St. Isaac's Cathedral, St. Petersburg
Constructed 1818–1858, architect Auguste de Montferrand. The extended construction gave rise to an idiom for never-ending megaprojects in Finnish: "rakentaa kuin Iisakinkirkkoa" ("to build like Isaac's Church"). It was the fourth church on the site, replacing a much more modest structure. In lieu of bedrock, the weight of the new building was supported on a foundation of 10,000 (25,000?) tree trunks sunk into the marshy ground. The triple rows of massive solid granite columns supporting the porticos were erected using a special scaffold before the building was built inside them.
St. Isaac's Cathedral, St. Petersburg
Constructed 1818–1858, architect Auguste de Montferrand. The extended construction gave rise to an idiom for never-ending megaprojects in Finnish: "rakentaa kuin Iisakinkirkkoa" ("to build like Isaac's Church"). It was the fourth church on the site, replacing a much more modest structure. In lieu of bedrock, the weight of the new building was supported on a foundation of 10,000 (25,000?) tree trunks sunk into the marshy ground. The triple rows of massive solid granite columns supporting the porticos were erected using a special scaffold before the building was built inside them.