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St. Isaac's Cathedral was originally the city's main church and the largest
cathedral in Russia. It was built between 1818 and 1858, by the French-born
architect Auguste Montferrand, to be one of the most impressive landmarks of
the Russian Imperial capital. One hundred and eighty years later the gilded
dome of St. Isaac's still dominates the skyline of St. Petersburg.
The cathedral's facades are decorated with sculptures and massive granite
columns (made of single pieces of red granite), while the interior is
adorned with incredibly detailed mosaic icons, paintings and columns made of
malachite and lapis lazuli. |
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| St
Isaac Cathedral |
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St
Isaac Cathedral |
Monument |
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| St
Issacs Cathedral and the Admiralty |
Winter Palace |
Fountains and Sts Peter and Paul Fortress |
Pushkin statue silhouette and birds |
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Nicholas I on St Isaacs Square |
Monument to Peter the Great |
The
Admiralty |
Anchors |
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This marvellous Russian-style church was built
on the spot where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated on March 1 1881.
Constructed between 1883 and 1907, the church was designed in the spirit of
sixteenth- and seventeenth century Russian architecture, inspired
particularly by St Basil's Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow.
After assuming power in 1855 in the wake of Russia’s disastrous defeat in
the Crimean war against Britain, France and Turkey, Alexander II initiated a
number of reforms. In 1861 he freed the Russian serfs (peasants, who were
almost enslaved to their owners) from their ties to their masters and
undertook a rigorous program of military, judicial and urban reforms, never
before attempted in Russia. However, during the second half of his reign
Alexander II grew wary of the dangers of his system of reforms, having only
barely survived a series of attempts on his life, including an explosion in
the Winter Palace and the derailment of a train. Alexander II was finally
assassinated in 1881 by a group of revolutionaries, who threw a bomb at his
royal carriage. |
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Church on the Spilled Blood |
Translations of the church’s name vary
between guidebooks and include The Church of the Saviour on Blood, The
Resurrection Church and The Church of the Resurrection of Christ. |
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Proclaiming himself the "great combinator", Ostap Bender searches for a
stash of diamonds hidden in one of the twelve eponymous chairs. The action
takes place in the Soviet Union during the New Economic Policy era. At the
end of the novel, he is killed by his partner, Ippolit Matveyevich
Vorobianinov, who does not want to share the treasure with Bender when it
seems like they are about to reach their goal. The name "Ostap Bender" has
become an archetypal name for a con man in the Russian language. |
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Ostap Bender and chair |
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Mikhaylovskiy Gardens gates and railings |
St
Petersburg street |
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Building in Nevsky Prospekt |
Catherine II Statue |
Pigeons mealtime |
St
Petersburg Moscow rail station |
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Moscow Triumphal Arch built in 1834-38, designed by architect V.P. Stasov,
stands on the intersection of Moskovsky Avenue and Ligovsky Avenue in
commemoration of the Russian military victories in the Russo-Turkish War of
1828-29. The arch, possessing twelve Doric columns, is crowned with
sculptural compositions representing prizes of the war and figures of genii. |
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Monolith, St Petersburg |
Moscow Triumphal Arch |
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Monolith by Moscow Station |
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Building on Moscovsky
Prospect |
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WW2
Memorial in Pobepy Place |
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Canal trip |
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Canal St Petersburg |
Buildings by canal |
Bridge and boat |
Buildings by canal |
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Statue on building |
Building over bridge |
Bridge and building |
Fellow in alcove |
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Peter and Paul Fortress |
Fountains in river |
Ancient and modern buildings |
Boat |
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Peter I Summer Palace |
Peter I's Pavilion |
Building by canal |
Simbuniya Anny Church |
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The Anichkov Bridge is the first and most famous bridge across the Fontanka
River in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The current bridge, built in 1841-42 and
reconstructed in 1906-08, combines a simple form with some spectacular
decorations. As well as its four famous horse sculptures (1849-50), |
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Anichov Bridge with the Beloselskij-Belozerskij Palace |
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Bridge |
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Bridge |
Pavilion by canal |
The Church on the Spilled
Blood from canal |
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| Sts Peter
and Paul Island fortress |
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The cathedral is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, the patron saints of
the fortress (Saint Peter being the patron saint of the city). The current
cathedral is the second one on the site, the first stone church in St.
Petersburg, was designed by Trezzini and built between 1712 and 1733. Its
golden spire reaches a height of 404 feet and features at its top an angel
holding a cross. This angel is one of the most important symbols of St.
Petersburg. |
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| Sts
Peter and Paul Cathedral on the island fortress |
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Sts
Peter and Paul Cathedral |
Sts
Peter and Paul Cathedral interior |
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Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral interior |
An
iconostasis that was completed by a group of Moscow carvers from 1722-1727
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Pulpit in Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral interior |
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In 1887 Alexander III gave orders to replace
the white marble tombs on the graves of his parents, Alexander II and Maria
Alexandrovna, with more splendid ones. Solid blocks of green Altai jasper
(for Alexander II) and pink Ural rhodonite (for Maria Alexandrovna) were
used for the purpose. Designed by the architect Alexander Gunn, the new
tombs were made at the Peterhof Lapidary Works over a period of eighteen
years. They were installed in the cathedral in February 1906. |
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July 17, 1998 Nicholas II and his family were buried in the cathedral's
small St. Catherine chapel in Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral |
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Tombs of Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna |
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Restoration on Sts Peter and Paul fortress |
The Mint |
Building on Sts Peter and Paul fortress |
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Vasilyevsky Island |
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One out of two rostal columns that are
erected on either side of the Old Stock Exchange on the Spit of Vasilievsky
Island, St Petersburg. These doric columns sit on a granite plinth and are
constructed of brick coated with a deep terra cotta red stucco and decorated
with bronze anchors and four pairs of bronze ship, each representing the
major rivers of Russia, Volga, Dnieper, Neva, and Volkhov. Seated marble
figures decorates the base of each column. They were originally intended to
serve as beacons and originally were topped by a light in the form of a
Greek brazier and lit by oil |
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Rostral Column |
Rostral Column base |
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Stock Exchange |
Detail on Stock Exchange |
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Costumed figures in the streets |
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Catherine Palace at Pushkin (Tsarskoe
Selo)
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If any proof is needed for the extravagance
of Russia's Imperial rulers, then it can be found in the fact that, in less
than two centuries, the Romanov Tsars established not one but two suburban
estates - at Tsarskoe Selo and Peterhof - that, in terms of grandeur and
excess, outstrip even Versailles. What is more, at Tsarskoe Selo, the 18th
century saw the construction of two vast and truly exceptional palaces, both
surrounded by extensive landscaped gardens with diverse and fascinating
decorative architecture. Built for Empress Elizabeth by
Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the architect of St. Petersburg's Winter Palace, the
Catherine Palace is undoubtedly Tsarskoe Selo's top attraction, particularly
renowned for the extraordinary Amber Room. Less well known, and currently
much more dilapidated, the Alexander Palace is nonetheless a neoclassical
masterpiece, and has a particularly poignant connection with the family of
the last Tsar, Nicholas II. |
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Catherine Palace and gardens |
Railings to Catherine Palace |
Catherine Palace north facade |
Catherine Palace porch and statues |
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Catherine Palace north front |
This musician is the percussionist and conductor of a quartet playing to the
queue outside the palace. |
Catherine Palace north facade decoration detail |
Gates to Catherine Palace |
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Vases in the Catherine Palace |
Detail of Grand Hall in Catherine Palace |
Figure in the Grand Hall of Catherine Palace |
Cherub inside Catherine Palace |
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Grand Hall Catherine Palace |
Heater in the Grand Hall of Catherine Palace |
Table lay out in Catherine Palace |
Decorated table at Catherine Palace |
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Statue and cameo at Catherine Palace |
Catherine Palace south facade |
Statue in garden of Catherine Palace |
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Coat of Arms on south facade of Catherine Palace |
Garden and south facade of Catherine Palace |
Flautist in Catherine Palace garden |
Stream in Catherine Palace grounds |
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