Kazan

Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan

The cathedral is dedicated to the icon of Our Lady of Kazan, the most important icon of Russia.  The Russian Orthodox church believes that the Our Lady of Kazan icon saved and protected Russia from invasions and also during World War II.  It is located on Nevsky Prospect and it is not difficult to miss.

After the war of 1812 (during which Napoleon was defeated) the church became a monument to Russian victory.  The famous Russian field marshal, Mikhail Kutuzov, who won the most important campaign of 1812, was buried in the church.

The cathedral's construction began in 1801 and completed 11 years later.  It was modeled after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and is considered Russian classical architecture.  It has an impressive stone colonnade.

The 56 interior columns of Finnish granite with gilt capitals are similar to the exterior columns.  The interior reminds you of a palatial hall.  It is 69 meters long and 62 meters high.  There are numerous sculptures and icons.  Leading artists and sculptors contributed to the construction of the cathedral.  

In 1917 after the Russian Revolution, the cathedral closed and all church valuables were confiscated by the Soviet Government.  In 1932 it reopened as a pro-Marxist 'Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism'.  In 1992 services resumed and in 1996 it was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church and the cross was replaced on the dome.

The cathedral was constructed in 1811 solely for housing Russian Orthodoxy's precious, miracle-working icon, Our Lady of Kazan.  After the 1917 Revolution, the icon was seized by the atheist Soviet authorities.  It resurfaced many years later in New York is is now housed once again in the cathedral.  In 2002 the icon of Our Lady of Kazan returned to the main iconostatis.

 The cathedral opens early in the morning and closes after the evening service.

No pictures were allowed inside.

visited:  Thursday, November 26, 2015