St.Isaac's Cathedral
Saint Isaac's Cathedral is the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral in the city. It is the largest orthodox basilica and the fourth largest cathedral in the world. It is dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Great, who had been born on the feast day of that saint. The church on St Isaac's Square was ordered by Tsar Alexander I. The impressive designs of a virtually unknown young Parisian architect were selected in preference to those tendered by well established architects from several royal courts around western Europe: Auguste Ricard de Montferrand was the chosen one and he was destined to spend the rest of his life creating this gigantic memorial.
Whole forests were decimated to provide 10,762 tarred pinewood piles which were driven into the marshy ground to a depth of 6 metres to provide long-term stability beneath the chosen site. This was allowed to settle for a few years before construction above ground eventually commenced in 1818 [work was disrupted by the Napoleonic War]. On top of the treated wood went a compacted layer of stone to a depth of 7 m and over the next three decades 300,000 tons of granite and marble were assembled to complete the exterior of the building up to its final height of 101.5 m (333 feet). Most of the external construction was complete by 1842, then another sixteen years were spent decorating the interior before the grand opening in 1858.
Under the Soviet government, the building was abandoned, then turned into a museum of atheism. The dominant feature is the huge central dome which can be seen from all over the city, from much of Leningrad district, and from far out into the Gulf of Finland. The 25 m (over 80 feet) diameter dome is made of iron and covered with gold plated copper. During World War II, the dome was painted over in grey paint to avoid attracting attention from enemy aircraft.[Grey paint was also splashed on the gilded surfaces of the Admiralty tower. It took several years’ effort and enormous expense to remove the camouflage at the war’s end. Scientists experimented with various solvents, and fire towers tried to wash the paint off without success. It was eventually removed with chemical solvents. [The 900 Days, The Siege of Leningrade by Harrison E. Salisbury]
St.Isaac's Cathedral
Saint Isaac's Cathedral is the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral in the city. It is the largest orthodox basilica and the fourth largest cathedral in the world. It is dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Great, who had been born on the feast day of that saint. The church on St Isaac's Square was ordered by Tsar Alexander I. The impressive designs of a virtually unknown young Parisian architect were selected in preference to those tendered by well established architects from several royal courts around western Europe: Auguste Ricard de Montferrand was the chosen one and he was destined to spend the rest of his life creating this gigantic memorial.
Whole forests were decimated to provide 10,762 tarred pinewood piles which were driven into the marshy ground to a depth of 6 metres to provide long-term stability beneath the chosen site. This was allowed to settle for a few years before construction above ground eventually commenced in 1818 [work was disrupted by the Napoleonic War]. On top of the treated wood went a compacted layer of stone to a depth of 7 m and over the next three decades 300,000 tons of granite and marble were assembled to complete the exterior of the building up to its final height of 101.5 m (333 feet). Most of the external construction was complete by 1842, then another sixteen years were spent decorating the interior before the grand opening in 1858.
Under the Soviet government, the building was abandoned, then turned into a museum of atheism. The dominant feature is the huge central dome which can be seen from all over the city, from much of Leningrad district, and from far out into the Gulf of Finland. The 25 m (over 80 feet) diameter dome is made of iron and covered with gold plated copper. During World War II, the dome was painted over in grey paint to avoid attracting attention from enemy aircraft.[Grey paint was also splashed on the gilded surfaces of the Admiralty tower. It took several years’ effort and enormous expense to remove the camouflage at the war’s end. Scientists experimented with various solvents, and fire towers tried to wash the paint off without success. It was eventually removed with chemical solvents. [The 900 Days, The Siege of Leningrade by Harrison E. Salisbury]