Each resident of the Northern capital will tell you where the majestic snow-white Izmailovsky Cathedral is located. The address of this largest Orthodox church in our country: St. Petersburg, Izmailovsky Prospekt, the seventh building. After the revolution, the desecrated, but today completely revived, the cathedral can rightfully be considered a symbol of the Russian state of Russia.
History of creation
On a sunny, warm day in May 1828, the ringing of bells in the presence of Empress Maria announced that a cathedral was laid in Petersburg. The Church of the Life-Giving Trinity, the Life Guards of the Izmailovsky Regiment, which did not know defeats, had a special purpose. The imperial military formation did not have its own church, and therefore soldiers and officers had to visit other parishes. The decision to build a stone church was made by Emperor Nicholas I. It was at his request that the Trinity-Izmailovsky Cathedral should have three chapels and accommodate up to three thousand people.
Three people led the construction: the emperor, the author of the project, the architect Vasily Stasov and the engineer Pyotr Bazen, who led the Committee on Buildings of St. Petersburg. Nicholas I controlled the construction process, he personally approved the projects.
The construction of the cathedral was quite difficult. When installing the foundation, twice as many piles were boarded up than was originally assumed. The base was laid out of limestone slabs, the lower part of the outer walls was made of granite, and the columns were made of bricks.
Architectural ideas
The Trinity Izmailovsky Cathedral was built for a long seven years. In developing the project, the architect Stasov took the idea of the triumph of Russia and its army as a basis. The majestic cathedral in its incredible size was second only to St. Isaac's Cathedral, which was being built around the same time. According to the plan, the structure was an equilateral cross with an arrangement of chapters not traditional for Russian architecture: they were located along the axes of the cross. The crowning central massive drum dominated the entire building. The cathedral had three chapels, of which the main one was dedicated to the Holy Trinity, the south - to St. Mary Magdalene, north - St. John the Warrior.
Opening
On May 25, 1835, the temple was consecrated. Early in the morning, the ringing of the bells signified sanctification, and then Archimandrite Neal consecrated the chapels. The imperial family visited Izmaylovsky Cathedral in St. Petersburg the same day in the evening, after returning from Moscow. The Tsar, having examined the temple in detail, expressed his favor to the architect. Contemporaries evaluated the construction of the Trinity Cathedral as one of the major achievements of Russian architecture. Today, believers come to see him not only from the farthest corners of our country, but also Orthodox from around the world.
Description
Today the cathedral on Izmailovsky Avenue is a huge five-domed building with four white porticoes of the Corinthian order. It, as was planned, accommodates more than three thousand people. The blue dome of the cathedral is visible another twenty kilometers from the city. It is considered the second largest in Europe. The wooden dome was created in 1834 by engineers P. Melnikov and P. Bazin.
In 1836, marble commemorative plaques were mounted on the walls of the cathedral. They are engraved with the names of officers of the imperial regiment who died in the battles of Austerlitz, at Friedland, Kulm and Borodin.
Izmailovsky Cathedral built in the Empire style. Its height is about eighty meters. Blue domes are painted with golden stars. The facades are decorated with four six-columned porticoes and sculptural friezes. In the niches are bronze figures of angels. They were created by sculptor S. Galberg. The famous Leppe also worked on the frieze.
Interior
Izmailovsky Cathedral is spacious and bright. The feeling of space is created thanks to the interior features. Twenty-four slender Corinthian columns "raise to the top" the drum of the main dome, trimmed with caissons with sockets. It seems that he is floating in the air.
Both columns and pilasters are made of white marble. Initially, it was suggested that they be coated with white glue on ordinary plaster, but the regiment's management applied for permission to veneer them.
Small domes, painted with golden stars against a blue background, are designed to create additional domed interiors. One of them has a carved iconostasis. At first it was a rounded wall. Today, this iconostasis, unfortunately, is partially destroyed. The altar canopy was solved as a half-ton of four columns. It with a wooden carved iconostasis makes up the general composition.
For the consecration of the temple, Nicholas I presented jasper vessels made in a gold frame and a gift-guard in the form of a temple with columns carved from pink agate. The bronze three-tiered chandelier, made in 1865, was disposed of in the forties of the last century, when the Trinity Izmailovsky Cathedral was closed.
Shrines
The cathedral houses an ancient icon of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity. It is considered the oldest among all available in St. Petersburg churches. The image was created more than six centuries ago - in 1406. He has an amazing fate: after the revolution, the Soviet authorities seized it. The icon was sent to the Tretyakov Gallery, and then sold to a private collection in the United States. At the beginning of the millennium, the image was bought at Christie's auction. During the three hundredth anniversary of St. Petersburg, President Putin brought the icon as a gift to the cathedral.
Thousands of believers annually come to St. Petersburg and visit the Izmailovsky Cathedral to bow to the old woman Matrona of Moscow. After all, it is here that a particle of the relics of the blessed old woman constantly resides. People tell her about their troubles and, as evidenced by the reviews, through ardent prayers immediately receive answers to all their questions.
Residents of the Northern capital know that to create a happy family you need to come to the cathedral on Izmailovsky Avenue and offer a prayer in front of the relics of St. Peter and Fevronia of Murom, where a prayer service takes place daily.
The temple has a unique image. This is the icon of St. Ksenia of Petersburg. I must say that the images of the blessed mother are in almost every church in St. Petersburg, but the one located in the Izmailovsky Cathedral belongs to Hirvel’s brush and is the first lifetime portrait of the old woman.
Believers come to another saint of God with prayer. This is Nikolai the Miracle Worker. In Izmailovsky Cathedral two images are stored at once. One of them is the icon of the saint with life, and the second is a cell.
Activities
In April 1996, Archpriest Gennady Bartov was appointed rector of the church. There is a Sunday school at the cathedral. Adult classes are held on saturdays before the evening service. The school is very popular among parishioners. The temple organizes regular pilgrimages to Israel, in the holy places of St. Petersburg and the region, in the footsteps of many saints.
Interesting Facts
In 1867, F. Dostoevsky married A. Snitkina in Izmailovsky Cathedral. The famous composer Anton Rubinstein was buried here.
When the cathedral was closed in 1938, it was decided to open the city crematorium within its walls. Fortunately, these plans did not materialize. However, the temple still fell into disrepair, since the building was used as a vegetable store. After the end of World War II, large-scale works began in the cathedral. The facades of the building were restored. The work was completed in the sixties of the last century, but the interior of the temple came in a terrible state.
In 2006, a cathedral fire broke out during the evening service. He destroyed the main dome and damaged one of the small ones. Parishioners helped to take out all the utensils from the burning building, icons, however, several altar images were damaged. The government of St. Petersburg allocated one hundred million rubles to rebuild the temple .
The Trinity Izmailovsky Cathedral and the triumphal column located on its territory - the Monument of Glory top the list of the most beautiful historical military church ensembles of our country. The temple is of federal importance. It is one of the four historical dominants of St. Petersburg along with St. Isaac's Cathedral, Admiralty and the Peter and Paul Fortress.