Saint Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg

St. Isaac's Cathedral is one of the most famous sights of St. Petersburg. A silhouette of Cathedral is well recognizableand can be considered as one of the symbols of the city. Its large, gold-plated dome is visible from many places of St. Petersburg. Visiting the Cathedral is included in programs of almost all tourist groups.

The cathedral is located on Isaakiyevskaya Square, near to the Palace Square and the banks of the Neva. An observation deck for tourists is next to the dome of the cathedral. There is a museum in St. Isaac's Cathedral currently. Divine services are held in the cathedral every day.

St. Isaac's Cathedral is an outstanding example of the architecture of late classicism. It is a unique building and architectural monument, which certainly need to see all coming to St. Petersburg tourists. The building is decorated with 112 solid granite columns of various sizes. The walls of the cathedral are decorated with marble from the outside. Greater variety materials were used for finishing of walls inside the building.

St. Isaac's Cathedral is the largest Orthodox temple of St. Petersburg. The official name is "The Cathedral of St. Isaac of Dalmatia". Construction of a modern building of the cathedral began in 1818 under the project of architect Montferrand. The solemn consecration of the cathedral took place on May 30, 1858. Emperor Nicholas I personally supervised the construction works.

The height of the Cathedral is 101.5 meters, length 111.3 meters, width - 97.6 meters. The inner area is more than 4000 m ². The outer diameter of the dome is 25.8 meters.

St. Isaac's Cathedral is the fourth tallest building in the world with a dome (101.5 meters), after St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome, St. Paul's Cathedral in London and the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral in Florence.

The construction of this grand structure was a difficult task. It was difficult to create a foundation which could carry such a heavy building. Huge granite monolithic blocks for the cathedral pillars were cut down in a career in Finland (Pyterlahti, between the cities of Hamina and Vyborg, near the village of Virolahti). They were transported by sea to St. Petersburg. Weight of granite blocks exceed 100 tonnes. Most of the works were performed by by hands or with the use of horses. The museum has an exhibition about the history of the construction of the cathedral and about used technology.

The picture views St. Isaac's Cathedral from the opposite bank of the Neva. (Monument to Peter the Great is visible in the background of trees.)

There are also located not far from St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg: a monument to Peter the Great (Bronze Horseman), Admiralty, Palace Square, Astoria and Angleterre hotels. The distance to the Palace Square is approximately 600 meters.

• You can specify the location of the Cathedral on St. Petersburg map.
• The nearest metro station: Admiralteiskaya.