St. Isaac's Square is one of the most impressive and magnificent in St. Petersburg. By the number of architectural and historical monuments, it can even compete with the Palace.
It received its name from the eponymous cathedral, erected in honor of St. Isaac. It was on the day of commemoration of this saint that Peter I. was born. By his order, the construction of the church was started. The erection of a stone cathedral on the banks of the Neva was completed at the beginning of the 19th century. But the building was dismantled, and in the 1818-1858s, according to the drawings of O. Montferrand, the existing building was erected.
St. Isaac's Square 1 began to be built in the 1730s - 1740s. The final layout and appearance, however, developed only with the completion of the construction of the Cathedral of Montferrand.
In its center stands St. Isaac's Cathedral, which is considered a symbol of the city. The volume and scope of construction is amazing even today, since the cathedral can accommodate more than 12 thousand people at the same time, and its total area is approximately 10 thousand square meters.
The architect Auguste Montferrand during the construction of the cathedral began to think about the fact that St. Isaac's Square should be transformed. She was supposed to harmoniously fit into the architectural ensemble of St. Petersburg.
By the 1850s, the decoration of the cathedral had ended. In 1860, work began on the creation and further improvement of St. Isaac's Square.
In 1818, the Blue Bridge was built, which became the widest in the city. He connected the square and the place where the Mariinsky Palace will be built after. Now it is located in the southern part of the square. The author of the project was A. Stackenschneider. The palace in the style of classicism is decorated with elements of eclecticism. Now it hosts the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly.
In 1859, St. Isaac's Square in the center was decorated with a monument to
Nicholas I. His sketch was created by Montferrand, and executed by sculptor Robert Zaleman. The ensemble of the monument included unusual floor lamps, executed by the master Roman Weigelt. High-relief images of the reign of the emperor were created by Peter Klodt, Robert Zaleman and Nikolai Ramazanov. The ensemble was very original and solemn. Near the monument was an hour post. The monument to Nicholas 1 on St. Isaac's Square is still one of the most remarkable and unusual in the city.
The final formation of the appearance of the square was completed by 1912 with the construction of two buildings located opposite each other: the German embassy (architect P. Behrens) and the Astoria hotel (architect F. Lidval). The latter was considered the best in the city and has not lost this glory in our days.
In 1846, architect Adrian Robin built the Angleterre Hotel. St. Isaac's Square began to take on a contemporary look. A little later, the Astoria Hotel appeared, which completed the appearance of the square, giving it an official, business and at the same time historical, ceremonial look. Today, its appearance is determined by the Mariinsky Palace, the monument to Nicholas I and the Orthodox St. Isaac's Cathedral.
In the 19th century, St. Isaac's Square was renamed Nikolayevskaya in honor of the monument to Nicholas I installed on it. Then it was renamed Mariinsky, but the name again did not take root. She continued to be called in honor of St. Isaac's Cathedral.