Description of the attraction
Cathedral of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir has an amazing history. Its name has changed three times. Even during the reign of Peter I in 1708, the temple was consecrated in honor of St. Nicholas. In the common people, it began to be called "Mokrusha", as it was located in a low-lying, flooded place. Five years later, instead of the wooden one, a hut church of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos was built, the side chapels of which in 1717 were consecrated in the name of St. John the Baptist and St. Nicholas, and the main chapel was dedicated to the Assumption. The St. Petersburg side, in which the temple stood, was the center of the city at that time, there were many parishioners, so the church acquired the status of a cathedral.
Over time, the building fell into disrepair, it was necessary to demolish the temple bell tower. In 1740, at the direction of Empress Anna Ioannovna, the construction of a stone church began here according to the project and under the direction of the architect M. G. Zemtsov, and the architect Pietro Antonio Trezzini was involved in the completion and decoration of the temple. But he also failed to complete the construction.
In 1766, Empress Catherine approved a new project for the completion of construction, developed by the architect Antonio Rinaldi. In June 1772, when the cathedral was almost completed, a strong fire damaged it, and the nearby old Assumption Cathedral was completely destroyed.
In 1783, the Empress again ordered the completion of the construction of the temple. This time it was entrusted to the construction department of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery under the direction of the architect I. Ye. Starov. And only in 1789 the cathedral was consecrated in the name of Saint Prince Vladimir, the baptist of Russia into the Orthodox faith. As a reminder of the previous names of the temple, two of its side-chapels were consecrated - the Assumption and Nikolsky.
Its architectural design resembles the Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, which was also completed by Starov. A three-tiered bell tower with a height of more than fifty-seven meters rises near the main entrance to the cathedral. Its belfry has seven bells, the largest of which was cast in 1779 and weighs 310 pounds. The cathedral is a striking example of a five-domed church in St. Petersburg, which speaks of the great interest of architects in the traditions of Russian national architecture. The bell tower merged with the main building is perceived surprisingly harmoniously.
During services, the cathedral can accommodate up to 3,000 people. In the sails of the main dome there are images of the four Evangelists, made by Karl Bryullov. There are no murals on the walls, on the dome, or on the vault. The iconostasis, once installed near the main altar of the cathedral during its consecration, has not survived. The first iconostases of the side chapels have also been lost. They were replaced by new, two-tiered, Empire style, in 1823. The altar of the main side-altar of the cathedral is decorated with copies of the paintings of V. M. Vasnetsov "Holy Communion" in the Kiev Vladimir Cathedral, as well as a stained glass window made in 1910 with a belt image of the Savior. In the church itself, you can admire copies of Raphael's Transfiguration, Paolo Veronese's Lamentation for Christ, F. Bruni's Prayer for the Chalice, The Nativity of Christ, Theotokos with the Child and John the Baptist, Assurance of the Apostle Thomas by unknown authors.
Since 1806, the temple housed the Prince Vladimir Theological School. In 1845, by decree of Emperor Nicholas II, the Prince Vladimir Cathedral began to bear the name of the Cathedral of the Knights of the Order of St. Prince Vladimir of all degrees. The insignia of this Order was placed above the main entrance. Since 1875, a charitable society and a parish orphanage have been operating here, and a little later, a parish school.
Prince Vladimir Cathedral is one of the few churches in the city that, with a few exceptions, functioned throughout the years of Soviet power.
