Vladimir Cathedral in St. Petersburg has a long, interesting history. This is one of the oldest temples in the Northern capital.
History
The exact date of the opening of St. Vladimir’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg is unknown. Construction began in the sixties of the 18th century. And a little earlier the empress’s decree came out, according to which the construction of churches in the style of Old Russian architecture began in the city.
This decree from a political point of view was of considerable importance. Indeed, in the first half of the 18th century, temples were built in the capital that were more reminiscent of Lutheran churches, and therefore were associated with German dominance among residents. Five-domed churches symbolized a return to the traditions of Russian architecture.
Pietro Trezzini
In 1745, a wooden church was erected on the site of the modern Vladimir Cathedral in St. Petersburg. The construction of the stone building began 15 years later. The author of the St. Vladimir Cathedral project in St. Petersburg is the Swiss architect Pietro Trezzini. This man was educated in Italy, worked for several years in Milan. In 1726, Trezzini came to St. Petersburg, and after 17 years he took the position of chief architect of the city. In addition to Vladimir Cathedral, the Savior-Sennovskaya and Panteleimonovsky churches were erected in St. Petersburg according to his designs.
The main icon of the temple
According to legend, the icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir is written by the Evangelist Luke. She visited Constantinople, Jerusalem, Kiev and, finally, in Vladimir, where she got her name. Then the icon was transferred to Moscow.
Soon the rumor spread about the miraculous healings that she granted to the parishioners of the Sretensky monastery. At the very beginning of the construction of the Vladimir Cathedral in St. Petersburg, the photo of which can be seen in this article, an exact copy of the icon of the Mother of God of God was discharged from Moscow. She was here until the beginning of the twenties of the last century.
The icon was studded with pearls, decorated with gilded silver robes. The crown was made of crystal. Where the icon is now is unknown. After the revolution, believers have repeatedly tried to redeem it, but to no avail. First, she ended up in the department of Glavnauka, then completely disappeared.
John Kirikov
This man was not only the first rector of the temple, but also its main builder. At the end of the nineties of the last century, the grave of John Kirikov was discovered and then reconstructed near the altar. The inscription, embossed back in 1870, was also restored.
The architectural ensemble of the church, which is seen by modern parishioners, took shape in the mid-19th century. There is an absolute harmony of proportion, which can be seen by visiting the Vladimir Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
Schedule of Divine Services
Divine services in the cathedral are performed daily. At 9:00, the Divine Liturgy begins. On Sundays and holidays, the schedule changes a bit. These days the Divine Liturgy is held twice: at 7:00 and 10:00. At the end of it is Holy Communion. Confession always begins 30 minutes before the liturgy. At 18:00 evening service is held.
Famous parishioners
The history of the temple is in some way connected with the Pushkin family. The parents of the poet lived in Svechny Lane, near Vladimir Square. In 1826, on his return from the village of Mikhailovsky, Pushkin stayed in their house. Often, he visited his sister, who lived on Gryaznaya Street, now called Marat Street. In this house, Arina Rodionovna spent the last days. According to the poet’s biographers, he was present at her funeral service in the Vladimir Church.
Parishioners of the church were many relatives of Pushkin. And several decades after his death, Fedor Dostoevsky lived in one of the houses located nearby. They say that one of the priests of the temple was the confessor of the writer. And father Nikolai Viroslavsky funeral for Dostoevsky.
Another famous parishioner of this church was the composer Rimsky-Korsakov. He lived on Vladimirsky Prospect for five years. One of the windows of his apartment overlooked the bell tower of the Vladimir Church.
Surely, under the quiet arches of this church, Alexander Blok visited more than once. Once upon a time, the great-grandfather of a Russian poet lived in the parish of the Vladimir Church. Blok himself spent several years here. In the house, which once belonged to the poet’s ancestor, Pushkin’s nanny died. Arina Rodionovna, as already mentioned, was buried in the Vladimir Church.
Another famous monument of Russian architecture in St. Petersburg is the Prince Vladimir Cathedral. A few words should also be said about his story.
Prince Vladimir Cathedral
His story begins in 1765. It was then that the architect A. Rinaldi developed the design of the five-domed temple. Earlier on the site of the cathedral was first a wooden church, then a stone one.
It took about seven years to rebuild the temple. In 1789, the cathedral was named after Prince Vladimir. This building is a monument of architectural style, transitioning from baroque to classicism. Like other churches in Russia, it was closed in the 1920s. Then, many sad events happened in his story. The last restoration of the cathedral took place in 2015.