It is customary to call the main city or monastery church a cathedral, where the service is usually led by a bishop of any rank. This title is conferred once and for all, even if the ruling bishop moves to another church along with the episcopal see. Several city churches can be called cathedrals, but only one cathedral is listed. In terms of size, the most famous cathedrals in Russia often do not differ from ordinary parish churches, but their value and significance does not at all depend on this.
Since the time of the Novgorod Republic
The oldest cathedral in Russia is considered to be a temple built in the first half of the 11th century in Veliky Novgorod. For many centuries, the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia was a spiritual Orthodox center, and the first stone in its foundation was laid with the personal participation of Prince Yaroslav the Wise.
The six-domed cathedral was first painted in 1109, but only fragments on the central dome remain of those frescoes. The most famous icons of the temple are the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos of the 12th century and the Tikhvin Icon, commissioned by Queen Sophia in the 16th century.
In the northern capital
A trip to St. Petersburg can delight lovers of architectural attractions with an acquaintance with the famous cathedrals of Russia, built in different years and became symbols of the city on the Neva:
- Kazan Cathedral appeared on Nevsky at the very beginning of the 19th century. Its main shrine is the Miraculous copy of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The temple holds the keys to seventeen cities and eight fortresses of Europe, taken in battles in different years.
- A few decades later, in the northern capital, the architect Montferrand began the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral. Today it houses a museum exposition and holds services. Isaac's dome offers a wonderful view of the city.
- Peter and Paul Cathedral is called a monument of the Peter and Paul Baroque era. Until 2012, it was the tallest building in the city, and the wingspan of an angel on the spire of the temple, despite its seeming diminutiveness, is almost four meters.
- The architect of the Smolny Cathedral is the famous Rastrelli, who worked in the Elizabethan Baroque style. His most famous works are the Winter Palace and the Smolny Monastery.
The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, erected at the end of the 19th century, is perhaps the most famous cathedral in Russia. At this place, Alexander II was mortally wounded, and the cathedral was built in memory of him using folk funds.
