St. Isaac's Cathedral contacts. St. Isaac's Cathedral, State Museum-Monument. Thematic tours of St. Isaac's Cathedral

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 church was built in honor of its heavenly patron, St. Isaac of Dalmatia. It was converted from a drawing 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 project of the architect G. I. Mattarnovi.

During the reign of Catherine II, the architect A. Rinaldi laid the foundation for the construction of the third temple, but it was completed under Paul I. perestroika. As a result, the rebuilding of the temple was entrusted to the young Frenchman Auguste Montferrand: it was his project that received the approval of the emperor.

The construction planned by Montferrand was grandiose and required a solid foundation. Therefore, during its construction, pine piles impregnated with resin were driven into the bottom of the pit, and granite slabs and stone were already laid on them.

All four facades of the cathedral had porticos with granite columns, which were completely cut down in quarries, delivered by water to the construction site and installed manually using wooden scaffolding. The same technique was used when raising 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 the use of the 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 of Russia.

Architecture and outdoor sculpture of St. Isaac's Cathedral

St. Isaac's Cathedral is one of the main buildings of the city, which is inferior in its height only to the Peter and Paul Cathedral. His image is one of the most famous sights of St. Petersburg along with the Bronze Horseman, the Admiralty, the Peter and Paul Fortress.

St. Isaac's Cathedral is one of the few monuments of Russian classicism that has polished granite columns and marble in the exterior. An amazing combination of dark red columns, marble wall cladding and gilded domes gives it a majestic and solemn look.

Outside, the cathedral is decorated with many sculptural compositions, including:

"The Resurrection of Christ" and "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 tours of St. Isaac's Cathedral

Despite the fact that the cathedral is an active temple, at certain times it is possible to visit specially organized thematic excursions:
Artistic decoration of St. Isaac's Cathedral. Familiarize yourself with the interior of the temple. Thanks to special lighting, it is possible to feel the full depth of its architectural solution.

"Sculpture of St. Isaac's Cathedral". It is dedicated to showing not only the internal sculpture, but also the external one, introduces its plots.

"Biblical scenes in the painting of St. Isaac's Cathedral". A cycle of excursions dedicated to the history of the creation of more than 150 paintings of the temple.
"To remember..." Memorial composition dedicated to the feat of museum workers during the siege years.

"Petersburg from a bird's eye view for a person in a wheelchair". A tour 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.

St. Isaac's Cathedral (Cathedral of St. Isaac of Dalmatia) in St. Petersburg is the largest Orthodox church in the city, which has the status of a museum. From 1858 to 1929 it was the cathedral church 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 is especially popular, from which a circular panorama opens.

Cathedral history

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 the preservation of the altar of the previous temple was an important condition. The project was under the supervision of Emperor Nicholas I, and the most modern technologies of those years were used in 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 church.

On the outer walls and 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 Museum of the City History, the Summer Palace of Peter I and from the suburban museums of Leningrad were kept in St. Isaac's Cathedral.

Since 1950 and for 10 years, the building has been reconstructed, an observation deck was installed on the dome.

Currently, St. Isaac's Cathedral has the status of a State monument-museum and is part of the museum complex that combines the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood and the Stone Museum. The church diocese has 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 building is 101.5 meters high and 97.6 meters wide. The cathedral has a cross-domed shape, it houses three altars: to St. Isaac of Dalmatia, the Great Martyr Catherine and Alexander Nevsky.

The five-domed temple has four more small cupolas 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; the main entrance is 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 various sizes. Interior decoration work began in 1841. Famous artists and sculptors worked on decorating the cathedral (Karl Bryullov, Pyotr Klodt, Ivan Burukhin, Nikolai Pimenov, etc.). Their work was supervised by the administration of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, all sketches were approved by the Synod and the emperor.

Oil painting on a special ground was chosen as the main technique, 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 done by the famous Russian artist Karl Bryullov.

However, due to the climatic features of St. Petersburg, over time, the ground 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. Of great interest are the sculptural bas-reliefs of the porticos and doors of the cathedral. 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.

The interior of St. Isaac's Cathedral on the Google panorama:

The colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral is located at a height 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 is an observation deck with a circular view.

View from the colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg on the Google panorama:

St. Isaac's Cathedral opening hours in 2019

• Museum entrance: 10:30-18:00, daily except Wednesday;
• Evening programs: 18:00-22:30 (from April 27 to September 30, day off - 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)

Ticket office closes 30 minutes before closing.

Schedule of services in 2019

During the service, the entrance to St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg is free.

• Divine Liturgy: Mon-Fri, except Wednesday - 08:00, Sat-Sun - 09:00;
• Evening worship: 16:00.

Prices for tickets to St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg in 2019

Ticket prices during regular business hours:

• Full cost - 250 rubles;
• Holders of international ISIC cards - 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.

Ticket prices in the evening:

• Entrance ticket to St. Isaac's Cathedral - 400 rubles;
• Colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral with an 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) for one person - 400 rubles;
• Using a binocular on the colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral (2 minutes) - 100 rubles;
• Using a binocular on the colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral (1 minute) - 50 rubles.

Free admission is possible only from 10:30-18:00 and does not apply to cultural events and entrance to the colonnade of the cathedral.

The cost of the tour in 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 an excursion group (for persons with the right to visit the museum free of charge) - 50 rubles;
• for a group of 1 to 5 people - 600 rubles;
• for a group of 6 to 20 people - 1000 rubles;
• for a group of 21 to 30 people - 1500 rubles.

Tour service in a foreign language:

• for a group of 1 to 5 people - 1000 rubles;
• for a group of 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 drink;
• go beyond the fences and into the service premises, lean on the racks and showcases of the temple;
• provide commercial and excursion services;
• listen to music, sing and make noise;
• smoking and littering;
• come with animals;
• make professional photo and video shooting, as well as shooting with flash during the tour.

How to get there

St. Isaac's Cathedral (museum) is located in the historical center of St. Petersburg at the address: St. Isaac's Square, 4. Next to it are the main attractions of the city - Palace Square, the Hermitage, the Bronze Horseman monument.

It takes about 10 minutes to walk from the nearest metro station "Admiralteyskaya" to the cathedral.

Public transport stops are also located within walking distance:

• trolleybuses No. 5, 22 and fixed-route taxis No. K-306 (stop “Malaya Morskaya St.”);
• buses No. 3, 10, 27 and fixed-route taxis No. K-252 (stop "pl. Isaakievskaya");
• buses No. 5, 22, 70, 100 and fixed-route taxis 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.

The 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, a day off - the third Wednesday of the month. The work of the box office and the admission of visitors stops 30 minutes before the closing of the museum facilities.

The Church of St. Isaac of Dalmatia in St. Petersburg, created by the architect Auguste Montferrand, is an outstanding monument of Russian architecture of the 19th century. The grandiosity 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 skyline and serves as the same hallmark of the northern capital as 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 in plan, five-domed church with facades decorated with porticos, 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 a high cylindrical drum rises, cut through by arched windows and surrounded by an elegant colonnade. The drum is crowned 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 that successfully complement the silhouette of the temple. They are completed by light gilded domes, the size of which is dictated by the scale of the belfries themselves, so they turned out to be much smaller than the main dome. The smooth planes of the walls of the cathedral are cut through by large arched windows with massive architraves and volutes at the top. At the top, a third of the facade is occupied by a colossal attic, which unnecessarily dominates the main order.

St. Isaac's Cathedral is the only one of the monuments of Russian classicism (with the exception of the Marble Palace of A. Rinaldi), in the exterior decoration of which polished granite columns and marble were used. The spectacular combination of dark red columns of the porticos, the colonnade of the main dome, the basement of the building with gray marble wall cladding and gilded domes gives the whole structure a grand look.

St. Isaac's Cathedral - the history of creation

First St. Isaac's Church was created in 1707 by decree of Peter I in the name of the heavenly patron of the king - the Monk Isaac of Dalmatia. It was converted from a drawing 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 in the reign of Empress Catherine II according to the project 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 restructuring. Many well-known architects took part in the competition, but they did not fulfill the main requirement of the king - in memory of the great ancestors to preserve the altar part of the old one in the new cathedral. The sovereign entrusted this to the young French architect Auguste Montferrand, his project for the rebuilding of the temple received the highest approval.

Fourth St. Isaac's Cathedral

For the grandiose structure conceived by Montferrand, a reliable solid foundation was required. Tarred pine piles were hammered into the bottom of the pit, 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 down at the Püterlax quarry and delivered by water on barges to the construction site. The installation of these columns aroused the admiration of contemporaries - they were raised manually, with the help of 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 the rail track, a light 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 1200 singers. St. Isaac's Cathedral became the main cathedral church in Russia.

St. Isaac's Cathedral (Cathedral of St. Isaac of Dalmatia) is the largest building in St. Petersburg. Its gilded dome dominates the center of the city.

In terms of its scale, the cathedral far surpasses all other St. Petersburg churches and can accommodate more than 12,000 people.

The history of St. Isaac's Cathedral began in 1710, when a temporary wooden church of St. Isaac of Dalmatia was built near the Admiralty, in the Admiralty Shed - the day of memory of this saint was the birthday of Peter I. In the 1810s, a competition was announced to design a new cathedral, in which the most prominent architects of the time took part. Among them was the Frenchman O. Montferrand, who arrived in Russia in 1816.

He presented at once twenty-four versions of the project of the cathedral in all forms: in the Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic classical styles, and even in the spirit of Chinese and Indian architecture. After reviewing 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 restructuring of St. Isaac's Cathedral with decent splendor and approving the plan for such a restructuring according to the Montferrand project." St. Isaac's Cathedral was solemnly founded on June 26, 1818.

The construction of the cathedral began, but Montferrand, a talented architect and draftsman, had absolutely no experience as a civil architect and made a number of serious technical errors in his project. Therefore, soon the construction had to be interrupted and a special commission of the Academy of Arts 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 great role in the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral was played by the head of the "Committee for Buildings and Hydraulic Works", a talented engineer, Lieutenant General A.A. Betancourt.

The 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. 24,000 piles had to be driven into the swampy soil to lay the foundation. In 1828, before the walls were erected, the installation of forty-eight columns of the lower porticos, carved from monolithic granite blocks, began. The columns are 17 meters high and each weighs 114 tons. Granite blocks were cut down in the rocks near Vyborg, loaded onto special ships and delivered to St. Petersburg by water. Here they were processed, polished and installed. This extremely laborious work was completed in 1830.

The following year, the construction of walls and domed pylons began. In 1836, the ceilings of the porticoes were built, in 1838 - a dome with a diameter of 21.8 m, 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 they had to be raised to a greater height. The history of architecture has never known such a thing!

The cathedral, faced with gray marble, was completed in 1842 but consecrated only in 1858. For almost fifteen years, work has been going on on the interior decoration of the building. Famous painters K.P. 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 precious stones were used in the interior decoration: malachite, lapis lazuli, porphyry, marble of different colors - light pink, dark red, yellow, green, gray. The richest interior decoration is complemented by numerous details made of gilded bronze. Numerous paintings 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 complex sculptural groups and reliefs. The main part of the sculptural decoration of the temple was made by the sculptor I.P. Vitali. He also made reliefs of three large double-leaf bronze doors of the cathedral.

The Royal Gates 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 overlaid and columns made 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 in 1851-1914 and are distinguished by their exceptional variety and richness of colors.

At the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral, many technical innovations and improvements were first applied, in particular, electroplating - the discovery of Academician B.S. Jacobi. Using this method, bronze sculptures were cast, decorating the interior of the temple. In total, about 25 poods of gold were used to decorate the cathedral, and the total cost of construction was 23 million rubles.

The height of the St. Isaac's Cathedral with the cross is 101.8 m, the length is 102.2 m, the height of the porticos is 18 m, the diameter of the base of the dome is 33.7 m. classicism. The outer colonnade of the temple has 112 columns, each of which is a granite monolith. Multi-columned porticos surround the quadrangular building of the cathedral on all sides, above the main volume of which rises a drum crowned 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 skyline of the city.

During the Great Patriotic War, the golden dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral was carefully disguised, but despite this, the building was significantly damaged. In the post-war years, the cathedral was restored and now appears again in all its splendor.

In 1957, the cathedral was opened as a museum-monument, protected by the state.

In 1992, a decision was made on the joint use of the cathedral by believers and the museum.

The temple has three thrones: the central one - in the name of St. Rev. Isaac of Dalmatia (patronal feast day June 12); left aisle - St. blgv. led. book. Alexander Nevsky (September 12, December 6); right - St. vmts. Catherine (December 7).

A particularly revered shrine is the list of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God.

Services: on Sundays (according to a special schedule agreed with the administration of the St. Isaac's Cathedral Museum 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 performed in the temple: 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; arch. Georgy Minaev - church clerk and chairman of the Parish Council; Jer. Alexy Suslov; deac. Anthony Shcherbakov.