St. Isaac’s Cathedral-an outstanding monument of architecture of late classicism, before the October revolution-the main Cathedral of St. Petersburg.Since 1937-historical and art Museum.The history of the Cathedral dates back to 1710, when near the Admiralty was built a small Church in honor of St. Isaac of Dalmatia, because the day of his commemoration coincided with the birthday of Peter I (may 30, old style). Later, St. Isaac’s Church was built in stone elsewhere, and in 1768-1802 was the construction of the third St. Isaac’s Cathedral (arch. Antonio Rinaldi, Vincenzo Brenna), which was never finished. In 1818-1858 by the project of Auguste Ricard de Montferrand was built the existing St. Isaac’s Cathedral. It is one of the world’s largest domed buildings (the diameter of the dome is 21.8 m).
In addition to the impressive architectural and engineering solutions associated with the dome and the installation of monumental columns weighing about 100 tons each, the Cathedral is interesting for its artistic decoration, widely representing the Russian fine art of the time. It is decorated with a decorative sculpture, made in the technique of electroplating, opened in 1838. For its decoration used about 20 kinds of decorative and ornamental stone-porphyry, malachite, lapis lazuli, various varieties of marble, which gives the right to consider the Cathedral a Museum of colored stone.
The outstanding painters and sculptors Karl Brullov, Fyodor Bruni, Peter basin, Vasily Shebuev, Ivan Vitali, Nikolai Pimenov, Peter Klodt took part in the design of the temple. The total area of mosaic decoration is about 600 sq. m.
The Museum exposition in the Cathedral is devoted to the construction and restoration of this outstanding monument of architecture, engineering, embodied in it, as well as the features of monumental and decorative decoration. From the upper colonnade of the Cathedral, from a height of 43 m, visitors can admire the beautiful panorama of the center of St. Petersburg.
