The Churches of St. Petersburg

Religion as a whole is fairly prominently displayed in Russia. Beautiful churches are found beautifying the streets, proudly and exquisitely displaying the two main features - the Orthodox cross and the cupolas.

St. Petersburg is not an exception. We visited the three most famous churches, each one gifting us with a unique experience I enjoyed thoroughly.


Казанский Собор (Kazansky Cathedral)

This was the first cathedral we went to and it was by far my favorite. Right from the beginning, encompasses you in its glorious semi-circle columns and enlightens you with the (pictured) gold design on the tympanum, right above the entrance. That gold sun-burst theme is continued within the cathedral itself and is displayed very pleasantly without turning the gold into too heavy of a feature. Inside, it is very spacious and pleasant; the peaceful aura is felt throughout and the many candles that are lit by visitors bring in a sense of warmth and security. Unlike the other two, this cathedral is not a museum so not only is it free to enter (yay!), but various religious ceremonies are held on a daily basis, so it is more authentic than a typical tourist attraction. I lit a candle and placed it on a stand in front of Saint Tatiana because that icon was the only one I could somewhat relate to my life - by remembering all the Tatiana's I know and sending them a little hello/hug/prayer. I felt very serene.

Спас на Крови (Church of the Resurrection)

Probably the most famous of all the cathedrals in St. Petersburg due to its elaborate and colorful exterior, Спас на Крови was very interesting to visit. A year and a half ago, the last time I was in Russia, I visited St. Petersburg with my friend, Olivia. We walked past this cathedral several times, but for some reason never got a chance to go inside. Since then, I had really wanted to see whether the interior equated with the jaw-dropping exterior. Now that I have seen the inside, I honestly say that it didn't live up to my expectations. Though I was taken aback and impressed by the quantity and quality of mosaics that covered every surface inside, it was much smaller than I would have assumed such a lavish cathedral would have been. Looking back, I can also say that the fact that it was turned into more of a museum/tourist attraction really disappointed me. Maybe it was because there were so many people and tours and chaos inside that it wasn't how I imagine a glorious cathedral to be. That's not to say that I didn't like it, though. It really was a relic and the ornate mosaics on every wall were very interesting to admire.

Here are some more pictures I took of this cathedral:

Исаакиевский Собор (St. Isaac's Cathedral)

Disclaimer: this picture was taken by me a year and a half ago, when I visited this cathedral. This visit I didn't take a picture for some reason, but I figured it would be nice to have a picture of it for the post. The main difference this year was that the right side was being restored, not the left as shown above.

This cathedral had three perks: the monumental exterior, the wonderful (warm) interior, and the top dome, which we climbed up to see the view of the whole city! I really enjoyed being able to view this cathedral from these three various aspects, seeing them mesh perfectly together to create one grand monument. The grandiosity of the columns and single high-rising dome give this cathedral an image of power and prestige, yet it is also very graceful and neat, and therefore not overbearing or frightening. The interior, to match the sense of prestige, is vast, open, and high-ceilinged, with the focal point, naturally, being the dome at the very center. 

The biggest adventure, though, was walking up to the viewing area. A 200-something step climb up the stairs and another 20-step ascent on a rickety staircase to the top (in hand with the strong wind and chilling cold) was a success! From there, all of St. Petersburg could be seen, which was one way I had never experienced viewing it. As interesting as it was, I was much too cold to take any pictures, but because her camera ran out of battery, my brave traveling buddy Nastya took pictures on my camera. 

Here they are - St. Petersburg in the winter.