Kazan Cathedral

Our first stop took place in Kazan Cathedral, which is located approximately in the middle of Nevsky Prospect. I was completely shocked by the Kazan Cathedral! Sure, there are ancient temples in India; I have something to compare with. However, this cathedral was so majestic and perfect that it eclipsed everything I’ve seen before.

Sasha told me that Paul I of Russia was the initiator of the construction of the Kazan Cathedral at the end of the 19th century. He wanted the new cathedral of Saint Petersburg to resemble the largest prayer complex of the Christian world — the Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican. Architect Andrey Voronikhin embodied the wishes of the autocrat.

Later, I found that the most outstanding buildings of Saint Petersburg were built in accordance with the styles that dominate in different eras in Europe: Italy, France, England, Germany, and Holland... Moreover, many of them were built by architects from these countries. Therefore, in Saint Petersburg, travellers from Europe may have a very strong feeling of déjà vu, the feeling that they have already seen these houses in their homeland. Saint Petersburg is the most beautiful and most European of all Russian cities.

The decoration of the Kazan Cathedral took place immediately after Napoleon’s invasion of Russia and the defeat of the multinational army of the French emperor. The Russian army led by Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov put an end to Napoleon’s army. Shortly thereafter, Kutuzov died and was buried in the Kazan Cathedral. Near the cathedral is a monument to Kutuzov. This cathedral became the personification of Russian military glory.

Most of all in the Kazan Cathedral I was impressed by huge marble columns. In front of the north façade, there is a huge colonnade consisting of 96 columns. Inside the temple, there are 56 columns of pink Finnish granite with gilded capitals made in the ancient Greek style. That is, 152 huge columns in total! My imagination was impressed by how people in the 19th century could create and install such powerful, perfect, and huge columns!