Kazan Cathedral

Categories / Religion. Church/Places of Worship (see also Architecture and Urban Planning)
Categories / Architecture/Architectural Monuments/Religious Architecture (see also Religion.Church)
KAZAN CATHEDRAL, Our Lady of Kazan Сathedral (2 Kazanskaya Square). A monument of Classical architecture. In 1733-1737, the three sided stone Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, with a high bell tower, stood on this spot (architect M.G. Zemtsov), to which the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan had been solemnly transferred at end of the 16th century. In 1773, Tsesarevich Pavel Petrovich was married at this church, and many of the Russian Army's victories were celebrated here. At the end of the 18th century, the chapel was granted the status of a cathedral. In 1801-11, the new building, with a bigger cupola, porticos and the semicircular Corinthian colonnade, was erected in its place (architect A.N. Voronikhin). The building cost the treasury 4.7 million roubles. In 1813-1814, trophies captured by the Russian army during the course of the Patriotic War of 1812 and the Campaigns of 1813-1814 were stored there; in 1813, Field Marshal Kutuzov was buried in the chapel on the cathedral's left side, at which time the chapel was seen as a monument to the Patriotic war of 1812. In 1837, monuments to Kutuzov and Barclay de Tolly were erected on the square in front of Kazan Cathedral. Kazan Cathedral features interiors decorated by many leading Russian artists and sculptors, including reliefs on the facade by I.P. Martos, I.P. Prokofyev, F.G. Gordeev; sculptures executed by S.S. Pimenov, I.P. Martos, V.I. Demut-Malinovsky; and images painted by V.K. Shebuev, A.E. Egorov, A.I. Ivanov, and V.L. Borovikovsky. The icon-stand was created by A. Le Blond and F. Cretienne; mouldings were executed by F.T Torricelli and B. Medici; and the Tsar's gates were cast of silver by P. Tenner. A new golden frame, decorated with precious stones, was made for the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan. Finishing-work lasted until 1829, and was headed by architect A.A. Montferrand. In 1834-36, the main icon-stand was decorated with silver taken by Cossacks from the French in 1812 (cast by Z. Gerenne, after sketches by architect K.A. Ton); new icons were painted by artists V.K. Sazonov and F.P. Brullo. At that time, artists F.A. Bruni, P.V. Basin and K.P. Bryullov painted large alter images. In 1865, the outer image of Our Lady of Kazan (painted by artist I.A. Tyurin) was placed at the apse of Kazan Cathedral. In 1921, the "cave" side-chapel was sanctified and dedicated to the St. Hermogen. From 1743 on, the patronal festival day was celebrated on 30 August (according to the old calendar) with a procession of the holy cross going from Kazan Cathedral (later from St. Issac's Cathedral) to the St. Alexander Nevsky Monastery (the longest processions in St. Petersburg); the day of the expulsion of Napoleon's Grand Army from Russia was commemorated with the "Te Deum" on 25 December (7 January according to the Gregorian calendar). On 28 October 1893, P.I. Tchaikovsky's burial service was read at Kazan Cathedral. In 1913-1918, F.N. Ornatsky was the arch priest of Kazan Cathedral. From 1870, a charitable society was connected with the congregation, maintaining a school-orphanage, a free cafeteria, an alms-house, cheap housing, and a dacha (summer residence) for poor children near Sestroretsk. In 1922, all church valuables, including the silver decoration of the icon-stand, were confiscated by the Soviet government. In 1932, Kazan Cathedral was transformed into the History of Religion Museum, and a portion of the decoration was given to state depository; from 1940, the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan was kept at the St. Prince Vladimir Cathedral. In 1950-1956, the interiors were restored; in 1963-68, the facades were restored (the architect A.E. Hessen). In 1991, Kazan Cathedral was given back to the eparchy and became a functioning chapel; in 1998, it was consecrated with full rites; in 2000, it became a cathedral again. Kazansky Island, Kazanskaya Square, Kazansky Bridge and Kazanskaya Street are all named after Kazan Cathedral.

References: Антонов В. В., Кобак А. В. Святыни Санкт-Петербурга: Ист.-церков. энцикл. СПб., 1994. Т. 1. С. 83-87; Казанский собор. СПб., 2001.

V. V. Antonov. Barclay de Tolly Mikhail Bogdanovich, Prince (Mikhael Andreas)
Basin Peter Vasilievich
Borovikovsky Vladimir Lukich
Brullo Fedor Pavlovich
Bruni Fedor (Fidelis) Antonovich
Bryullov Karl Pavlovich
Cretienne Fedor
Demut-Malinovsky Vasily Ivanovich
Egorov Alexey Egorovich
Gerenne Jaques
Gordeev Fedor Gordeevich
Hessen Alexander Ernestovich
Ivanov Andrey Ivanovich
Kutuzov (Golenishchev-Kutuzov) Mikhail Illarionovich, Gracious Prince
Le Blond A.
Martos Ivan Petrovich
Medici Barnaba (Varnava Iosifovich)
Montferrand Auguste Augustovich (Henri Louis Auguste Leger Ricard de)
Napoleon I Bonaparte, Emperor
Ornatsky Filosof Nikolaevich, Protopresbyter
Paul (Pavel) I, Emperor
Pimenov Stepan Stepanovich
Prokofiev Ivan Prokofievich
Sazonov Vasily Kondratievich
Shebuev Vasily Kozmich
Tchaikovsky Peter Ilyich
Tenner Paul
Ton Konstantin Andreevich
Torricelli Fridolino
Tyurin Ivan Alexeevich
Voronikhin Andrey Nikiforovich
Zemtsov Mikhail Grigorievich
Kazanskaya Square/Saint Petersburg, city, house 2
Антонов В. В., Кобак А. В. Святыни Санкт-Петербурга: Ист.-церков. энцикл. СПб., 1994
Казанский собор. СПб., 2001 Neoclassicism
Alexander Nevsky Lavra
St. Isaac's Cathedral
Museum of History of Religion
Cathedral of Prince St. Vladimir
1801
1811
1813
1838
1932