While the Church of the Spilt Blood and the Kazan Cathedral may be the most famous cathedrals in St. Petersburg, it’s hard to miss the gigantic dome of the beautiful St. Isaac’s Cathedral when you’re walking around the city. In fact, it’s the largest domed cathedral in the world. Located near the Bronze Horseman statue on the bank of the Neva River, the cathedral is currently part worship space and part museum.

You can visit it by buying a ticket for the museum, or purchase a separate ticket to climb up the stairs to the colonnade for a stunning view over the city.

History

The current St. Isaac’s Cathedral (Isaakievsky Sobor in Russian) is the fourth church to have been built in the same place in St. Petersburg. Following a design competition by Tsar Alexander I it became French architect Monferrando’s life-long project. Taking 40 years to construct (from 1818 until 1858), it was one of the most lengthy and intensive building projects of the 19^th century. Among other fascinating technological innovations that were used during construction, the whole thing stands on a base of 10,000 tree trunks – the 19^th century version of the landfill.

In 1931 (the Communist era), the Soviets turned the magnificent cathedral into “the Antireligious Museum”, replacing a gigantic dove sculpture which represented the Holy Spirit with a Foucault Pendulum, a popular science museum display. After the fall of Communism, the cathedral was turned into part church, part museum.

Currently the left-hand chapel is the only place which is considered a religious space, and the rest is a museum.

The Museum

The cathedral offers several guided tours, but it is not necessary to take one if you want to just look around yourself. It’s worthwhile to take a look at the cathedral’s neoclassical exterior, including the dome covered with statues of angels and the reliefs decorating the outside. Also take note of the massive columns on the exterior and interior of the cathedral – there are 112 columns in total.

The interior of the cathedral is also stunningly beautiful, with bas-reliefs in the doors and walls and beautifully detailed images on the ceilings, including an impressive one inside the dome itself (where the dove statue has been restored).

Inside you can also see the highly intricate mosaics, which are actually replicas of paintings that used to hang there but were getting destroyed by the poor weather conditions of the city during the 19^th century. You can also take a look at the collection of over 150 paintings now hanging inside the cathedral, which tell stories from the Old and New Testaments.

The Colonnade

You can get a separate ticket to climb the 262 steps to the colonnade which circles the dome of the cathedral. Once you get there, you will have a stunning 360-degree view of the whole city of St. Petersburg (since there are no high-rises anywhere in the city center). You can take a look along the Neva River, all the islands surrounding the city and of course the city center itself. In the summer, you can visit the colonnade at night (it stays very light since the city is so far north). It’s an incredibly romantic experience and a must-see if you’re traveling as a couple.

Practicalities

Since the cathedral is mostly a museum and not a religious space, you do not have to worry as much about covering your head and otherwise being appropriately dressed to visit it as you would be for other Russian cathedrals, although it may still be wise to be respectful of the rules since it is part worship space.

Take care that you do not take photos or videos in the left-hand chapel which is a designated prayer space. There are signs there as well but it’s worthwhile to know in advance that you may be disrupting a church-goer if you go to this area of the cathedral, so be quiet and respectful when approaching the area.

Information about prices and opening hours can be seen on the cathedral website.