by paintings.

After the Patriotic War of 1812, the cathedral acquired the significance of a monument to Russian military glory. In 1813, commander M.I. Kutuzov (or rather, some parts of his body) was buried here and the keys to the captured cities and other military trophies were placed.

In 1837, in honor of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the defeat of Napoleon, bronze monuments to the famous Russian commanders M. I. Kutuzov and M. B. Barclay de Tolly were solemnly opened on the semicircular square in front of the Kazan Cathedral. The author of the project was the outstanding Russian architect V.P. Stasov, and the figures of the commanders themselves were cast according to the models of the outstanding sculptor B.I. Orlovsky.

The St. Petersburg Icon of the Kazan Mother of God was immediately recognized as miraculous, helping in difficult trials. Before leaving for the army, Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov prayed in front of this image, and when the victory over Napoleon was won, he donated all the silver that the Cossacks had taken from the French as a gift to the Kazan Cathedral.

During the years of the blockade, both monuments were left in place and were not closed. It was believed that commanders raised the morale of soldiers. Passing by them along Nevsky Prospekt, the military invariably saluted both field marshals.

Barclay de Tolly and Kutuzov
In '12 the French were frozen
And now the grateful Russian
I put them without hats in the cold!

In Soviet times, there was a joke about them: Barclay de Tolly holds his hand near his stomach: “My stomach hurts!” Kutuzov points with his baton at the building on the opposite side: “Here is the pharmacy!” - on the opposite side, in a house on the corner of Nevsky and Bolshaya Konyushennaya streets, a pharmacy has been located for a long time.

On March 6 (19), 1876, the first demonstration of the populist group “Land and Freedom” took place here. Plekhanov spoke here for the first time. After the October Revolution, his temporary monument was located between the statues of Kutuzov and Barclay de Tolly.

Here, student demonstrations reached their peak, starting at the Anichkov Bridge.

On Bloody Sunday 1905, the crowd instantly erected barricades of benches in the newly formed square near the cathedral.

The governor of St. Petersburg at that time was a creative person and believed that all squares of St. Petersburg should have fountains. Not just for the sake of beauty, but for political reasons. He believed that public rallies were impossible in a square where there was a fountain. The fountain will relieve the tension of the crowd. Alas... he did not have time to create fountains in all the squares, but a fountain appeared in front of the cathedral.

The all-seeing eye... the Masons, they weren't kidding at that time... the same eye on the dollar...

In 1932 it was turned into the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism.

Our city also needed the intercession of the Kazan Mother of God during the Great Patriotic War. There is a legend that in January 1943, the icon of the Kazan Mother of God was taken out of the Prince Vladimir Cathedral, where it was then kept, and carried around the city. On January 18, the blockade was broken.

Since 1991, the Kazan Cathedral has been an active temple, coexisting with the museum’s exhibition for several years. Since 2000 - the cathedral of the St. Petersburg diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.

During Soviet times, it was planned to create gardens on the roof of the cathedral. Fortunately this did not happen.

Now the cathedral itself, taken two hours ago.

View from the cathedral to Nevsky and the Singer House.

Northern façade. In front of it is a grandiose colonnade of 96 columns 13 meters high.