Guided tour of the St. Isaac's Cathedral

St. Isaac's Cathedral deserves special attention as its strength and greatness amaze even the most notorious skeptics. This cathedral is the fourth largest domed one in Europe and the very first architectural structure that you see coming to our city as its huge gilded dome is perfectly seen from both the sea and the plane.

The construction of the cathedral took a talented architect Auguste Montferrand forty years. Evil tongues gossiped about death allegedly having been predicted to the architect upon the completion of the edifice and for that reason hetightened the construction. By the way, the prophecy came true.

The cathedral was solemnly opened in 1858 and became the main cathedral of theRussian Empire. Many people belonging to the Romanov family were christened in it.

And who would have thought that after a few decades after the revolution,it would be converted into a major anti-religious museum. What a paradox of history!

Having come in the temple, for a moment you are standing petrified being amazed with its greatness and beauty! You will be attracted by the gorgeous mosaic panels that are so thoroughly made that at a distance they are almost impossible to distinguish from painting. And all of this is presented against the background of the colored marble, semi-precious cameos, gilded bronze sculptures and bas-reliefs. The famous column iconostasis made of lapis-lazuli and malachite is the completing dominant.

You will also learn plenty of other interesting stories connected with the constructionof the cathedral, as well as with its unusual contemporary status as the cathedral has to perform the functions both a museum and a functioning church simultaneously.

An interesting peculiarity of the Cathedral is an observation deck on the colonnade! It is ideal for amateur photographers and people just willing to seethe bird's-eye panorama of the city! (Do not miss this opportunity, of course if you are willing to cope with the spiral staircase of 226 steps). As a reward you will get an opportunity to enjoy a breathtaking view of the city. 

Duration of the excursion ( including a visit to the colonnade)- 1 hour.

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