Nikolsky Cathedral in St. Petersburg: history, icons and address

Epiphany Nicholas Naval Cathedral is one of the main shrines of St. Petersburg. This is the brightest monument of church architecture, made in the classical style of Elizabethan baroque. Priests of the cathedral annually sprinkle Russian sailors, blessing for long voyages.

Start of construction

The location of the first stone of the chapel in the middle of the 18th century was not in vain chosen by the city of Petersburg. The St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral was built for the Admiralty esplanade. And it was in St. Petersburg was the main shipyard of the empire. At that time, the fleet's employees lived in the so-called Sea Sloboda. The clergy had to settle and conduct service in ordinary homes. However, in 1730 the fleet management decided to allocate for the priests a separate wooden hut, which was subsequently converted into a church. Soon a small chapel was built near the shrine.

Only in 1752, at the request of Admiral Mikhail Golitsyn, the Empress Elizabeth allowed to erect a stone structure in honor of Nikolai the Wonder-worker at the expense of the treasury. The project was entrusted to the architect Savva Chevakinsky. In June 1753 the construction entered the initial stage. Nevertheless, preparatory work was carried out for about three years. In 1756, the decoration and decoration of the temple began. The only problem was the production of special metal structures, which were frameworks for the chapters. For this, the architect repeatedly had to travel for details to the Tula factory of P. Demidov. In the autumn of 1760 the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral was completely built. The next step is interior design. These works were completed in advance by the summer of 1762.

For many years the temple stood unchanged, surviving one flood after another. Nevertheless, many parts of the building required urgent replacement. The reconstruction of the shrine began only in the middle of the 19th century with the main gates and stairs. And in 1901 in the cathedral were installed a furnace for heating the room. Soon a new altar and a throne were brought to the temple.

Hard times

During the October Revolution, the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral was forced to change its status. The building held meetings and meetings of the Bolsheviks. In the spring of 1922, all values were removed from the church. The total weight of the utensils confiscated for the benefit of the Soviet government was about 330 kilograms. The St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral and its ministers experienced difficult times. Priests were constantly threatened with arrest in connection with reports of incitement and betrayal of their homeland. In October 1922, Bishop Alexei and the vicar Nikolai were exiled to Central Asia for a public report on the arbitrariness of Soviet power. Numerous complaints of parishioners have not been crowned with success. Moreover, soon all the remaining icons and salaries were taken out of the temple. In 1934, all bells were removed, the weight of which was more than 20 tons. The arrests of priests and parishioners continued.

The full restoration of the temple began only in the summer of 1941, after the cathedral received the status of a cathedral. During the war years, the exterior of it was badly damaged, but the reconstruction work was done in a matter of months.

Modern life

Today the Nikolsky Sea Cathedral is one of the most visited shrines of St. Petersburg. On weekends, lectures on the basics of the Bible are held here for all comers. The lessons also discuss the life of the St. Petersburg diocese, describe the harm that psychic souls and other magical interference in human life cause. At the church there is a boarding school, where prayer services are regularly held. On holidays, children can attend divine services and even take part in them. In addition, the clergy of the cathedral took custody of Maximilian and Nikolaev hospitals, a naval hospital and other medical institutions.

Features of architecture

The Nikolsky Sea Cathedral was built on the model of the Astrakhan temple, which Peter liked very much. Nevertheless, it has a number of differences from all other Russian church buildings. Many marine temples have in the base a form of a traditional cross, emphasizing their belonging to Christ the Savior. Some buildings look like a ship, which leads parishioners to the pier of salvation. Most often at the base of the cathedral is a circle. The Nikolsky temple is made in the form of an octagonal cross.

The church is crowned with 5 gilded domes. The central tower is octagonal. On each dome is a large openwork cross. The cathedral is conventionally divided into 2 rooms: upper and lower. Each of them is decorated with historical images. The upper hall is decorated with bright naves and gold patterns. Lower - sculptures and altar. It is worth noting a five-tiered chandelier, above which an angel hovers with a crown and a palm branch in his hands.

Shrine of the Cathedral

The main icon of St. Nicholas Church is the image of Nicholas the Wonderworker, written in the 17th century in Greece. The shrine is made in soft blue-blue tones, emphasizing belonging to the marine theme. The icon is decorated with precious stones and mosaic. Part of the relics of the saint is in his medallion in the central part of the image.

In St. Nicholas Cathedral is stored about three dozen icons. This is the image of the Mother of God of Tikhvin, the Cross of the Lord, John of Kronstadt, Xenia of Petersburg and many others. Also one of the main shrines of the temple is the cancer of Archbishop Chernigov.

Nikolsky Naval Cathedral: address and services

The temple is open to all comers from 7.00 am to 10.00 pm. It regularly hosts rituals of baptism, repentance, communion, chrismation, weddings and other sacred ordinances.

The Naval Cathedral is located on Nikolskaya Square, 1/3, near the metro stations "Spasskaya", "Sennaya" and "Sadovaya". The territory of the church is constantly running passenger transport. The temple can be reached by bus, tram and shuttles.