Kazan Cathedral history summary. Kazan Cathedral
St. Petersburg is a city of architectural masterpieces, a real textbook on styles and trends of architecture. It is one of the greatest buildings in the city. It has delighted and surprised more than one generation of residents and guests of the Northern capital. From the publication you will learn about when, by whom and in what style the Kazan Cathedral was built, what its features are and why it is famous.
Background
On the spot where today stands the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg, the style of which we are considering, a wooden chapel was built back in 1710, belonging to a nearby hospital. A little later, the Church of the Kazan Mother of God was built from wood on this site.
The main place on Nevsky Prospekt was decorated with a wooden building for a short time. In 1733, on the orders of Empress Anna Ioannovna, the court church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was founded on this site. The famous architect M. Zemtsov worked on the project. He built a beautiful Baroque cathedral with a wooden dome and a gate tower. Before the consecration of the temple, the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, a revered and miraculous image, was transferred to it. But in those days the church was called the Nativity, and representatives of the royal family often held services there. In 1773, Tsarevich Paul the First was married here, and numerous victories of Russian weapons were celebrated here.
Gradually the temple fell into disrepair and required renovation. In the middle of the 18th century, several outstanding architects developed projects for the renovation of the cathedral, including Palladio’s admirer Nikolai Lvov and the famous architect Giacomo Quarenghi. Thus, the style of the Kazan Cathedral was already defined in advance as classical, although the project had not yet been created at that time. At the end of the 18th century, Emperor Paul the First announced a competition to create a design for a new cathedral; he wanted the building to resemble St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
Architect
In 1799, a competition was announced for a project to build a new Kazan Cathedral. The architectural style was initially defined as classicism - the most current style of that historical period. Many celebrities of that time took part in the competition: C. Cameron, P. Gonzago, J. Thomas de Thomon. Pavel I was inclined towards Cameron's project, but never made a final decision on the winner of the competition.
A year later, Count Stroganov, whose residence was located not far from the site of the future construction, decided to take part in the fate of the temple. He brought the emperor the design of his architect A. N. Voronikhin. The project received supreme approval, and Count Stroganov became the head of the construction board of trustees. Andrei Voronikhin came from the family of serfs of Count Stroganov. But since childhood he showed great drawing ability, which did not go unnoticed. The count gave Voronikhin a good classical education and financed his 4 trips to Europe. In 1785, the architect received a vacation pay, but continued to work for Count Stroganov. He was involved in the interior decoration of the Stroganov Palace, built a dacha for the count on the Black River, and created the famous design of colonnades in Peterhof, for which he received the title of academician of architecture. Voronikhin is considered the founder of the Russian Empire style.
Project
At the end of the 18th century, Count Stroganov invited Voronikhin to make a project for the Kazan Cathedral. Which style should I choose for construction? Such a question did not even arise - it was the time of the victorious march of classicism throughout the world. The architect proposed an ambitious project with an impressive colonnade on the north and south sides of the cathedral. If the project had been embodied in its original plan, today we would see on Nevsky Prospekt an amazing structure with two semicircles of colonnades. The architect proposed to build three large squares around the church, but such an expensive idea was not completely realized, and as a result, only the northern colonnade decorated the temple. The project greatly impressed Emperor Alexander the First. And already 8 days after the royal approval, on August 27, 1801, the laying of the first stone took place.
Architectural classicism
The 17th-19th centuries in Europe and Russia were marked by the dominance of the classicism style. Its main feature is its appeal to the ancient canons of architecture. This style is characterized by rationalism and calculated harmony. The buildings are characterized by simplicity of lines, regularity of layout, symmetrical axial compositional solutions, clarity of volumes and laconic decor. The main sign of the classics is ancient orders.
An example of late classicism is the Kazan Cathedral, the style of which is often called Empire style. is considered the founder of the Russian Empire style, that is, late, mature classicism. The aesthetics of classicism gravitated toward large-scale urban planning solutions; the Empire style was especially distinguished by its imperial scope. This is exactly what Voronikhin’s project was - large-scale, symmetrical, with orderly decoration.
Construction
The construction of the temple was carried out at a very fast pace. To clear the site, 11 private houses had to be demolished, but for this the owners received decent compensation. The Kazan Cathedral, the style of which suggested a decent scope, was supposed to occupy a large space along Nevsky Prospect, but still the city could not afford to accommodate such a colossus completely, so Voronikhin had to limit his project. It was assumed that the cathedral would be built in three years, and Stroganov tried to meet this deadline, but the work was still delayed, interruptions in funding that arose due to large government expenditures for foreign policy purposes, and Voronikhin did not fit into the estimate. For the construction of the temple, only domestic materials were used (Stroganov’s idea), but this still did not reduce the cost of construction. The construction of the cathedral was completed in 1811. On September 15, the temple was consecrated, a little later the old church was dismantled, which spoiled the appearance of the new building. Voronikhin received the Order of St. Vladimir, fourth degree, for this construction. The construction of the cathedral cost the treasury a fabulous sum - 4.7 million rubles.
Architecture
Since the Kazan Cathedral was supposed to resemble the main Catholic cathedral in Rome in its architectural style, during its construction they were guided primarily by religious architectural canons. The cathedral is oriented from west to east, and this caused certain difficulties: it was impossible to fit the building into the perspective of Nevsky Prospekt. Voronikhin found an original solution and made the northern façade a front façade, although the main entrance is located on the side in relation to the main city thoroughfare.
The main decoration of the cathedral is a colonnade of 94 Corinthian columns, the total number of columns on the facade is 136. By and large, the appearance of the cathedral is very secular, even the cross on the dome is deployed so that it is visible only from a certain angle, and in other projections it looks like a spire . The building amazingly combines two trends: monumentality and grandeur and incredible lightness and elegance. The Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg, whose style laid the foundation for true Russian classicism, is considered a landmark building for Russian architecture. Experts note that this building marked the emergence of Russian architecture, not an imitation of European models, but architecture with a national flavor within the framework of pan-European trends.
Interior
The interior decoration of the Kazan Cathedral is no less interesting than its appearance. The space of the cathedral is divided into three naves by granite columns, the ceilings are decorated with rosettes in the form of stylized flowers, reminiscent of picturesque paintings. Floor mosaics are made from different types of domestic stone. In general, the cathedral is considered a real monument to domestic minerals. Most of the icons and paintings of the cathedral were painted especially for it by outstanding masters of their time, including Bryullov, Borovikovsky, Kiprensky. The iconostasis was created according to Thon's sketches, and it was used with captured silver captured from the Napoleonic army. The main decoration of the cathedral is the miraculous copy of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God.
Current state
Today, the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg, whose architectural style admires all people, is a functioning Orthodox church, as well as a cultural monument. In Soviet times, the cathedral was restored; the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism was located here. In 1994, the Orthodox cross was returned to the dome and church services resumed.
Myths and legends
The Kazan Cathedral, the style of which is a constant delight for any person, has acquired a considerable number of legends over its history. The first story concerns the empty pedestals of the cathedral. Until the middle of the 19th century, there were plaster sculptures of archangels on them; in the future it was assumed that they would be replaced with bronze ones, but this never happened. Popular rumor says that the archangels will take their place only when Russia has a wise and fair ruler. So far, apparently, this has not happened. Since the war of 1812, the cathedral has been considered the Temple of Russian weapons. Captured banners and keys to conquered cities were brought here. Field Marshal Kutuzov greatly revered this cathedral, and it was in it that the vessel with the commander’s heart was buried.
St. Petersburg is rightfully the cultural capital of our Motherland. Museums, theaters, architectural monuments, temples, cathedrals will tell the vivid and sometimes tragic history of Russia without hiding. The majestic building in St. Petersburg is a witness to the past centuries.
Nativity (Kazan) Church
On the site where the Kazan Cathedral is now located, until 1801 there was a Church of the Nativity. It was erected by order of Empress Anna Ioannovna. Construction of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary lasted three years (1733-1736). On June 23, 1737, the church was solemnly consecrated in the presence of the Empress. A few days later, the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was brought into the temple. This relic was brought by Peter I in 1708. The church became a real decoration of Nevsky Prospekt. The 58-meter multi-tiered bell tower was truly a masterpiece of architectural art. The architect of the Nativity Church is M. G. Zemtsov. During the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, the temple received the status of a cathedral.
Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg. History of construction
But after half a century, the building fell into disrepair and no longer corresponded to the elegant appearance of Nevsky Prospekt that had developed by that time. Therefore, it was decided to completely rebuild the Kazan Cathedral. In 1799, by order of Tsar Paul I, a competition was announced for the design of a new temple. One of the ruler's demands was that it should resemble the Roman Cathedral of St. Peter, built by the Renaissance architect Michelangelo Buonarroti. The architects were given a very difficult task: they had to fit a monumental structure with a colonnade into a small, already formed space. In addition, according to Orthodox canons, the altar had to face the east. Consequently, the facade of the building should not have faced Nevsky Prospekt, but Meshchanskaya Street (now Kazanskaya).
Many outstanding architects presented their projects, such as P. Gonzaga, A. N. Voronikhin, C. Cameron and J. F. Thomas de Thomon. At first, Paul I liked C. Cameron’s project, but after the assistance of Count Stroganov, the construction was entrusted to the forty-year-old Andrey Nikiforovich. In 1800, the cathedral began to be built south of the Church of the Nativity. All this time the temple continued to work. The Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg was planned to be built in four years, but construction dragged on for eleven long years. It took place against the backdrop of a great patriotic upsurge, the reason for which was Count Stroganov’s proposal to involve only Russian craftsmen in the work. All construction material was also domestic. The work, in which thousands of serfs were involved, took place in very difficult conditions; equipment was almost completely absent. Nevertheless, in eleven years it was possible to erect a masterpiece of architectural art. The temple reaches 71 meters in height, a real giant at that time. The Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg has become a majestic monument of Russian architecture.
Architecture
As mentioned above, the construction of the Kazan Cathedral was not an easy task. Since, according to Orthodox canons, the altar should face east, the main entrance faces Meshchanskaya Street. The cathedral faces Nevsky Prospekt with its side wall. Voronikhin built a small semicircular square, which is outlined by a colonnade of 95 columns. And on the left and right it ends with monumental portals. The colonnade covers the main body of the cathedral; in the center of it there is a front portico. And people get the impression that the main entrance to the temple is located right here. The cathedral is made in the shape of a Latin cross, with a grandiose dome rising above the middle cross.
Decoration
The Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg amazes with its beauty and grandeur. Much attention was paid to the exterior and interior decoration. Many famous masters worked on sculptures and bas-reliefs, such as I. P. Prokofiev (bronze figure of St. Andrew the First-Called, bas-relief “The Exaltation of the Copper Serpent”), S. S. Pimenov (sculptures of Vladimir Equal to the Apostles and Alexander Nevsky), I. P. Martos ( bronze figure of John the Baptist, bas-relief “The Flowing of Water by Moses in the Desert”), F. G. Gordeev (bas-reliefs “Annunciation”, “Adoration of the Shepherds”, “Adoration of the Magi”, “Flight into Egypt”). For the interior decoration, icons were painted by the best artists of the early 19th century: O. A. Kiprensky, V. L. Borovikovsky, V. K. Shebuev, G. I. Ugryumov, F. A. Bruni, K. P. Bryullov. Marble, shungite, jasper, and Finnish granite were used for exterior decoration.
Cathedral in the mid-19th century
A year after the consecration, a prayer service was served in the church in honor of sending Russian troops to war. Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov also went to command troops from these walls. The Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg became the last refuge of this great commander; he was buried in the crypt of the temple. And a year later, celebrations took place here in honor of the complete victory of Russian soldiers over the French conquerors. The Kazan Cathedral (St. Petersburg) became a monument to Russian military glory. It contained trophies brought from the war.
The fate of the cathedral in the post-revolutionary period
A difficult fate awaited the temple after 1917. Worship services there ceased. The cross was removed from the bathtub, and in its place a gilded ball with a spire was placed. The Kazan Cathedral (St. Petersburg) was converted into atheism. Many icons were transferred to the State Russian Museum. The icon of the Kazan Mother of God was transferred to the Prince Vladimir Museum. The internal space was divided into exhibition halls. As a result of the alterations, the interior was badly damaged, and some of the property was simply looted. In 1941, the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism was temporarily closed, and exhibitions entitled “The Patriotic War of 1812” and “The Military Past of the Russian People” were staged in the cathedral. During the Great Patriotic War, St. Petersburg suffered greatly from the bombing of the Nazi invaders. The Kazan Cathedral, photographs of which are presented in the article, was no exception. Several shells hit the temple. After the war, its restoration was carried out.
The Cathedral today
The year 1991 became a new milestone in the history of the temple - it was reopened for worship. In the same year, the icon of the Kazan Mother of God was returned to the cathedral. And three years later, the golden cross was again installed on the dome. In 1998, a bell sounded over the Kazan Cathedral, and its voice “returned” again. The bell was cast at the Baltic plant. In 2003, the same plant donated a four-ton bell to the temple, which became the largest in the Kazan Cathedral. And in 2000 the cathedral became a cathedral. The church often hosts services with the participation of the highest ranks of the Orthodox hierarchy. On September 12 every year there is a religious procession from the Kazan Cathedral to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Throughout the history of the temple, many abbots have changed there. Now the rector is Archpriest Pavel Grigorievich Krasnotsvetov, born in 1932.
Address and opening hours
The Kazan Cathedral is located at the address: St. Petersburg, Nevsky Avenue, building 25. The temple is open daily: on weekdays from 8.30, on weekends from 6.30. Entrance to the cathedral is free.
One of the most famous sights of St. Petersburg is the majestic Kazan Cathedral (another name for the temple is Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God). It was built at the beginning of the 19th century. The temple was consecrated in honor of the highly revered image, for the sake of which the magnificent building was erected. The shrine is located in the temple to this day: this is a list of one of the most famous icons - the image of the Kazan Mother of God.
Soon after the completion of construction, a war began between the French and Russian empires, after which the temple began to be perceived as a monument to the glory of the Russian army. Here you can see military trophies from that period. On the territory of the temple there is the grave of the famous commander Mikhail Kutuzov.
Three centuries of temple history
Before the Kazan Cathedral was built, a copy of the miraculous icon was kept in a church consecrated in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. This church was built in the 30s of the 18th century, and by the end of that century it had fallen into disrepair. Then it was decided to build a new temple in its place. The emperor announced a competition, famous architects presented their projects, but none of them became a winner. After some time, the emperor was offered another project, the author of which was a former serf Andrey Voronikhin. It was this project that received the approval of the emperor.
Construction work continued ten years(a very short period of time, considering the technology of the 19th century!). The cost of these works exceeded four and a half million rubles. The old church, in which the list of the miraculous image was kept, was dismantled only after the construction of the new temple was completed.
Work on finishing the building continued until late 20s of the XIX century. They ended almost eighteen years after the consecration of the cathedral. In the 40s of the 19th century, repair work was carried out in the temple for the first time. Almost twenty years later, a second renovation was carried out. It included restoration of wall paintings and restoration of icons.
Student demonstrations have repeatedly taken place in the square in front of the cathedral. There, in the mid-70s of the 19th century, a demonstration of one of the revolutionary societies took place.
At the beginning of the 20th century, a solemn event took place in the temple - celebration of the tercentenary of the Romanov dynasty. But this page in the history of the temple cannot be called joyful: during the celebrations, a terrible stampede broke out in the crowded cathedral, in which several dozen people died.
In the post-revolutionary period, or more precisely, in the 20s of the 20th century, many valuables were confiscated from the temple, and its interiors were badly damaged. In particular, a unique iconostasis made from captured silver was destroyed. It was sent to the smelter. In total, approximately two tons of silver were seized from the cathedral (not counting many other valuables). In the early 30s of the 20th century, the temple was closed, and a short time later a museum was opened in its building, the exhibitions of which were dedicated to the history of religion and atheism. In the middle of the 20th century, restoration work was carried out in the building. First, the interiors were carefully restored, then the facades.
In the early 90s, services resumed in one of the chapels of the cathedral.. A few years later, the cross shone again over the dome of the temple. At the end of the 90s, the building was completely consecrated. At the beginning of the 21st century, it was finally returned to the Russian Orthodox Church.
Temple interiors and architecture
Before construction of the cathedral began, the emperor expressed the following wish: the temple should resemble a Roman cathedral, consecrated in honor of St. Peter. This wish was fulfilled: the colonnade of the Kazan Cathedral really resembles the columns of the famous Vatican Church.
The colonnade of the St. Petersburg Cathedral consists of ninety-six columns. In addition to the fact that it gave the temple a resemblance to an Italian cathedral, it also allowed the architect to solve one difficult problem. The fact is that in Orthodox churches the entrance is traditionally located in the western part of the building, and the altar in the eastern part; The avenue on which the cathedral was built stretched from west to east. For this reason, the temple actually stands sideways to the avenue, but this is invisible thanks to the columns adorning the northern (that is, side) part of the church. By the way, the architect planned to decorate the temple on the southern side with exactly the same columns, but for a number of reasons he was unable to complete his plan.
The diameter of the cathedral dome is almost eighteen meters. It is formed by two rows of ribs made of iron. And under the huge iron dome there are two more, these domes are built of brick. Interestingly, all of the listed domes were built before methods for static calculation of such structures appeared. We can say that the architect’s intuition helped him successfully design the domes.
The walls of the cathedral are lined with special tuff, mined in the Gatchina region. Pedestals have been preserved on both sides of the giant colonnade. Once upon a time there were sculptures depicting angels on them. They were made of plaster and, according to the builders' plan, they were to be replaced by similar bronze sculptures. But these plans never came to fruition. In the 20s of the 19th century, the plaster sculptures were removed, but for a number of reasons new ones were not installed.
Tourists are impressed by the facades of the cathedral, but its interiors do not disappoint. Installed in the temple more than fifty columns. They are made from pink granite, they are decorated with gilded capitals. The bas-reliefs of the early 19th century also make an impression on those entering. The images of the temple were painted by famous painters of the same period. Speaking about images, one cannot fail to mention the most important shrine of the temple. It is, as mentioned above, a list of the famous miraculous icon, in whose honor the cathedral was consecrated.
Sculpture and painting
The cathedral contains many beautiful works of art; Which ones should you pay the most attention to? Which ones to inspect first? Let's name some of these works:
The temple is decorated both inside and outside many sculptures. All of them deserve close attention, as they were created by the best sculptors of the country.
pay attention to bronze northern doors of the temple. They were made by foundry master Vasily Ekimov, famous in the 19th century. These doors are an exact copy of the doors cast in the 15th century by the sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti for the Florentine baptismal house.
Separately, a few words need to be said about painting. The iconostasis of the temple, its pylons and walls were painted by famous artists of the early 19th century. Among them Karl Bryullov, Fyodor Bruni, Pyotr Basin and many others.
Also pay special attention to the pictorial work " Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven" This is an altarpiece, its author is Karl Bryullov. According to experts, this work is one of the main decorations of the cathedral, although the rest of the paintings in the temple are certainly worthy of careful inspection.
Monument to Military Glory
As mentioned above, the temple is a kind of monument to Russian military valor, victory over the French Empire. Here, after the end of the war with Napoleon's army, enemy banners captured by the victors were displayed. There were one hundred and seven such banners (currently most of them are in the Russian capital). And next to them one could see ninety-seven keys. These are the keys to cities that surrendered to the Russian army. Most of these trophies are also currently in Moscow. Six bunches of keys can be seen in the St. Petersburg church, they are placed above grave of Mikhail Kutuzov(the great military leader is buried on the territory of the cathedral).
By the way, there is a misconception that the heart of the famous Russian commander was buried separately from his body, in one of the Polish cities. But this version is not true. In the first half of the 20th century, an autopsy was performed on the commander's body. The results of this autopsy completely debunked the version of a separate burial of the heart.
Although the master plan including the second colonnade was not implemented, the Kazan Cathedral is perceived as a complete and perfect work of architecture. The main thing that contributes to the integrity of perception is the clarity of the compositional solution, the proportionality of architectural volumes and proportions. The composition of the cathedral was developed taking into account its significance as the central structure of the architectural ensemble. Moreover, in this case, the architect faced a difficult task. In Orthodox churches, the altar always faces east, and the entrance to the temple is on the opposite side, that is, from the west. When fulfilling this mandatory requirement, it turned out that the Kazan Cathedral was oriented towards Nevsky Prospect with its side facade. It was necessary to create its ceremonial decoration.
Voronikhin bravely got out of the difficulty. He gave the building plan the shape of an elongated cross and built a semicircular colonnade on the side of Nevsky Prospekt.
The colonnade consists of 94 fluted columns of the Corinthian order with a height (with bases and capitals) of about 13 meters. It is placed, like the entire building, on a high plinth, lined with Serdobol granite.
There are three entrances to the cathedral: northern (from Nevsky), southern and western; each of them has three doors. The entrances are emphasized by strict six-column porticoes with wide steps.
The light, slender dome rests on a high cylindrical drum with 16 rectangular windows, between which there are pilasters. Voronikhin emphasized the base of the dome by arranging 16 round lunette windows with strongly protruding platbands. The base of the drum, stepped, expanding at the bottom, serves as a transition from the main vertical of the structure to the horizontal lines of the colonnade and facades.
It is characteristic that the cathedral does not have wide free wall planes. All its facades are cut through by huge windows located in two tiers. Between the windows there are small vertical partitions on which pilasters are placed. A massive attic runs along the entire perimeter of the building and over the passages. It increases the height of the walls and hides the roof. The colonnade has a balustrade on both sides. Above the windows, along the frieze of the colonnade, on the walls of the porticos, in the attics of the passages, as well as on the corners of the entablatures, there are relief compositions. The building's cornices and portico pediments are richly decorated with stone carvings. On the pediments of all three porticoes the “all-seeing eye in rays” is depicted, on the northern one - gilded bronze, on the others - carved from Pudost stone. All decorative details are restrained in their execution, giving the building a picturesque and cheerful tone.
In the architecture of the cathedral, two trends are revealed: monumentality, which is conveyed by large-scale volumes, passages, a massive attic and a powerful plinth, and at the same time the lightness that the smooth semicircles of the colonnade with rhythmically, widely spaced, slightly thinned columns at the top, a slender dome, numerous windows, and also the color scheme of the cathedral. The light yellow Pudost stone, which lined the walls and from which the columns were made, was in harmony with the shiny, silvery, soaring dome, as if melting into the heavenly blue. The architect’s desire to ensure the predominance of light colors was expressed in the fact that even the fence on the western side of the cathedral was initially painted white, an unusual color for city bars.
Monumentality and lightness, which are in inextricable unity, are one of the essential features of Voronikhin’s work, giving the building a unique expressiveness. Another distinctive feature of the Kazan Cathedral is that in its composition it is not the dome part (as in traditional Orthodox churches), but the colonnade that is of decisive importance. Completely covering the building from the side of the main thoroughfare of the city, it primarily attracts attention and contributes to the fact that the cathedral is perceived as a structure of secular architecture.
The middle part of the colonnade is emphasized by a portico protruding slightly forward. Above the columns of the portico is a powerful attic. From a distance, from Nevsky Prospekt, the attic is perceived as the base of the dome, and the portico as its pedestal. Thanks to this impression, the dome is included in the composition of the colonnade as its part, crowning the center. This established the continuity of the colonnade with the building itself.
Openwork semicircles of the colonnade extend from the portico in both directions, connecting it with the passages. Thus, the main parts of the colonnade (semicircles) turn out to be closed rectangular shapes (portico, passages), which gives the colonnade stability and completeness.
The center of the colonnade dominates, but is not opposed to the passages. In terms of scale, proportions, linear rhythm, these clearly identified parts are brought to unity.
It becomes clear how important it was for Voronikhin to defend his decision to arrange direct road closures. He simultaneously solved both technical and artistic problems: with direct ceilings, the common shape of the passages and portico was achieved, the passages were organically included in the composition of the colonnade, and the horizontal linear structure was not disrupted. The latter was of fundamental importance in organizing the ensemble of the Kazan Cathedral. The deeply thought-out combination of the northern portico with the dome follows from the general plan of the architect in organizing the architectural appearance of the cathedral and its place in the city complex. A similar combination is typical for other porticoes of the western and southern, as well as for the eastern facade, closed by a semicircular altar projection - the apse. When we look at the cathedral from the opposite embankment of the canal, the apse is perceived as a tower topped with a dome (If the second colonnade was implemented, the “tower” of the eastern facade would play an active role as an accent centering the spread of the two colonnades and uniting them.) Such decisions regarding the location of the dome with the sides of all four facades lead to impressive results: all parts protruding from the lines of the facades are “smoothed out”, the contours of the building become clear, calm, the structure acquires integrity, lightness, naturally and simply fits into the surrounding urban environment (Voronikhin developed the master plan of the cathedral taking into account the presence of open spaces on all sides. Nowadays, the overgrown trees of the square near the grid, where the creation of the square was planned, hide the view of the western portico; the houses built near the cathedral on the south side do not allow moving to a distance from which the portico would be perceived in harmonious combination with the dome) . The connection with the city is also revealed in the fact that the cathedral building appears from different sides in different combinations with the colonnade and square. This variety of impressions opens the Kazan Cathedral to an even greater extent to the space of the city and enhances the spirituality of its artistic appearance.
Voronikhin created one of the most expressive urban ensembles. He erected the cathedral at a distance from Nevsky Prospekt that created the most favorable relationship between the building and the size of the area and surrounding buildings. At the same time, it was taken into account that Nevsky Prospekt is actively included in the space of the cathedral square, increasing it.
The main role in the organization of the ensemble is played by the colonnade. It is wide open to Nevsky Prospekt, without interfering with access to other city blocks through passages along Plekhanov Street and the Griboyedov Canal embankment. The base of the eastern passage is connected to the lining of the canal, which plays a significant role in the artistic appearance of this part of the city.
Buildings that fix the boundaries of Kazan Square on three sides are compositionally connected with individual elements of the colonnade. On the opposite side of Nevsky Prospect, two buildings stand close together. They are bounded on one side by a canal, on the other by Sofia Perovskaya Street, through which there is access to the city blocks to the north of the cathedral. At the same distance from the passages, corner houses were built along Plekhanov Street and Griboyedov Canal, the northern facades of which face Nevsky Prospekt. Echoing the passages, these houses limit the area on two sides, and it seems that the semicircular line of the colonnade continues to these buildings. And behind them, as you move from the colonnade to Nevsky Prospekt, the view of the highway opens up more and more. In this way, the transition from the cathedral to the space of the city is carried out widely and freely, the nearby part of which is involved in the ensemble.
The Kazan Cathedral is open from all sides. And from everywhere, from any direction, its various relationships with the houses located around are revealed. Thanks to this, the organizing role of the cathedral in the architectural ensemble is revealed more clearly. The buildings included in it are consistent in height with the height of the Kazan Cathedral. Stylistically, they are heterogeneous, but have a common feature - the severity of architectural forms, which is characteristic of the appearance of the cathedral. Color contributes greatly to the integrity of the ensemble. All buildings are light in color, close to the light yellow color of the colonnade. Different shades of color for individual buildings do not destroy the unity of the overall color scheme and contribute to the cheerful sound of the ensemble. The exception to this is the dark building of the House of Books, which is a contrasting spot in the overall tone; its tower, topped with a sphere, echoes the main vertical of the cathedral and emphasizes the height of the dome.
The ensemble of Kazan Square also includes monuments to M. N. Kutuzov and M. B. Barclay de Tolly, installed 26 years after the completion of the cathedral. They are located against the background of the passages of the colonnade. In order to more accurately determine the locations for the monuments, the sculptor B. I. Orlovsky previously used silhouette plank models of the monuments.
The interior of the building is also designed in a solemnly austere manner. The combination of monumentality with lightness and grace in the development of an architectural image is one of Voronikhin’s main creative principles. In the Kazan Cathedral, this principle is clearly manifested in the decorative and artistic decoration, in the general development of which the author proceeded from the nature of the building, its plan, and volumes.
In traditional Orthodox religious buildings, the main prerequisite for spatial solutions was the task of separating the interior from the outside world. It was necessary to create such an environment so that nothing would distract attention from the worship service or ritual. Hence the small number of often narrow windows and, as a consequence, wide planes of walls, massive pillars supporting domes, etc.
Fascinated by the task of creating an architectural ensemble, Voronikhin boldly moved away from the traditional principles of church construction and created a building of a secular type, the artistic image of which carries life-affirming civic ideals.
The length of the cathedral inside from west to east is 72.5 meters, from north to south - 56.7 meters. The height with the dome is 71.6 meters, the span of the dome is 17.1 meters. The dome has two vaults: the lower one, cut by a round hole, and the upper one, initially covered with paintings (“Coronation of the Mother of God” by V.K. Shebuev), and later painted blue.
In plan, the cathedral has the shape of an elongated cross, which determined the spatial solutions of the interior. The main part is its under-dome part. It turned out to be slightly shifted to the east, adjacent directly to the central altar room and bounded at four corners by pylons supporting the dome. Double-row colonnades of red polished granite extend from the pylons in all directions - to the west, east, north and south; their height, with bases and capitals, is 10.7 meters. The bases are covered with sheet bronze, the capitals are bronze (Cast according to the model of the sculptor S. S. Pimenov). They were gilded, but since in the haste with which the construction of the cathedral was completed, high-quality soil was not prepared for gilding, the gilding had long since come off, and the capitals took on a dark color.
Due to the fact that the floor in the altar rooms is raised, the columns are modified. In violation of the stylistic principles of the Corinthian order, they are installed on the floor without bases and their height is reduced.
Colonnades are at the same time the main component of the decorative and artistic design of premises and have a constructive function - they support the vaults. Their calm rhythm introduces a motif of solemnity and peace. Widely spaced columns (there are 56 of them in the interior) divide the space, but do not isolate parts from one another. The importance of colonnades in the architectural appearance of the interior is clearly visible in its western part. This is the largest room of the cathedral, intended for believers. It is divided into three elongated naves by two colonnades. The middle nave is four times wider than the side ones and is covered with a barrel vault, which rests on the colonnades. The vault is decorated with octagonal caissons, in which metal rosettes covered with paintings in the form of a stylized flower are fixed. The ceilings of the side naves are flat, coffered, and are significantly lower than the central one. The same division of space takes place in the altar and in the chapels, and the ceilings are arranged in the same way. This emphasizes the advantage of the central parts and “hides” the width of the rooms.
The architect successfully decided on the transition from the vaults to the dome. On four sides, “cuts” of the vaults, like semi-oval arches, approach the part under the dome, and it seems that the drum of the dome stands on these arches, lightly touching them with the edge of the base. This achieves a connection between the main spaces of the interior and, as it were, expands the central part under the dome. At the same time, here in the center a range of circles and semicircles is created, surprisingly light and refined, testifying to the subtle artistic taste of the architect.
The interior is characterized by ideal proportions of architectural components: the height and volumes of the columns and the depth of the vaults, the length and width of the parts of the “cross”, the sizes of window openings, etc. are ingeniously designed. It is worth special mention about the windows, because they are huge and located in two tiers, between There are only small partitions covered with artificial granite pilasters with gilded alabaster capitals. The abundance of windows gives the interior lightness, airiness and connects it with the surrounding external space. The building is filled with light, which, reflected in the polished granite columns and falling on the polished marble floor, softly dissipates and rushes upward into the dome. All this gives the interior the character of a palace hall, restrainedly lush, majestic and austere.
An interesting mosaic floor of the cathedral is made of stone of four colors: black, gray and pink marble and dark red Shoksha quartzite. The pattern and distribution of stone colors in mosaics are linked to the layout of individual interior rooms, which also contributes to the perception of the organic integrity of artistic solutions.
In the central, under-dome part, the floor is decorated with circles decreasing towards the center, echoing the lines of the dome and its vaults, gradually tapering upward. This relationship creates an illusion: the dome part is perceived as a separate round hall. Completeness and stability of the pattern is achieved with the help of straight mosaic elements, fan-shaped from the center and connecting the circles. In shape and color, the parts of the mosaic are arranged in such a way that the impression of relief is created, and this gives it special expressiveness.
In the main nave and in the northern and southern aisles there are alternating stripes of color composed of octagonal tiles of black, red and gray stone. The floor pattern emphasizes the elongation of the space; in addition, it “reflects” the octagonal caissons of the vaults.
In the side naves, the mosaic designs correspond to a long narrow room enclosed between the wall and the colonnade. Each ceiling caisson has a corresponding pattern: in a circle, on a black background, there is a stylized flower made of pink and gray marble.
The layout and architecture also determined the location of the icons. Unlike other churches, where icons were placed on dome pylons and walls, filling all surfaces, here most of them were installed only in the altar area. The cathedral had three altars, separated from the main premises where believers gathered, by iconostasis: the main one, in the iconostasis of which there was an icon of Our Lady of Kazan, and two on its sides; southern, Rozhdestvo-Bogoroditsky, and northern, Antonio-Feodosievsky. It is noteworthy that the main iconostasis could not be “attached” to the altar. In search of a solution to the organic combination of the iconostasis with architecture, Voronikhin compiled three versions of the iconostasis design. According to one of them, the iconostasis was built in 1811. At the same time, Voronikhin installed “small” iconostases in the northern and southern aisles. In all the iconostases, Voronikhin strengthened the decorative motif, probably solving them as separate works not related to architecture, wanting to highlight them. He introduced patterned reliefs and sculptural compositions. But the size of the main iconostasis did not fit into the interior; it was small.
In 1836, according to the design of the architect K. A. Ton, a new iconostasis was erected. Magnificent, decorated with silver, with malachite columns on the sides of the royal doors, it was disproportionate to the volume of the premises, although in itself it was a highly artistic work of art. At the same time, Ton made changes to the decor of the side iconostases. He removed the sculptural compositions in the upper part, leaving the layout of the icons unchanged. He covered the free planes in the lower part with relief patterns. The design of the iconostasis has become calmer and stricter.
From the same time, bronze and gilded chandeliers began hanging in the cathedral. In 1836, the main chandelier by the master Chopin with 180 candles was suspended under the dome; in 1862 - two “middle” chandeliers in the southern and northern aisles with 32 candles each; in 1892 - between the columns - 16 “small” chandeliers with 16 candles each. When all the chandeliers are turned on, the cathedral room is filled with soft diffused light, the contours of the architectural details are softened; the interior, while maintaining its solemn monumentality, acquires a particularly pacifying, calm character.
The Kazan Cathedral is one of the first monuments of classical architecture, in the design of the facades of which works of sculpture occupy a large place. Later, the sculpture was used in the decoration of many large buildings in St. Petersburg: the Mining Institute (1806-1811, architect A. N. Voronikhin), the Admiralty (1806-1820, architect A. D. Zakharov), the Stock Exchange (1805-1816, architect. Thomas de Thomon) and others. It was during this period that, through the joint efforts of outstanding architects and sculptors, the high art of synthesis of architecture and sculpture was achieved. Russian sculptors created magnificent sculptural ensembles, full of heroic pathos and advanced civic ideals. Statues, reliefs, and architectural decorative forms, without losing their independent meaning, enriched the content of architectural monuments and enhanced their picturesqueness and artistic expressiveness. Although the artists expressed the ideas of their works allegorically, through ancient or biblical subjects and images, they glorified the patriotic exploits of their contemporaries, affirmed the power of reason, and expressed admiration for man, his physical and moral perfection, and the sublimity of feelings.
The ideas of patriotism and humanism underlying the architectural image determined the life-affirming character of the Kazan Cathedral; having come to the fore, they muted the cult purpose of the building,
The expressiveness and power of the emotional impact of this monument lies not only in the perfection of composition and architectural forms, but also in the deep synthesis of arts: works of sculpture and painting are combined with architecture into a single whole.
The synthesis of arts has taken place in the history of arts since ancient times; at different stages and in different life conditions it acquired different forms and depth of content. But the source of its formation has always been the common ideological and ideological basis of the arts and, consequently, the unity of style. In the synthesis of arts, their mutual influence was natural. which contributed to the successful development of everyone. In this regard, outstanding monuments of architecture and related monumental sculpture of the Ancient World are indicative.
The Kazan Cathedral is a striking example of the fact that the synthesis of the arts reaches perfection in those periods when the arts are on the rise in their development, associated with progressive movements in the life of society.
The fusion of arts in the Kazan Cathedral is so natural and logical that they are perceived in an inextricable unity, forming an integral architectural and artistic image. At the same time, sculpture and painting enrich architecture, reveal its essence, without, however, losing their own artistic value.
Architect Andrei Voronikhin, one of the founders of the Russian Empire style.
Andrei Nikiforovich Voronikhin was born on October 17 (old style) 1759 in the village of Novoye Usolye, Solikamsk district, Perm province. He was recorded in the register of the Savior Church under the name Voronin.
His parents Nikifor Stepanovich and Pelageya Ivanovna were serfs of Count Alexander Stroganov, the largest Ural landowner and miner. It is known that Andrei Voronikhin received his initial artistic education in the workshop of the icon painter Gavrila Yushkov; icons painted by Yushkov adorned many churches in the Perm region. The icon painting workshop was located in the village of Ilinskoye, and his parents moved to the village with their son.
While studying icon painting, Voronikhin developed an interest in the profession of an architect. With his own hands he made a model of the rural Elias Church. This fact is recorded in a letter from Yushkov addressed to Yakov Fedorovich, Strogonov’s confidant.
Stroganov, himself a great connoisseur of art (in 1800 he was appointed president of the Imperial Academy of Arts), having assessed the layout of the temple, sent the talented young man to study in Moscow. Here he studied miniature and perspective painting.
In Moscow, Voronikhin met the largest Moscow architects Vasily Bazhenov and Matvey Kazakov. Probably under their influence he switched to architecture.
Voronikhin continued his studies abroad, where he went as a free man; in 1785, Alexander Stroganov gave him his freedom. Upon returning from Paris, Voronikhin took a trip around Russia, from which he brought an album to his patron and benefactor, which contained 125 sketches written during the trip.
Voronikhin's first architectural works included decorating the interiors of the Stroganov Palace, a dacha on the Chernaya River and a house in the Gorodnya estate.
In 1800, already with the rank of academician, Voronikhin began to receive government orders. He works on the reconstruction of the cascades at Samson's Bucket in Peterhof and on the pavilions of the Pavlovsk Palace, but his most famous work is the project of the Kazan Cathedral on Nevsky Prospekt.
The cathedral project was approved by Emperor Paul I; it reminded him of the Roman Cathedral of St. Peter, which Pavel Petrovich visited during his trip abroad.
Paul wanted the same cathedral to be erected in Moscow, and for the Metropolitan of Moscow to serve in it, but his plan was realized in the northern capital. Upon completion of the construction of the cathedral and its consecration, the architect Voronikhin was awarded the Order of St. Anne of the second degree and a pension.
Another major project of Voronikhin was the building of the Mining Institute; it embodied the main trends of the Empire style. Voronikhin combined his architectural practice with teaching and teaching work at the Academy of Arts.
Andrei Nikiforovich died suddenly on February 21, 1814 at the age of 54. He was buried at the Lazarevskoye cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
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Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg. Temple of Military Glory.
The main façade of the cathedral faces Nevsky Prospekt and forms the unique appearance of the city's main thoroughfare. The temple building bears the features of European classical architecture, in particular, St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome, and at the same time, the Russian architectural style with elements of eclecticism and classicism is clearly visible here. The cathedral amazes with its gigantic, slightly curving colonnade, which consists of 96 thirteen-meter columns of the Corinthian order. These huge columns are made from blocks of stone brought from special quarries in Gatchina, a suburb of St. Petersburg. And in the external design of the cathedral there are picturesque reliefs and statues.
History of the Kazan Cathedral
The history of the Kazan Cathedral is rooted in our glorious historical past. The main shrine of the temple is a revered copy of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The icon belonged to Tsarina Praskovya Feodorovna and was brought by her to St. Petersburg when the royal court moved from Moscow, after St. Petersburg was declared the capital of the Russian state in 1712. In 1737, in the presence of Empress Anna Ioannovna, the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary was consecrated, which from now on became the place where the miraculous image was kept. After a long stay in the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary on Nevsky Prospekt, the icon was placed in the new Kazan Cathedral. The Kazan Icon became one of the main Orthodox shrines of St. Petersburg. After the cathedral was closed, it was moved to the Smolensk Cemetery Church, and in 1940 - to the Prince Vladimir Cathedral and placed near the right choir. On July 4, 2001, the icon was returned to the Kazan Cathedral.
But let's return to the history of the construction of the cathedral. The competition announced by Emperor Paul I to create a project for the Kazan Cathedral did not produce results. Constructions of this kind could not be ignored by the most famous architects. Almost the entire architectural elite that was admitted to the court came to the competition. It must be said that all the projects did not satisfy either the urban planning task or Paul’s ambitions, but, reluctantly, the project of the “European grandee of classicism” - Charles Cameron - was approved. But, fortunately for the Kazan Cathedral and St. Petersburg as a whole, six months later the dissatisfied Pavel rejected the foreign project and gave preference not just to a Russian newcomer, not just to a little-known architect, but to a former serf and serf.
It must be said that getting “freedom” in Russia was not easy, but Voronikhin gained freedom precisely because of his talent as an architect. Moreover, three years before the events described, the extremely conservative Academy of Sciences awarded Voronikhin the title of academician. But Voronikhin presented his project for a reason; the initiator of the project was a former master, and now a high patron of the architect - Count Stroganov.
In addition to the Russian architect, the count proposed using exclusively Russian craftsmen and domestic materials in the construction of the Kazan Cathedral. Not a single foreign master took part in the construction of the Kazan Cathedral. The team of masons was led by Samson Sukhanov. The foundation stone of the three-aisle church took place on August 27 (September 8), 1801, in the presence of Alexander I.
The construction of the temple took ten whole years, and the final cost of the project was 4.7 million rubles, a huge amount of money at that time. On September 15 (17), 1811, Metropolitan Ambrose consecrated the cathedral. The same year the old church was dismantled.
Architecture Features
A majestic temple, the largest at that time in St. Petersburg, appeared before the townspeople. Inside and outside the cathedral was decorated with unique columns carved from huge granite monoliths, weighing up to thirty tons each. The dimensions of the cathedral are 72.5 by 57 meters, height – 71.6 meters. When creating a dome with a diameter of seventeen meters, Voronikhin was the first in world construction to develop and use a metal structure. It is interesting that Voronikhin was able to solve a problem that many architects faced when erecting churches on Nevsky Prospekt. According to the canon, Orthodox churches must have an entrance in the west and an altar in the east. But this is exactly how Nevsky Prospekt stretches - from west to east. Voronikhin solved the problem by making the side northern part of the Kazan Cathedral a ceremonial one.
In projection, the building looks like a four-pointed Latin cross, elongated along a west-east axis. Its central cross is crowned with an elegant dome. The main entrance is located on the western side - not from Nevsky, but from the side Kazanskaya street. The altar, as it should be, is oriented to the east, so the cross on the dome of the cathedral is turned towards the Nevsky with its edge. Another feature of the Kazan Cathedral is the sculptural images of saints. The Orthodox tradition did not support the worship of statues, but Voronikhin built the temple in the tradition of the Italian Renaissance.
Relics of the Kazan Cathedral
The holy images of the Kazan Cathedral were painted by such famous masters of painting as A. Ivanov, S. Shchukin, O. Kiprensky. Nowadays the most remarkable shrine of the Kazan Cathedral is a copy of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Other venerated images are not currently in the cathedral:
- Icon of the Savior in the iconostasis.
- Icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the Mother of God of Czestochowa, donated by M. I. Kutuzov.
- Golgotha with a piece of the Life-Giving Tomb, built according to the design of N. N. Nikonov in 1891.
- Icon of the Resurrection of Christ, also with a piece of the Holy Sepulcher, sent in 1906 by Damian, Patriarch of Jerusalem.
Other significant relics of this temple include almost a hundred military banners and standards of the French army, as well as the keys to the captured cities of Europe. Nowadays, the image of the Kazan Cathedral appears on a commemorative series of coins, published under the title “Architectural Monuments of Russia.” The Kazan Cathedral is rightfully included in the treasury of not only Russian, but also world architecture. Today, the revived Kazan Cathedral is the center of not only the spiritual but also the social life of St. Petersburg, the cathedral of the St. Petersburg Metropolitanate.
Every day, thousands of believers and tourists from all corners of the globe visit the temple, never ceasing to admire the human genius and skill of Russian architects, sculptors and artists.
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Cathedral.
Kazan Cathedral. Saint Petersburg. View from the Griboyedov Canal
Praskovya Fedorovna Saltykova (1664-1723), widow of John V and daughter-in-law of Peter I, moved to live from Moscow to St. Petersburg in 1708, and settled with her daughters on the Petrograd Side; with her she brought a copy of the icon of the Mother of God of Kazan. The queen participated in its writing and decoration. In two years, the Kazan Chapel will appear on Posadskaya Street, and soon a wooden church will be built there. Probably, the fame of the icon grew among the people.
Where the Kazan Cathedral now stands, at the beginning of the 18th century, at the intersection of the Nevskaya prospect and the Krivushi river, there were wooden buildings of a hospital and the houses of its employees. In 1710, a chapel was built at this hospital.
Years passed, Peter I died, not having time to say to whom to give EVERYTHING. After the death of his widow Catherine I, the question of succession to the throne arose. There were no direct heirs and Anna Ioannovna, the daughter of Praskovya Feodorovna, who was later named Anna the Bloody among the people, was installed as king. But the queen did not forget about the icon; she wanted to build a large stone church in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the image that was close to her memories.
Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
The church had a wooden dome and a bell tower over the entrance and was similar to the Peter and Paul Cathedral. The cornice of the Nativity Church was decorated with sculptures of the apostles and other saints. It was opened in 1737. The consecration of the temple took place on June 13 (24) in the presence of Empress Anna Ioannovna. The day before, the Icon was transferred to the temple.
Empress Anna Ioannovna
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Catherine, wife of Peter III
Interior of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
Catherine II on the day of the coup of September 22, 1762 at the walls of the Nativity Church
Paul I got married in this church and when he finally became emperor, he decided to build a beautiful temple worthy of the new capital and Nevsky Prospect. In 1799, a competition was announced for the design of a new cathedral to replace the dilapidated Church of the Nativity. Among the competition participants were famous architects: P. Gonzago, C. Cameron, D. Trombaro and others. However, not a single submitted project was approved. The casket opened simply; while visiting Italy, Paul was fascinated by the grandiose beauty of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. Maybe Gonzago and Cameron did not know about this dream of the emperor, or perhaps they simply did not imagine how such a project could be implemented on Nevsky Prospekt.How important it is to correctly determine where the wind is blowing from! There have been so many unexpected ups and downs in history due to this. A year later, Count A.S. Stroganov the largest landowner, collector and philanthropist, president of the Imperial Academy of Arts, draws out his lucky ticket. And along with him, an unknown architect, former Stroganov serf Andrei Nikiforovich Voronikhin, his design for the cathedral was liked by the tsar and received approval! The architect's brilliant decision to connect Nevsky Prospekt with the church building with a grandiose 4-row colonnade of the Corinthian order satisfied Paul's ambitions and turned the Kazan Cathedral into the center of one of the first architectural ensembles in St. Petersburg.
Project of the Kazan Cathedral by the architect
Quarenghi
Project of the Kazan Cathedral by architect. Voronikhin
The colonnade in the form of a semicircle opened towards Nevsky Prospekt and at the same time hid behind it the cathedral building, unfavorably located sideways to the main thoroughfare of the capital. According to church canons, all Orthodox churches are oriented to the west with the entrance and the altar to the east. This unique solution with a colonnade did not occur to the masters of architecture, but was brilliantly used by Voronikhin.
Plan of the Kazan Cathedral
Cathedral and Kazan Square
St Paul's Cathedral. Rome
At the same time, despite the external similarity of the architectural ensembles of the Kazan Cathedral and St. Peter's Cathedral, differences are also visible. The main square of the Vatican is closed in a ring by colonnades, and the columns on Kazan Square open the square to Nevsky Prospect, creating an atmosphere of celebration and freedom.
Having secured the ends of the colonnade with monumental porticoes, Voronikhin designed passages along the canal and streets.
Colonnade
View of the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg. Artist Alekseev F.Ya.
The project was not fully realized. First, the main ideological inspirer, Paul I, died. Then the war intervened. Then, as usual, there were not enough funds in the treasury. Immediately after the war, construction of another grandiose St. Isaac's Cathedral began in the northern capital. The Kazan Cathedral, in the form in which it was created and has survived to this day, without a doubt, decorated St. Petersburg and replenished the world treasury of architectural monuments.
As for St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome, which served as a prototype, only the arches of the colonnades can be called similar here. There is no talk of any “copying”; these are not comparable objects. St. Peter's Cathedral is the largest Christian church in the world; the dimensions of the cathedral are enormous, they can only be compared with the Pyramid of Cheops, 144 meters high. (The height of the cathedral is 136 meters) The capacity of the Roman miracle is 60 thousand people, plus 400 thousand in the square. Several generations of great masters worked on its creation. The list of architects includes 20 famous names of the Renaissance, and the cathedral was built and the square was developed over more than 150 years. Once upon a time, this place was the site of the gardens of Nero's circus. In 1506, the project of Donato Bramante was approved, and the construction of a structure in the shape of a Greek cross began. The altar of the cathedral was placed over the tomb of St. Peter, who died as a martyr here in the circus in 66. The tasks for the architects of this building were set to be grandiose, and the entire Catholic world participated in its construction. But for all its colossality, St. Peter's Cathedral does not have the integrity of its architectural design. Too many great architects at different times expressed their vision and new goals for the church. Thus, even the basic composition of the building in plan changed all the time. The proportions changed, the walls were added, the building stretched from the equilateral shape of the Greek cross to the elongated shape of the Latin cross. And then vice versa.
Michelangelo devoted the rest of his life to the construction of the dome, erecting this monument to his genius with his own hands. But others finished the dome, painting, sculpture went to the next ones, and so on. Carlo Maderno added three chapels to the cathedral on each side. Because of this, the facade visually reduces and partially obscures the dome. Now, in order to see the dome as Michelangelo intended it, you need to look at it from a distance, or from above.
St. Peter's Cathedral, no doubt, is a grandiose building, but the Kazan Cathedral remains closer and dearer to us.
With all this, some of the statements of Voronikhin’s contemporaries, who tried to put the architect in his “deserved” place, causing an awkward smile, acting on the principle: “Who are you?”
This “verdict of a connoisseur of architecture” by F. Wiegel has reached us:
“Voronikhin, destined by nature for the shoemaker's craft, ended up as an architect through his studies; and he, on the recommendation of his master, built the Kazan Cathedral, this copyist in architecture, who could do nothing but copy Michelangelo for us in the worst handwriting"
There were probably quite a few such vigels, so I would like to reinforce myself with one more authority, albeit a literary one. In a poem from the collection “Stone” (1913), Osip Mandelstam compared the Kazan Cathedral with a “light spider cross”:
“And the architect was not Italian, But Russian in Rome - well, so what! Every time, like a foreigner, you walk through a grove of porticoes.”
Count Stroganov became the chairman of the board of trustees during the construction of the cathedral.
In 1800, the “Commission on the Construction of the Kazan Church” was created, headed by the count. She received the broadest powers. The commission managed all the allocations for the construction of the cathedral; it was given state brick factories, Olonets marble quarries and materials from the Pella manor.
In 1801, the commission reported to the emperor about the need to build a bell tower and houses for the clergy. Paul I refused this request:
“In Rome, Peter doesn’t have a bell tower, and we don’t even need one! As for the clergy, these will not be left without housing.” .
Later, the clergy got a residential building on the corner of Nevsky Prospekt and Kazanskaya Street (Nevsky Prospekt, 25). The bell tower was never built; the bells were placed in openings in the cathedral colonnade.
Paul I was no longer present at the foundation ceremony of the Kazan Cathedral due to the fact that he was killed in March 1801. On August 27, his son, the new emperor, Alexander I, participated in the laying. The newspaper “Northern Post or New St. Petersburg Newspaper” described the celebration as follows:
« Year of the Lord 1801 August 27th day, the foundation was laid for this holy temple in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos, her miraculous icon of Kazan, by command of the blessed memory of the Sovereign Emperor Pavel Petrovich, during the reign and under the Highest presence of the Most Pious Autocratic Great GOVERNOR EMPEROR ALEXANDER PAVLOVICH all I am Russia,... in the first summer upon the Ascension to the THRONE OF HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY. — Built by Architect Voronikhin.”
Initially, the Kazan Cathedral was planned to be built by 1804, but in reality the work dragged on for more than 10 years. A cathedral was built south of the Church of the Nativity, and all this time it continued its work. The existing buildings at that time on the corner of Nevsky Prospekt and Meshchanskaya Street and near Zimin Lane were demolished (11 private houses). For each of them, the owners were paid 500 rubles.
Preparations for construction took place against the backdrop of a patriotic upsurge. This was the reason why Count Stroganov proposed to build the Kazan Cathedral only by Russian craftsmen, only from domestic building materials.
At first, construction workers lived outside the city in dugouts. Some of them were placed in barracks on Konyushennaya Square.
The working day of the builders of the Kazan Cathedral in the summer was set from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. In winter - from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The foreigners were amazed:
“These simple men in torn sheepskin coats, looking inquisitively at the plan or model indicated to them, they accurately and gracefully copied them. The eye of these people is extremely accurate. They were in a hurry to complete the construction of the cathedral; despite winter time and 13-15 degrees below zero, work continued even at night. Holding the lantern ring tightly between their teeth, these amazing workers climbed to the top of the scaffolding and diligently carried out their work.”
The military governor of St. Petersburg, Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, provided great assistance during the construction of the temple; he provided territory for workshops and warehouses, and allocated soldiers for urgent and labor-intensive work.
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